Fish, the Rainforest and More Adventure

***I cannot believe it's been over a month since I've blogged. Wow, it's been busy busy! I have to catch up on a few so bear with me until I can get back to the present.

      By definition, the Dalton Pitcock family isn’t known for spontaneous trips anywhere. We have ideas, debate about whether to go, plan it and then follow through if we don’t change our mind in favor of staying home to save money and to avoid the craziness that comes with hauling our two guys anywhere.

    Well, last month we decided to be spontaneous. It’s been so hot here (in the 100s daily) and the boys and I had about hit our limit at home and run out of ideas in the backyard. So I thought a trip to the city to stay in a hotel, take the boys to the aquarium and just have some good ol' family time might be what we needed. It was also going to be a trial run for our big vacation to upstate New York for a week (another spontaneous decision actually). 

Cute little sea horses 

Checking out the crabs

     So that Friday at lunch I brought the idea up to Dalton and we talked about it and decided that it would be a good idea. The whole afternoon I wondered if it was the right choice but we got ready and were waiting for Dalton when he got home. We loaded up in Mere Mere's car and headed to town to pick up our car (it was in the shop getting the AC fixed….remember the chicken ride?) and return hers. We picked up the car and got to Mere Mere's, with the intention of a quick visit so we could get on our way.
      The quick visit turned into a very pleasant and fun long visit because Kallie and Karper showed up. It was great to see them and let the boys play for a while together. We even got to talk to Justin via Facetime, from overseas. We loaded up about 7, ready to head to the city. As we pulled out of the driveway we briefly wondered what we were thinking, leaving at 7 but decided to stick with the spontaneous mood. We picked up hamburgers and started chowing down as we left the city limits. About 5 miles outside of Graham, half-way through our hamburgers, Cooper said his mouth hurt…..*red flag meaning he was about to throw up. Sure enough he threw up and up and up and we pulled over to assess the damage. Obviously he had to be stripped down and we realized the car seat needed to be washed. I tried to get as much out of the car as I could while Dalton cleaned up the boy.
     The whole time we were cleaning him up he kept saying "I want to go to the hotel. I don't want to go home," which made us chuckle a bit. We were a bit dismayed at the situation; I mean who does this happen to?? We try to throw caution to the wind and this was the result? But we'd already bought the aquarium tickets online so we called Mere Mere to meet us back in Graham with a different car seat and  turned around. We met her, switched seats (poor thing, she got stuck with the nasty seat and clothes), loaded up again and once again passed the city limits sign; this time with Ace screaming in the back because it was close to bedtime and he'd already had enough seat time. He fell asleep after a bit though, which was a relief.
     We drove on through Mineral Wells and Weatherford and then started pondering where we would stay. We aren't very familiar with the Grapevine area, which is where we were going, so we searched for deals online. We almost attempted to bid on a Priceline hotel and see what we got but decided we weren't that free-spirited and picked one that was affordable, with pictures online. After we picked the hotel we set our course that direction, feeling better that we had a destination in mind, since it was getting late.
     As we exited onto I35 we hit an immediate traffic pile up with no end in sight. Dalton and I looked at each other we tired frustration and then we looked back to a set of coon eyes staring at us (ok they were pretty blue eyes) asking if we were at the hotel yet. After about 10 minutes of sitting in the same spot, my impatience was mounting and the chuckling over yet another crazy situation died down. I found a way out on my phone and we took side roads for a while. When we emerged back on I35 it was flowing freely, yay!
     We got back on the highway, kept driving and watching the dot for the hotel as it got closer and closer. Just as it seemed we would be close, we looked up and saw it pass by on our right. We laughed, kept going to the next exit and turned around. Before we could get to the hotel we had to get milk. Our milk monster Ace has a tendency to require milk mid-night when we aren't at home. So we pulled into a shady gas station and Dalton ran in for milk. He came out with the goods and we pulled out, excited to see the hotel in the distance. Unfortunately we were met with oncoming headlights and honking and quickly realized that we had turned onto a one-way street, the wrong way. We let the car pass and made it to the right road, laughing again at our luck.
     Finally about 11 we pulled into the hotel, checked in, unloaded and took our pajama clad boys inside. The previously exhausted little guys quickly turned into energetic bouncing boys and ran around the room for a while. Meanwhile we discovered that there wasn't a mini-fridge and went to work figuring out how to keep the milk cold overnight. The solution wound up being an ice bucket and trash can filled with ice to hold the sippy cups and spare milk.

 "Roomservice? I'd like some milk and cookies please, extra milk."

