July 1st is the birthday of one of Mikey's best friends.
They hadn't physically seen each other in about four months at this point.
We headed over to their house for a socially distanced get together.
They ate lunch together and then played a game of bingo and jumped on a trampoline.
All in all, the visit lasted about an hour.
Mikey was happy to see his friend, but sad that they couldn't play like they normally do.
Here he is being a doofus and "eating lunch" with his mask on.
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| Huzbend came up with an idea to try out for the month of July. Once a week, one kid would cook dinner for the family and the other would do the dishes. I was not completely on board with this as I would be the one monitoring it and the fact that the kids would almost certainly not clean the dishes sufficiently. But, after I got over myself, we started it off with Mikey. He decided to make his favorite, meatballs. He quickly decided that he did not like the smell of raw shredded pork.  He was also amazed that he had to get his hands in there to make the meatballs. I'm wondering how he thought they got made.....  Not too shabby.  Since he wasn't wearing a shirt, I made him put on an apron. We had to fry the meatballs before putting them in the sauce to finish cooking. |
The meal was a success.
Katie couldn't eat it though because of the ingredients.
And anyways, she's not a big fan of meatballs (and she does not like pasta sauce).
I think she must've eaten a baked potato.
It was her new favorite alternate meal.
I had to purchase special cleaning gloves for Katie, like these.....
She was adamant that she wouldn't touch, "the gross dishes with all the disgusting eaten food on them".
I should've taken a picture of her wearing them.
Hilarious.
Mikey methodically made his way through the entire Simpsons episode library offered on Disney+ over quarantine.
I'm not sure I would call that an accomplishment, but he was pleased with himself.
July 3rd brought with it the Disney+ release date of .....
Katie and I watched it together.
The boys declined and watched a Superman animated movie upstairs.
It was fantastic.
Made even more fantastic because we got to watch it at home on our extra large screen TV with the sound blasting.
Katie had also made her way through the Simpsons episodes watching the last one offered on the service at that time on the morning of July 4th.
To take up some time during the day on July 4th,
Huzbend and Katie embarked on a mission to make nut free, gluten free, egg free and dairy free - really, just about everything free - CREPES.
I know. Crazy, right?
According to the chefs, the crepes were, uh, pretty hard to work with and were a bit more gummy than "regular" crepes.
Here was the (almost) first one.
Katie added the toppings.
I think there are pretzels, powdered sugar, melted coconut whipped cream and chocolate chips on it.
To each his or her own.
She was happy to give it a try.
I think she got in, like, one bite and decided it was not for her.
The rest of the family had one to eat as well.
Most of us picked to put some strawberry jam on our crepe.
They weren't that bad.
But, not something I would eat everyday.
They were definitely chewy.
After they were done crepe-ing, I tried to make everything-free strawberry pretzel jello salad.
It was just okay.
Katie only ate the cream/pretzel part.
I ate the jello.
Mikey didn't like it and Huzbend just took a pass on it.
I did learn one thing from making this everything-free.
Dairy-free cream cheese (at least the generic supermarket brand I used) is AWFUL.
Adding cups and cups of sugar and coconut whipped cream (as recommended by this recipe) made it tolerable.
After our "cookout" dinner of burgers and dogs, we sat around waiting for it to get dark enough to shoot off some fireworks.
At dinner, I learned that Mikey likes RELISH on his hot dogs.
I did not know this.
I guess he decided that he liked it back when we visited Japan and he ate a hot dog with relish.
And, here's the proof!
Who would've thunk that we would have to travel all the way to Japan to broaden my sons condiment choices!
Thank you, Ghibli Museum.
It was finally dark enough.
We popped some popcorn and headed outside.
The kids told me that they did not need huge "up in the air" fireworks this year.
So, we went conservative with some sparklers, pop-it's, fountains and tanks.
Let the tank battles commence!
Featuring....the world's calmest (or deafest) dog.
