"Have a Good Time and Drive Defensively."

Those were the Prospectors last words a week ago, as I drove off to see my family."Did you take the phone, your camera charger, your medicine and your toothbrush?"
"Yes." I answered. I had enough "stuff" to stay for a month. He was still waving as I drove down the dusty road.
I drove to South Sacramento first and got four Cortizone shots, at the hospital, in my feet. My poor feet were aching , tingling and overdue for my twice a year injections for multiple Neuromas... the awful afflection that numbs and cause pain at the same time. The doctor says that an operation is coming, in the near future, to remove the thick nerve tissue that has developed in both feet. Bummer!! It from all those years of working for a living.
 I headed down the highway and through the Delta, stopping for some fruit and vegetables at the Delta Farmers Market on Highway 12, just before the Rio Vista bridge.

You can read about all of the good things that The Delta Foundation is doing for the Delta if you're interested. It's a good non profit organization that has membership with benefits.
The California Delta is a beautiful resource that is worthy of being taken care of. It's one of California's geographic wonders. Take a look at the links.
I turned south and drove along the  Sacramento River on highway 160 and, of course, got stuck waiting for the bridge linking Brannan Island and Sherman Island because it is just what happens out there.

 The traffic stops for all the boats going under the bridges. You wait, get out, stretch. TAKE PICTURES and relax because there's nothing you can do about it. It's a water world out there and bridges are the only way to get from one place to another. If a bridge is up, then you wait. It's a time honored Delta tradition.
The bridge went back down and I continued on.  I drove over the San Joaquin River and into Antioch, through Pittsburg, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek... and finally got to my sister's in Lafayette.
My lovely upstairs "room with a view" was ready... with flowers.

My sis always does some little "extra", like flowers and... see the black clock? She found two little Corgi statues and put them they to remind me of Carl and Cutter while I was away from them. That was very sweet.
I needed a nap. She left me to veg for a few hours and later she fed me. This is my home away from home when I come down here. I'm so lucky.

The next morning I sat with Sis and the dogs, drank some really good coffee, and planned the day.
 Later I went to visit my grandkids and their Mom. She needed to get some work done so I took them to the park.

Oh, the wonderful Pleasant Hill Park and pool...

This is where I learned to swim and hang out with friends... and yes, if we're being honest, met boys every summer. This little brick building was the first building here. Now they are building another one to the right that will be a swimming and teen center.
The park is beautiful.

 The Beans love to play here. There are lots of ways to swing, climb, slide and tumble. They always move at the speed of light.

Climbing high and yelling, "Hey Noni, WATCH ME." and I do... like a hawk, following them, worrying, telling them to stay in my line of sight. Telling them to smile for me, as I take pictures of them.
They know that Noni "Takes pictures of their LIFE." and they are so good about it... most of the time.

Angry Bird, sittin' in the tunnel, is five and trying, very hard, to keep the tongue in the mouth. It's always getting out.

They really like to climb. It must be a throwback to our "monkey" connection. Darwin would be proud.
Here is the "hanging monkey" move.

And this is the half hanging monkey.

And my most favorite,

The "Oh, my gosh. What do I do now." move.
You just have to love that flexibility and form.
Later they  found a small shovel that someone left in the sand. But there was no pail for them to put the sand in. So, being the amazing and creative Bambinos that they are, they improvised.

Laughing themselves silly about having "fat" stomachs and looking like they were "going to have a baby".

What goofiness!

Before we left they climbed into a big old tree and I took... "More pictures, Noni?"
"Yes dears, just one more...please."
 and they let me indulge my passion...one more time.

 And... once more.

There's that tongue again. It's uncontrollable!
Tomorrow would be the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL for them. Angry Bird would be starting Kindergarten and my California Bean would start second grade. Wow! Growing at the speed of light.

Swim Meets, pools, rivers and a happy 4th.

I forgot to tell you that I had a roommate at my sister's house. He was good looking in a creepy sort of way.

