Hey! That Camel Stole my Jewelry!

Thursday went by without so much as a bump. Now it was time to plan the BBQ and get together we figured we would have this weekend. Before long my granddaughter contacted me and asked if we could have it on Friday instead. 

That plan was perfect, however, the front yard was a disaster. Grasses grew up to my hips in some areas. Then there was the patio. Ornamental plum trees drop all types of nastiness on the patio for us. Leaves, dirt, and even my husband's ashes from cigars are small remnants left behind as summer begins. 

Then there is the barbecuing itself. The plan was to have Dawn and her two daughters Jess and Kylee, plus Jessee's two daughters, Novalee and Zyrah, then we added Brandon, Jess' husband. I was happy they could all come! But, along with the visits were the desires to go to Wildlife Safari. They wanted to go to see all of the animals, including some that were new from recent births or being brought to Winston from the nastiness that happened to them in the Bandon area wildlife park. I could not wait to see all that was waiting for us!

Before we could leave or have guests over though, Terry had his new cochlear mapping appointment to go to. Leah was all smiles and as helpful as she always is. The appointment lasted about an hour. Turning up volume, turning it back down if too loud. Lining up both sets of hardware so each side matched the other. It's an interesting technology and so needed!

Once Terry was balanced from the mapping, we drove home. I grabbed the weed eater and began the daunting task of cutting the weedy grass out front. Much better now!

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Basic cleaning chores were accomplished quickly to get the house presentable. I ripped the office apart the other day and got it in order as well, so today it was much cleaner for our guests. 

Happy with what I had achieved, I sat on the swing waiting impatiently for the family to arrive. The first to pull into the driveway was Jess, Brandon, and the two girls. I couldn't wait to hug them!

 Jess and Brandon released the girls to let them explore grandma and grandpa's house, stairs, and outdoor area. 

My daughter Dawn rolled in a few moments after Jess and Brandon. She sat on the swing to relax and faced the child attack. Her granddaughters love her immensely. 

Everyone seemed to want to relax for a bit and found ways to entertain themselves while we waited for everyone to prepare for the trip through Wildlife Safari. Restroom breaks before leaving was a must. 

My beautiful granddaughter Kylee climbed out of the car to visit with us and find out what was taking so long to go ... 

Jessee and Dawn walked in with two large bouquets of gladiolas in their hands, each a gift to me for our wedding anniversary. I added them to the huge vase full of roses and lilies, making one very large, awesome bouquet!

Perfect color combo too. Pink and white gladiolas fit in so well with the lilies and roses in pink and red. Gorgeous!

Once again the overwhelming feeling of being loved and blessed swept over me. Inside my head, I whispered to myself, "Do not cry. Do not cry." That joyful feeling is wonderful! I am so blessed. 

Onward to the park!

Watusi cattle are beautiful creatures to me. Those horns are huge!

Once again, the crowned cranes are out and about. Good to see them. 

Zyrah had a great time feeding the fallow deer. 

And the fallow deer loved Zyrah feeding them too. 

Tigers were waiting for their snacks as the staff arrived with visitors during their tiger event. 

Soon they arrived and the small pieces of meat were passed through the bars to the Sumatran tigers and they were definitely enjoying it!

As we move along the dusty gravel path, the rheas, ostriches, fallow deer, wild turkeys, and other creatures poke their heads into your car to see if you have given up all of your food or if you have more to give them. 

The above photos were taken by Jessee, my granddaughter. Brandon, the girls, and Jess rode in their van behind us. Dawn, Terry, Kylee, and me rode in Dawn's car. Jess had some great photos, but I missed out on seeing Zyrah enjoy the fur babies. She loves animals. 

When we first pulled into the bear enclosure, these two black bear cubs were resting. As we were driving out of the bear area, they began to wrestle. Figures as we have cars behind us waiting to get through. 

The giraffes were standing around chatting and licking the top of the fence. Why? I have no clue. 