BLAMMO!
The rest of the evening was spent dancing with sparklers and enjoying the chaos of the evening.
Starting on Monday, the 6th, Katie had a two week summer class to learn about "worldbuilding".
Yes. She got credit for it.
We couldn't really go anywhere for those two weeks, so we just puttered around the house some more quarantine-style. You know, same old same old.
Mikey took two week-long Minecraft modding camps to keep himself busy.
In the afternoons, he occupied himself with video games, Legos, watching movies or hanging with me.
Ralph busied himself licking the inside of this empty dog food bag.
We packed up some masks, hand sanitizer and sand toys and headed out to a lake to get a break from being stuck at our house.
It was nice to just be somewhere else for a change.
Huzbend and Mikey got to work building a sand fort/castle.
Ralph was ever vigilant for errant ducks making their way too close to Huzbend.
He was on high alert.
Katie just laid on a blanket and complained about how cold she was.
TA-DAAAA!
Not too shabby for lake beach sand.
The 17th was Huzbend's 47th birthday.
Yikes.
I made him a home-made banana cream pie.
No instant pudding this time.
I made actual homemade custard.
Yes. I am proud of myself.
Katie thought it needed some color.
So, she added a bright red raspberry on top.
She also wanted to put 47 birthday candles in it.
We didn't have 47 available, so we just used big number candles.
"Happy Birthday, to yooooooooou......"
He made his wish.
And enjoyed a birthday beverage with his special treat.
Mikey is a big fan of pie. He enjoyed it as well.
Katie couldn't eat the pie. It was chock full of dairy.
But, she probably wouldn't have chosen to eat it even if she could.
She is NOT a pie fan.
Instead, she read web comics and enjoyed an Olivia's Super Free cupcake (or two).
(In case you were wondering, the guacamole was from dinner.)
The following week was a "Week Off" for the kids.
No camps. No classes. Just lazy summer.
Here are some things that happened....
Katie took the time to create a bento lunch for herself.
Which included, of course, octopus hot dogs.
Since it was inching ever nearer to his birthday, we set up Mikey's smartphone.
He couldn't wait to get connected.
I convinced Katie to play a game with me.
Bananagrams.
We relaxed the rules a bit.
Someone had a good time shooting himself in the but with the hose.
Then, plunked himself down in the pool.
He looked so big sitting in the tiny pool.
And, so mischievous.
I found this guy taking a swim the next morning.
He did not drown.
He was gone just an hour later.
About mid-week, Mikey was feeling motivated.
He woke up early to go with Huzbend on his daily morning bike ride.
And, later that evening, he fell asleep waiting for me to be off of a virtual PTA meeting.
Granted the meeting didn't end until 10 or after.....
It was finally blueberry season!
Off to the farm to pick our fill.
Due to Covid, the rules were a bit different.
No eating while picking.
Masks on.
Wash hands before entering the field.
Maintain social distancing.
Everyone was directed to a specific row and had to face the same way to pick (so everyone was to each others backs on opposite rows).
We had a row all to ourselves.
It was good to get out of the house and do a "normal" summer activity.
I'm pretty sure The Blueberry Bandit snuck (or is it sneaked) a few "taste tests".
"Who? Me?"
Mikey always has a hard time stopping picking.
There's always one more bush taunting him.
It's like Pokemon.
Gotta pick 'em all.
That afternoon, Mikey and a pal watched a movie over Zoom.
They had to spread it out over two days.
The movie was LOTR: Return of the King.
We took some of the MANY blueberries we picked and made some everything-free scones.
They were actually decent.
Katie ate hers with dairy-free butter and a generous helping of coconut whipped cream.
I participated in a virtual Pampered Chef party.
Here's a silly stunt I did to get points to win the giveaway.
I didn't win. : (
It was time.
Time to get out of our house and go on vacation.
We chose to visit the Oregon coast.
Specifically.....
We rented a condo on the beach through airbnb.