     About midnight we got the boys settled down and turned out the lights. Ace wallowed around a bit, kicked us in the face and ribs then started asking for milk. So I pulled the sippy cup out of the bedside ice bucket and passed it over. The sound of the chilled cup coming out of the bucket made us giggle again….instead of champagne, we have chilled milk bedside. And with that we settled in for the night.

Sea Turtles! 

 Ace was pointing to the fish under the glass floor.

Jellyfish

      The next morning we got up and around and enjoyed breakfast before we headed out for the aquarium. The drive to Grapevine was very pretty, filled with pastures and cows…unexpected.
    The boys really liked the aquarium, and so did I. They had sting rays, sharks, fish and even big rescued sea turtles. There was a tunnel for the boys to go through, with a clear floor, but Ace wasn't a big fan of walking on water. We made it through the aquarium in good time and got to see all that they had to offer. On our way out we stopped in a photo booth and took a family picture; it turned out cute even with all of our faces squished together.

Cooper touching a starfish 

 Lots of sting rays

A neat looking shark

    After that fun experience we walked the length of the mall looking for the Rainforest Cafe, our other special adventure. On our way we stopped and took a carousel ride. The boys didn't enjoy it as much as we thought and I got a little dizzy, so I don't think we'll be carouselling again.

     I got excited as we waited for our seats at the Rainforest Cafe. I could hear animal sounds coming from inside and the atmosphere was so neat. As we were escorted to our table we passed several gorillas and saw tigers in the distance. We could hear the elephants but couldn't see them. Our table was right next to a big gorilla, which kept the boys entertained. Ever so often…usually about the time the boys got restless…the gorillas would start shaking the tree, making noise and getting their attention. Both boys liked it but Ace was especially interested. He never got scared, just wouldn't take his eyes off of them, especially the one right behind us. The adventurous atmosphere all around us made for a relaxing time because entertainment was provided. We enjoyed our lunch, watched the animals and then headed for home. By that time it was starting to really heat up outside so we opted not to make any other stops and pointed our car toward Caddo.

Watching the gorillas and tigers, the boys are really paying attention

    The ride home was wonderful…the boys slept the whole way, which made up for all the trouble we had on the way in. When we got home we still had the evening to enjoy our place and then slept well in our own beds.
    So even though we probably won't make a new habit of being bold and spontaneous with regards to travel, we'd consider that trip a success and loved making memories as our family of four.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge." Psalm 19:1-2

Feathers, Fur and No AC, Oh My!

     We went to see my parents a couple of weeks ago for the 4th of July holiday. We had a great time swimming, watching fireworks and going to the annual Teague 4th of July Rodeo. The kids had a big time and so did we.

Helping GG make a flag cake..delicious and pretty  

 The little water bug

The 4-wheeler…anytime they heard it start up, 

Cooper and Ace were out there begging for a ride 

 Ready for fireworks

 
    When it was finally time to load up and head home we fit everything we had brought and made room for a few more passengers….Dad has decided to get out of the chicken business, so we were going to take his 6 chickens home with us. So, while I finished getting the boys' things together, Dad and Dalton caught the chickens, put them in a cage and loaded them into the back of the car. After that it was a race to get on the road because chickens can really stink up a place if you aren't careful.

      Finally the boys were strapped in, Max was in place beside them and we were off, about 11 am. It was already getting warm outside but we weren't worried. We decided to take the 'more scenic' route through Stephenville, instead of our usual concrete one up the interstate and through Ft. Worth. It turned out to be a great decision in light of what happened next.

Double stack of chickens

       About an hour into the trip, just on the other side of Waco, I noticed that the air wasn't as cool as it should be. I pointed it out to Dalton and he agreed. It kept getting warmer and warmer until we were sure the AC was no longer working. We looked at each other with panic in our eyes and kept driving…a little faster. No AC on a July day with two kids, a dog and 6 chickens was not an ideal situation to say the least!
      The boys were napping in the back so we rode with the windows up and the air blowing full blast for a while. As we pulled through the next town Dalton attempted to roll the window down for some fresh air. What resulted was a flurry of feathers and chicken smell wafting up to the front and blowing around our heads.  Everyone was perspiring by this time and with the windows down the feed sacks that we had put over the chicken cages to keep the smell contained also went whooshing around the car. We started laughing, for fear that we might cry if we didn't!
       I fought off the temptation to get into a really fowl mood ; )  and we sped along, happy to see that the speed limits on those roads was now 75. We also reflected on the good fortune of having taken this route, which gave us opportunities to roll down the windows as we went through little towns, and provided us with a nice view. If we'd have taken the other route, the concrete and fast traffic would have increased the sweating and irritation even more. Dalton tried to keep his eyes on the road because he said that every time that he looked in his rearview mirror all he saw were chickens panting and looking pitiful.
      I knew that once we stopped this crazy train it would be hard to get back going again, so we opted to keep on trucking until we got to Stephenville…only an hour from the house. We pulled into Stephenville with cranky boys, a panting dog and hot chickens. Not too mention we all had tomato red faces! It was not a pretty sight. Our first stop was Sonic. It was happy hour so we each got some refreshing tea and juice for the boys. The chickens and dog got a water.