Could it possibly be when they get fed their lettuce as a treat, the juice from the lettuce leaves is left behind on the top of the fence?

I love the fallow deer. They are so small and petite. Dark brown is another color they don, making it appear as though it's another type of animal. 

Those little faces with large brown precious moments type eyes leave you wanting to give them everything you have. "Here, baby. Let me purchase more food. I don't care if it bankrupts my bank account." 

Dawn and Kylee were feeding the deer and had Terry and I laughing. 

At the end of the drive through, we all stopped to see the Chilean flamingos, one of my favorite animals in the village. 

I love to watch children as they explore the world around them. No better way to learn than to do it hands-on. 

It makes my heart happy to see the joy on a child's face. 

As we walked around the corner from the flamingo pond, we noticed the camels. I was amused by the back legs of the camel, as he or she lay on the ground. Their knees looked odd to me. Interesting. 

Watching the camels made Kylee want to ride one. We were making an attempt to get Zyrah to go too, but to no avail. She wanted no part of that large, odd looking creature. She was happy watching from the sidelines. 

Off Kylee went to get a ticket. Our membership gave her a discount on her ticket too. She paid for the golden ticket and went inside the fenced area to take her ride. 

Now it's time to awkwardly mount the camelid. 

She was able to get on without a hitch, so to speak. 

Around the path she went, with the park employee pulling on the lead. 

The moved in a small circle to get the large beast lined up and then down the road. 

As they moved around the corner, the big guy saw the leaves way up in the tree and thought snagging a bit was a good idea ... the camel reared up and went for it! I missed getting the shot with the camera, but it was both funny and scary for Kylee. The employee held on to the lead, pulling downward to get the camel back on the path with those front feet. As the camel came around the corner, I did see it munching on a leaf. Mission accomplished. 

A quick pose for the camera ...

The camel looked at us as if to say, "Okay. Take your human. I'm hungry." 

When the camel ride was complete, we left for home. Brandon had to work in the evening, so we had some cooking to do before he had to go. Barbecued burgers and dogs it was!

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Brandon and Jess left with the girls. Dawn and Kylee came in for a bit where I served up some zero sugar chocolate cupcakes with frosting. You can never go wrong with those! 

We each had one and then out came the sparkling cider. A toast had to be made and Terry was just the one to do so. He toasted to his blushing bride and stated there was no getting rid of him (as if I wanted to). The cups rose in the air, clanged together, and we all sipped some of the bubbling apple cider. 

Dawn and Ky headed for home too after the toast. They needed to get into Eugene before it was dark so Dawn could see well enough. I know the feeling. 

Thank you to my beautiful family for coming to be with us and celebrate our anniversary. We are truly blessed! I appreciate all of you. Thank you, sweet husband of mine, for the two years of bliss we have shared together. Here's hoping we have many, many more. 

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Terry and I returned to our regularly scheduled programs. He grabbed a cigar and went out to smoke. I went back to my desk where I have been crafting jewelry again, something I loved to do years ago. I'm picking it up again and am finding I still enjoy it. 

Gold chain with freshwater pearl coin beads. What's not to love? 

Amethyst on a figaro chain. 

And of course, Halloween and the other holidays will be here before we know it ...

Macrae Jewelry is born. 

You can find Macrae Jewelry inside of the Clutterful Crapola store on eBay. 

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The time for this post to come to an end is here. Nothing besides jewelry crafting and cigar smoking, movie watching, and eating happened through the rest of the weekend. Yes, we are boring. We know it. We own up to it. We still only have one vehicle, but the settlement has been signed. Paying off our loan and giving us the refund is what we are waiting on now. Once that happens, we are going to be out looking to see what vehicle we fall in love with next. Keep your fingers crossed for us that it is not a lemon too. 

Thank you friends, for reading the blog. We leave each and every one of you good wishes for the years ahead. Keep shining that beautiful light!