We were about 30 seconds from the actual beach and we were able to bring Ralph along.
I made sure to Clorox all the touch surfaces I could when we arrived, for extra piece of mind.
The condo was three floors. And, damn, those stairs were LONG.
The first thing I disinfected were the remotes so the kids could chill and watch some Food Network.
We don't have cable at home. So, when we go somewhere with cable they go Food Network crazy.
The next area of disinfection was the kitchen so that Huzbend could start making dinner.
We made sure the condo had a full kitchen so we wouldn't have to venture out for food.
We packed and brought it all with us.
We each had our own bedrooms and each bedroom had its own TV (which the kids enjoyed).
Katie's was on the ground floor (behind the sliding glass doors below) on a pull out couch.
The other two bedrooms were located on the second floor.
The living room and kitchen/dining area was on the top floor.
Each floor had a patio or deck looking at the ocean.
There was a convenient cut through next to the condo to give quick access the beach.
Ralph, up at 5am in preparation for his 6am breakfast, needed to go out for a walk.
I love walking him super early in the morning on the beach when there is no one around.
It's like we have it all to ourselves.
Did I mention that Ralph LOVES the beach?
When we got back, other people started rolling out of bed. Finally.
Katie actually ate breakfast.
It was a bit cloudy on this morning.
We decided to just walk along the beach and check it out.
Of course, Ralph went hyper-puppy and ran around like crazy.
ZOOM!
I'm not sure why we didn't see this coming.
We should know by now that our kids CANNOT resist the call of water.
No matter how cold.
Even if it's only 58 degrees and they have no swimsuits on.
At first, it was all fun and games.
Let's run out into the water and run back in before the waves can hit us.
Tee-hee.
Then, Ralph and Huzbend were in on the action.
Imagine lots of screaming and laughing in this picture.
One more time.
There's nothing Ralph likes more than a good splash.
Except maybe cheese.
Running in the surf did not get old.
Soaked.
And, inevitably, it ended up like this.
Because, why not?
Needless to say, the kids were pretty chilly after plunking their butts down in the water.
The sun was coming out and Mikey convinced Huzbend to bury him in sand.
I did not think that they would get THAT dirty THAT fast.
It must've been a record.
Where's Mikey?
Lest you think I was not there.
I was sunning it up with my furry friend.
Katie decided that she wanted to be buried as well.
No children were harmed in the taking of this photo.
Katie was the first to emerge from her sand cocoon.
Mikey lasted a bit longer, but soon decided to come on out.
Ugh.
So. Much. Sand.
We kinda just relaxed on the warm beach for a while.
The beach was so huge that there really was no concern about social distancing at all.
"I am a good boy. I keep my people warm. I am king of the beach."
Mikey wasn't done with the sand yet.
He tried to bury himself.
It was time to head in for lunch.
Huzbend hosed and beat the sand off of the kids.
They still dragged in a surprising amount.
Poor Katie got it stuck to her feet for the next week every time she went downstairs to her couch bed.
After lunch and a little MORE Food Network watching, it was time to head back out to the beach.
The boys threw on their wet suits and decided to try some boogie boarding.
Katie decided to observe.
Surprise! The water was STILL COLD.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
And then, just like that, he dove in.
Yay, Mikey!
Someone was having a good time.
Say hello to some brown pelicans.
And, a crystal jelly.
Break time.
It was decided to break out the other boogie board.
Mikey was having a hard time sharing.
Back out for more.
Fun trumps numb hands and feet any day.
Katie and Ralph warmed themselves on the sand.
I wonder what they were talking about......something funny, I guess.
In an attempt to keep Ralph cooler in the direct sun, we broke out the umbrella.
He did eventually lay under it.
Well, at least half of him fit.
He's a big dog and it was a small umbrella.
Calling it quits for the day.
Hands were just too dang cold.
Ow.
But, according to the boys, it was totally worth it.
