Memories

Where did June go!? This month has been full of fun moments for our little family of three. We have been truly blessed this summer. Our team down here is doing AMAZING! We love having Garrett, Kayla here with us along with our friends. Becky lives downstairs and she is keeping me sane this summer. She just had her first little boy and I can not wait to go to the hospital tomorrow and meet him. Brynlee is growing up so fast. She is crawling after us wherever we go. She is also discovering the bitter taste of pain. She falls down bringing chairs and vases down on top of her. She also fell off the couch this morning (I don't beat my child!). Fathers day was most wonderful! I love my father, he is a most amazing man. I also love my father in law. What an example he must have set for his son's, Austin is the best husband and father. Father's day also lead my thoughts to my grandfather who are both on the other side. I love them and I am so glad that I got to spend so many years living down the street from both of them. My mom was able to come and visit us for an entire week! Oh how I looked forward to that day ever since we set the date! How rare is it that I get to have my mom to myself for an entire week,... I would have to say this was the first time. She is one of my best friends.

After we went and picked her up from the airport we drove out to Santa Cruz and visited Natural bridges! How fun was that! It was a little chilly and I had told her not to bring anything warm to wear (Fresno had been in the hundreds). The waves were crashing on the rocks and the mist blowing in our face.

We also had the opportunity to visit Austin's childhood memory. Austin grew up in San Jose CA for much of his boyhood. As we drove down the "Old Loggers Road" he went on and on, story after story about different memories he had while living at the end of this long twisty road. I, growing up in Idaho, had never seen a road so curvy and narrow that there are mirrors placed on the curve so you can see what is coming the other way. This may be hard for you who have never seen this before to picture but these roads when you go around the corner you are doing a complete 180! It is like doing a U turn! Not to mention that only one car can fit on this road at a time. We were told of when there where huge land slides, one in particular, that their blue van had to take multiple runs at to conquer. This is when Scott declared "That is it! We are getting a different car!" Austin says he remember going to the car dealership with the van still so covered in mud that you couldn't tell it's color. The rain would also create puddles on the side of the road that Wendee would swerve to hit and create a "big splash". Also the "rivers" that would form on the side of the road that Austin and the rest of the gang would race "boats" down.

When we pulled up to the house the guy came out and told us we could have a look around. I couldn't figure out where the front door was? I later came to find out it is in the back of the house,... We went down to the "castles" as Austin remembers calling them. "They use to be a lot bigger."

They would play in these for hours. Cowboys and Indians was amongst their favorites. Austin would dress up in a leather outfit that he wore until the sleeves were so short they barely covered his elbows. They had a life size teepee out beyond the chicken coop. "The indians were the good guys". As for the bad guys, they had  designated a "dungeon" to keep them in.

This was a scary, dark place. There were spiders of every kind! Here are a few more toys that they played on...

It was so much fun to revisit the place that so many of Austin's childhood memories took place. The work that they put into this place, their legacy, still lives there in the mountains of Los Gatos.