Day 1451. This morning I was surprised that it was after 7, when Sammy was the first one to wake up. We soon all got up and got ready to leave to go to our friend's house and have breakfast with her there.
At 8:30 we started our short 10-minute drive to her house. The cat was right there, much to the kids' excitement. Our friend made eggs and bacon and toast, and it was really good. However, Tammy refuses to eat eggs right now. The kids were watching the horses while eating and were eager to ride them again. Tammy loves playing in the sand and was sitting in the dirt with a shovel playing, waiting for us to finish eating. But before we went to the horses, our friend showed us her vegetable garden. She gave the kids containers and told them to pick the ripe cherry tomatoes. They had lots of fun doing that. They had even more fun watering the plants - after they had already gotten completely wet from the sprinklers. Especially Sammy was eager to hold the hose and water the plants and was upset, when we took him away. Then they also showed us their compost and the worms in there. Finally we saw the grapes, and a few had already turned purple.
Then we finally went to the horses, and the kids were impatient to get on and ride them. One after another, they went a few rounds, then got to go on one more time. All three loved it. Now they want to go horseback riding in Vienna.
I was really tired and ended up lying down on the couch, while the kids continued playing. They found a little tricycle that they all got to ride, but the sand/dirt was the most popular. Just after noon we sat down to eat lunch together. We had hamburgers - something Tammy doesn't eat, and so she didn't eat anything.
Just before 1 pm we left to return to our Airbnb, where we arrived at 1:15. I went straight to our yurt (tent) to prepare for my 1:30 class, but time was way too short. Randy came in with the kids a few minutes later. Normally I put the kids to bed and get them to sleep, but that was not possible today. And so the kids kept playing for a while until going to bed, and Randy wasn't able to get Sammy to sleep. When I was done teaching at 2:30, Emmy was the only was asleep. Tammy was getting there, and Sammy was just having fun. I spent the next hour trying to get Sammy to sleep as well, but to no avail. He ended up just crying. And I ended up not getting a much-needed nap. Randy finally threw Sammy next to me, when I already had the other two on either side of me, and that's what woke them up. It was time to get going anyway.
At 4:15 pm we left the house to drive to our friend's house and pick her up. Randy had cleared out the back and flipped out the extra seat there, so she could sit on it. Then she showed us the way up the mountain. She wanted to take us to a cute mountain lake. However, it took us nearly an hour to get there, and that was really long for the kids who did not have a tablet today as a punishment for something they had done yesterday. They were glad, when we finally got to the lake in the Grand Mesa National Forest at 5:30 pm.
We got out and enjoyed the beautiful view of the lake and the woods. We walked down to the water, and the kids were throwing stones into it. I put my hand in the water to see how cold it was, and dipped Sammy's feet in the water as well. Then we walked over to the closed visitors' center to use the bathroom. Tammy then picked a few beautiful wild flowers and gave them to me as a gift. We stayed for about half an hour, then got back into the car to return to our friends' house.
It was 6 pm, when we left, and the kids were getting hungry and were once again impatient and kept asking when we'd arrive. Also, Tammy had scraped her elbow and knee and was crying for some time. Sammy had never slept and was visibly tired. At 6:45 we arrived at the house. Once again the cat was sitting there in the grass, much to the kids' delight. We then sat down to eat dinner together. Then it was time for one last horseback ride; all three got to do two rounds again, and they were loving it. The sun was already starting to go down, and so it was time to say a final good-bye. It had been a short but wonderful visit. We hugged our friend and loaded the kids into the car.
Just before 8:30 pm we were back at our Airbnb. It was time to get the kids ready for bed. We took them to the little house with the shower, then returned to our tent to put their pj's on. Even though it was late I read them a bedtime story tonight, then I prayed for them and put them to bed. Sammy was asleep right away, and it didn't take the others very long either. Then I turned my computer on to start working on today's pictures and write my report. Now it's 1 am and I still have a few things to get done.