Meanwhile, this was Katie.
We headed back to the condo for the kids remote Dungeons and Dragons session and dinner.
I think we watched a movie and went to sleep.
The next morning, Ralph and I were out early again prowling the beach.
It's fun exploring with this guy.
Until he decides that he wants to sniff something that's a mile away from me.
Then, after I chase him down, he gets a timeout and put back on the leash.
Found this interesting little set of footprints on the sand.
We also found this small bug.
Commonly known as sand fleas, because they jump, they really aren't fleas at all.
And, they don't bite humans.
They're amphipods. Tiny crustaceans.
This one here is a California Beach Hopper.
They eat all the detritus that washes up on the beach.
I really love early morning beach walks.
A little later on in the morning, we saw this guy flying around the beach.
Our first task of the day was sand castle building.
Katie and I came out a little later as she likes to sleep in and is a little hard to motivate in the morning.
I went back to the condo to grab a large beach towel to keep Katie warm.
Here is a view from it.
Here they are in mid-creation of Helm's Deep.
It was definitely a team effort and took a good hour and a half, maybe two hours.
Katie decided that she was going to create a masterpiece or two.
Here is her first.
The eye of Sauron sees all.
Here is my version.
Hmmmm.
Not very impressive.
This is what Ralph was busy doing.
Sunning himself.
There's nothing more content than a puppy lounging on sun warmed sand.
Katie got to work on creation number two.
What could it be?
She wasn't giving it away.
Ohhhhhhhh!
Now I see!
Mikey buried himself AGAIN.
And then built a sand castle on top of himself, with help from Huzbend.
When it was time to extract himself from the pounds of sand, it wasn't quite so easy.
HA!
Time for a lunch break.
Katie ate an actual sandwich for lunch.
I believe it might have been her first one EVER.
She thought it was funny that I was taking her picture to memorialize her eating something.
It was beautiful after lunch.
Back out for some more boogie boarding.
This time, Katie joined them.
Wheeeeeeeee!
Do you think she liked it?
The rest of the afternoon was spent taking turns.
For some reason, Mikey got away with not having to relinquish his board to anyone.
Huzbend and Katie switched off.
While Katie wasn't boarding, she was running through the surf and jumping into waves.
Or, racing Mikey.
Ralph kept an eye on his people from afar.
The waves were way too big for him to go along with them.
Everybody was able to catch some good waves and ride them into shore.
I was a bit chilly just standing there watching them.
The breeze along the coast is brisk even in the direct sun.
I decided to take a break and leave them at it.
Ralph and I parked it on a towel on the soft, warm sand and vegged out.
It was really pleasant.
(Except for the sunburn I got on my outstretched legs. Ow.)
When they just couldn't take the cold numbed feet and fingers any more, they headed in for the day.
We sat on the beach for a while and I listened as they regaled me with tales of their daring deeds.
And, complained about their cold extremities.
Don't let the face fool you.
She said it was totally worth it.
I asked them to give me a shaka.
Their hands were too cold to do it.
We headed in for the afternoon.
Katie had some virtual Camp Oasis stuff to do.
We just hung out and relaxed.
I believe we watched Total Recall as our movie.
Right before the sun went down, I ventured out to take Ralph for a walk.
It was perfect timing as it was sunset.
I stood on an overlook watching the sun go down.
It was beautiful.
As I was standing there - not a soul around me - a car pulls up and a older woman jumps out.
She walks within 10 feet of me and proclaims loudly, JUST as the sun is settling below the horizon,
"DARN, JUST MISSED IT!"
Then, jumps back in her car and drives away.
Sigh.
So much for peace and tranquility.
Here's video proof that I don't make these things up.
Listen closely.
The next morning, it was a bit foggy on the early morning walk.
But, again, pleasantly secluded.
Overnight, the high tide had taken out Helm's Deep, Barad-dur and Sand Puppy.