He is a permanent resident in the upstairs bedroom. He is called a Leopard Gecko. He belonged to my sister's oldest son, who moved out recently. I guess the Gecko didn't want to live in an apartment. He doesn't easily put up with any changes in his environment. He is very particular.
I would uncover him in the morning and say "Hello." to him. He would lift his head up and look at me. Unlike chickens, he makes eye contact with you and he seems like a nice guy. But, he eats baby mice, so that's a bit disturbing.
We did well together. My sister takes care of him and he has a name... which I have forgotten. He's certainly better than a pet spider.
Anyway, I drove to Pleasant Hill last Friday so that I could get up earlier and go to our grandson's swim meet Saturday morning. It was in Alamo at a swim club. The excitement was palpable.

The pool was ready and there were already kids practicing their swim strokes.
Mommy put on her apron. She would be getting the kids lined up for each race.

The competition began...

Our youngest grandson is five. I think that he is an amazingly good swimmer for a five year old. Look at that "ready, get set, go", and that smile on his face afterwards. He was so cute. Sometimes he forgets what stroke he is suppose to be doing, but it's all good  and he seems to be a naturally good swimmer.
The Bean, on the other hand, takes all of this very seriously. He's seven and very competitive.

And he comes out of the pool like he just devoured the competition.

Dad is always there to tell them what a good job they have done

 and then the coach gives them a pat on the back and any advice they may need.

 Both he and his brother were very concerned about their scores.

 At this age, the emphasis is not so much on winning. It's more about perfecting the strokes and following the rules. There seems to be a lot of fun going on too.
But The Bean, who takes it all very seriously, is getting a taste of winning... and 'the agony of defeat" and he doesn't like loosing.
While The Bean was learning to be an Olympic swimmer and placing in his "heats", little Bean was talking to the teenagers, being his very social self and goofing off with grandma.

The whole day was wonderful. My grandson took photos of me too, but you won't see them here. They were OK, but I LOOKED LIKE A GRANDMA. Who is this woman? He was very careful with Noni's Nikon and he took some good pictures... but even a really good camera still doesn't make you look like you're 40 years old again. Darn!
When are they going to make a camera that takes the years off and  turns the gray back into blond . I know, I know... I'm suppose to accept this growing old business, but it ain't easy.

I took the boys to lunch a few times. I ate what they ate. My stomach hasn't been the same since.
 I found this in my purse when I got home.

I hate to admit it. I had two "happy meals" which include french fries. They also give you apple slices. I guess the apple slices make you feel better about eating the french fries. I know I felt better. MacDonald's is The Bean Boys favorite place to eat. They love "happy meals" because they have toys in them. .. and the shakes have whipped cream and a cherry on top. I'm now an expert on "happy meals". Ask me anything.

Mommy got sick after the Swim Meet and wasn't doing well for a few days, so I went to the boys swim practice on Monday and took them to my sisters to swim, etc. Between the sitter and I , Mommy got some rest and felt better by the 4th of July.
We had a little get together on the 4th and the Beans got to... SWIM some more.

This time they just played. Daddy tossed them in and swam with his boys and they dived for weighted pool sticks that turned on and blinked under water.I got them at Walgreens- $5.99 for a set of 6, two of which lit up.
 Little Bean was patient about sharing the shark... for a while. "Come on Bro, let me have the shark."

"You been on it too long."...And finally had to yell at big brother who didn't want to give up his attack position.

After dinner it got cooler. The wet and tired little boys needed to be wrapped  in warm, dry towels and settled in for some snuggling. I love this photo of my sister and Little Bean. She is such a good "auntie" to my grandchildren.

The next day I drove home. I decided to drive the river road from Rio Vista to Walnut Grove instead of highway 12. It was a nice change. I found a place on the river near Walnut Grove that we could buy and be closer to our family.
 I could live here, easily. I might even learn to fish.

That's Mt. Diablo way out there in the distance. I have lived around that mountain all my life. I can even see it from Jackson.
This would be a good place to live. Beautiful water, closer to everything, but still away from the business of the cities.
We could swim with the grandkids, have a dock to jump from... and fish for dinner.
Yep! It looks pretty good.
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This morning we went for a walk on the road to the Mokelumne River.

 We took the dogs and went early. It's really hot again, but it's good to be home. Guess we'll stay here for a while longer.