Home is where the Dirt Is

May 25, 2010
Location: Moscow, Idaho
Temperature: Unknown. But it is the first sunny day we've had in awhile.

Today, Ronan told me that he did not want to do the map project. He was tired of driving and wanted to stay home.

Out on the street in front of the house, we have had road construction for the past couple of days and to continue for the next few. Ronan has enjoyed watching the HUMONGOUS construction vehicles with their comings and goings. It puts good action to the machines that we have read about in books and seen parked on the side of the road. There was even a skid steer, the one vehicle we can both never name. Cool.

In tribute, we started our own construction site in the backyard, in a corner of the garden now dedicated to Ronan's whims.

Trucks, shovels, pails of water. Life is good.
And apparently,
it tastes good too.

Lewiston

May 12, 2010

Temperature: 70'
SUNNY :)

Ronan, Noah and Mom drove down to Lewiston today, a place quite familiar to us. Mom thought about the first time she was ever here with Uncle Keith.

We took the Old Grade down (with mom on pins and needles as she drove because she gets vertigo anytime she is on curvy roads with cliffs when the kids are in the car). We needed rocks for the garden. The Old Grade was the place to find rocks.

Today, with it being so nice, we took the big wheel, the stroller and the roller skates. Hence, everyone had wheels for the trail. How beautiful. We got a couple of women walking the trail to take our photo.

Ronan is super amazing on his big wheel. We took several bridges over top of the road just to try them out and enjoyed the smell of lilac bushes and wild roses blooming everywhere. We watched the men out fishing on their boats down by the old train bridge that raises up its rails whenever a big ship needs to pass through.

We stopped to see the sculpture at Tsceminicum (Nez Perce for 'The Meeting of the Waters', which is at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers). There kneels 'Mother Earth' in bronze. Her hands outstretched are the source of all rivers (and they've made it into a fountain) and her hair blows backwards and houses all the animals. Mom has always loved this sculpture and Ronan thought it was pretty cool. Today, in a strange and wonderful symbolic manner, there was the carcass of a spider in the left eye of Mother Earth.

On our way home, we stopped by dad's work in Colton, WA to have a quick visit at lunch.

Today we collected: rocks and a wild rose
Ronan's Favorite Thing: Rock wall driving down to Lewiston
Mom's Favorite Thing: Being on skates on the trail under the sun with her boys

Lewiston Idaho May 12, 2010. View Photos

Spring Valley Reservoir

Temperature: 39', Cloud and Windy

Things we saw:
Geese with babies, cat tails, firepits, swim area, someone's car, people fishing, water on the trail, cool bridge, volleyball courts, wild strawberries

Ronan's Favorite Thing: The bridge and the firepits
Mom's Favorite Thing: The geese with babies

Collected: Moss, Cat tail fuzz, pine needles

We hiked, played in the firepits, watched the geese then headed for home. Too Cold today!!

Our Log Book Entry
Paintings and Gatherings by Ronan

More Photos at Picasa

Mica Mountain Road

Temperature: 59' Partly Cloudy

Ronan's Favorite Thing: The Drive
Mom's Favorite Thing: The quietness and openness

Collected: Wheat stalks and dried stalks

Ronan's feet got itchy in the grass. Mom had to find a place to pee further down into the forest. We saw a cool old shed that had a fridge and a big old chain inside. Empty paint cans lined the outside.

The land is for sale and mom thinks it would be a fabulous place to live.