We happened upon this juvenile brown pelican who did not seem to be at all bothered by Ralph's incessant barking.
He just waddled away.
Bye, pelican!
Good luck fishing!
There were lots more jellies this morning.
They glinted in the sun like diamonds.
Here's a good shot of the Twin Rocks being revealed by the sun.
This day happened to be Mikey's 11th birthday.
Before he woke up, I got him a subscription to a Marvel comics app.
Katie is always the last one up.
We had to wait for her to eat something before we headed out.
Here is a picture of one of the sets of stairs in the condo.
I was sure that Ralph was going to tumble his way down one of these during our stay.
Thankfully, he didn't.
This morning, we went out to fly some kites and build more sand castles.
After a few kite construction errors were fixed....
......Mikey was up, up and away!
The kids had fun watching the kites sway in the wind.
Ralph didn't understand what the big deal was.
"Bah. Flying. Who wants to do that when you can park your butt on the warm sand?"
Mikey handed off his kite to me to go build another sand formation.
This time they built Minas Tirith.
But, no, you can't be satisfied with JUST Minas Tirith.....
You have to build Osgiliath as well.
Are you sensing a theme?
He even built the river down the center.
It was quite the production.
And the final touch was the White Tree of Gondor up on the ledge.
Someone was just a bit proud.
I had to take Katie back a bit early so that she could join a virtual Camp Oasis thing.
Ralph pinpointed the boys location and watched them intently through the screen door.
"Happy Birthday To Yoooooou!"
Grandma and Grandpa called to sing to Mikey.
After lunch, it was time for the last boogie boarding session.
The waves seemed bigger on this day.
That might've been just me.
That didn't stop Katie.
The cold water didn't deter them either.
I let Ralph chase them into the surf this time.
He went out surprisingly far, but made it back unscathed and just a tad bit wet.
Off they went.
The kids really enjoyed boogie boarding.
It was definitely the best part of our trip and maybe the highlight of their summer.
This guy had fun too.
There were other people on the beach, just not a lot actually swimming.
Ralph was very patient while letting me take all these pictures.
Don't worry.
He wasn't bored.
He found himself some driftwood.
Yum.
Salty wood.
It was another fabulous afternoon.
We headed back to the condo and hung out on the third story deck to get warm.
Mikey had a popsicle.
So far, it had been a most excellent birthday.
After dinner and before our movie (which was Big Trouble In Little China), we headed out to take Ralph for a walk.
Happy Birthday, Mikey!
It was the last early morning beach walk.
Minas Tirith had survived high tide, but Osgiliath did not.
It was quite foggy and the sea was pretty rough.
This time, we walked in the direction of the Twin Rocks to see how close we could get.
Still had to zoom in to get this picture.
This was the actual view.
I figured that I should try to get a picture of myself while I was there.
I tried to get a picture of Ralph too, but this happened.
Aw. Such a good boy.
As we were walking back, a golf cart appeared out of the fog and just about gave Ralph a heart attack.
He put on his "man bark".
We got back to the condo and starting packing up.
We had to be out by 11am.
Somehow, Huzbend's swimsuit had ripped in half while boarding.
We didn't think that the sand would ever come off of Ralph.
Especially the stuff embedded on his nose.
Bye, Rockaway Beach!
It was a long drive back to our place from the Oregon Coast.
We arrived in time for dinner.
Since we didn't really get to "celebrate" Mikey's birthday, we ordered out for his favorite pizza.
We all gorged ourselves on pizza (except Katie) and decided to hold off on his special treat.
He opened presents instead.
He got his own set of B.C.'s Body Shop wear.
Look at that gun!
A costume of his favorite Sith - Darth Revan.
Star Wars books to add to his growing knowledge of Star Wars canon.
Marvel Legos are always welcome!
And, of course, video games.
Last but not least, we recieved this shirt.
As you can see, he was quite amused.
You can learn about Murder Hobo's here.
Time for PIE!
Make a wish!!!
