Front Yard Campers - July 7, 2012

Casa de Coleman

View from the side front door (the one we use)

Pack it up girls! See the mountains in the background?  Heaven.

View from the 'front' of the house - which faces the paved road and due to city rules, is a useless entry since there is no access via car!

View from the 'other' front side of the house - which faces the west (aka mountains)

Ta Da!  Two houses!  One for campers, one for those who like their beds

Just thought I would share the campsite from Saturday night! 

Sami and one of her bff's camped out.

Allow me to digress:  Last summer I bought this tent for the kids and I for our adventures as a family of 3.  Along with a queen size air mattress. And an automatic pump.  Turns out if the three of you are in the tent, the kids manage to roll their mom off the air mattress.  True story.  We went camping at Phillips Lake last September, and I started out on the mattress with Sami.  I woke on the floor.  And Jake was on the mattress.  Good thing there is room for another mattress of the same size.  Stinker.

Back to this story: On Saturday night the girls had to 'brave' a storm that came through.  Poor little things.  It was quite the wind storm.  It took out about 3 of the tent stakes that were holding down the fly.  I went out to check on them about 10 pm or so, and Sami just wanted to make sure the storm was over.  They were a bit spooked, but brave!  After that, it was a calm night and party time for them.  All the windows to the house were then opened and I could hear them clear back at my room.  Whispering was not in their vocabulary. Sound travels in the summer!  I went out and gave them the heads up.

Next morning?  When it was clean up time I found a stash of snacks had made its way to the tent:  A donut container, empty M&M wrapper and empty Hershey Bar container (single serving sizes, don't worry!).  Yep.  Like I said.  A party! 

Aw, the joys of sleepovers.

Sunday?  Was a recovery day for all.  Jake came down with a cold, and I wasn't feeling very hot.  Wait.  I was feeling VERY hot.  And miserable.  It was a 97 degree day. 

But still lovin' summer! 

Happy 4th of July from Haines, Oregon!

This makes my heart happy:  Jake and Sami are laughing at who knows what! Signs of Summer:  Home made potato salad, BBQ chicken and flowers from the LG Farmers Market

My Front Yard and Sami trying out one of my new $1.00 lounge chairs

Happy Feet!  Me, trying out another one of the $1.00 lounge chairs

Potato Plants in my garden

Badminton in Larry's Park - tonight we will be around the fire pit and roasting marshmallows, lighting fireworks and watching the Haines Fireworks!

14 year old summer beauty - she kept me running on the badminton court

One of our 4th of July Rodeo's - last night, on the 3rd, right here in Haines.  My favorite things - cowboys, hats, wranglers and the flag

Wild Cow milking.  Who picked the darn longhorns for this event?

My yard!  I love it. Love it. Love it.

The lounge setup

Front Door with 4th Wreath (we don't use this door)

Some decor

More Decor - by that 'not used' front door

It's the 4th.  The biggest celebration for our little town, here in Haines, Oregon!
Rodeos. BQ. Parade. A huge fireworks display at 10pm.
Art in the Park.
Not bad for a little town of 300 people. (Cows and horses out number people)

Sami, Jake and I will be selling bracelets and custom engraved water bottles (metal, with rodeo bucking horse on them) for our friends whose three children have heart defects - two are down in Palo Alto CA right now.  One is waiting for a heart transplant, and she is on a Berlin heart right now.  Their little boy, 3 years old, has a pacemaker. (The sale was a huge success!  We ran out!).  Their oldest had a heart transplant 6 years ago. 

Sami and I also served food at the Haines BBQ - for our little town.  I love that both my kids helped 'serve others' today.  Without a complaint.  They are awesome.  Jake even walked around in the crowd downtown with water bottles with one of the dads, and they came back empty.  I feel blessed that my young teens have hearts like this.  That they are willing to help out. 

And... at today's rodeo... Nine-thousand dollars was raised for the Bingham family.  90!  Yes!

God Bless America.  Happy Birthday to this great country of ours, and to the people who all make it what it is by helping others and giving so generously - their time, their dollars, their love, their hearts or their lives.

Here is a link to a website that is raising money for our friends:

Hearts for Binghams

Happy 4th my friends!
I am off to take a nap so I can 'stay up' for this evening's fireworks festivities!!
Yahoo!