Fresh air for everyone

     Then it was on to the park for some fresh air. We unloaded the boys, the dog and the caged chickens. Dalton attempted to give the chickens some water but they weren't having it. The dog drank his share though and the boys enjoyed being out of the car. We stayed there as long as we could and then it was time to load up again.

     We stripped the boys down to their underwear/diaper, gave the dog one last drink and cranked up our sweat-mobile for the last leg of our trip. It went by pretty easily, considering all that we had going on. At one point I tried to turn Dora on the computer but the roar of the windows was too much for little Dora and a silent kids' show just doesn't work.

A cup of juice makes the hot ride easier

     Finally we pulled into our home…oh so glad to be home! We peeled ourselves off of the sticky seats and let the boys have some fun in the backyard with the water hose. The chickens survived just fine too.
     Once again a simple trip turned into an adventure of crazy proportions. I'm not sure why this sort of thing always happens to us, maybe to keep us laughing, maybe so I'll have something to blog about, or maybe because we always put ourselves into situations that lend themselves to disaster! Either way, we survived with a story to tell.

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess 5:16-18

Awww Shucks

   This post is pas due. I should have written it a few weeks ago, but it’s taken this long for us to be able to look back and laugh at the tragedy of the corn, instead of sinking into a depression when we recalled what happened.

     As you know from previous blogs we were really excited about our first ever corn crop. Dalton got the area fenced off, he plowed the ground and made rows evenly spaced and very straight, planted the seeds and we watched it grow. From the first green sprouts our excitement grew but we kept it in check in case it didn’t make it. It did make it and kept growing and growing, and so did our excitement. Finally ears were visible and we watched the silks carefully so that we knew when to pick.

Proud of their pickins

      When we thought it was close we picked a few ears. Some were ok, others were bare…more time needed. We did this for about a week, waiting for the perfect time to harvest. Finally the time had come….but then it rained….a lot. Good, we thought, more moisture equals juicier corn, right? So we waited and it rained again. Finally by the end of the week we could get in there and harvest. The boys and I went out on a Friday morning and picked the corn from two rows. We were excited about the amount and even gave some away to our friends and Dalton’s parents. I even put some up in the freezer.

      The next day was the official ‘harvest day.’ We thought about having a few friends out to help but decided against it….thank goodness! We got an early start and harvested all of the corn. There was  a lot of it! We were so proud and excited and I took lots of photos of our successful crop.

Dalt picked, Cooper drove the corn to the yard

Our crop

Milk break!

     Then we tasted it. It was tough and chewy, not crisp and juicy. Uh oh. We thought maybe we cooked it wrong so we tried grilling some…same result. That’s when the depression set it, we’d waited too long to pick our corn.

First we cut the corn off the cob. Then we heat it with butter to steaming. 

Cool and put into freezer bags 

This picture is before we tasted the corn…hence the smile.

       In my despair I called my Mom, in hopes of hearing that it wasn’t my fault, that it would get better, etc etc. She was sad for us and said it sounded like it was a little old, but then again it could be just a bad year. I liked that idea better. She suggested I talk to Dad. So I did. He told me what signs he used to let him know the corn was ready; we had done the same thing. He told me to call PaPaw because he would know for sure and could give us advice for next year. I did NOT want to call PaPaw. He’s the master after all, how can I tell him that we ruined our whole patch of corn because we picked it too late. I was trying to be an apprentice of sorts, after all.

      But I finally swallowed my pride and called him up. I talked to Grandma first. She said it was probably old but not to feel bad. She said she understood because she and Mom had once canned corn until 2 in the morning when Mom was a kid and it all soured. She said she had been depressed then. Ok, I felt a little better. Then it was time to talk to PaPaw. I meekly told him what the corn tasted and felt like. He said that it sounded like we picked it 3-4 days too late. I was devastated. How could 3-4 days make that much of a difference? But then he said that it takes a little while to get the feel of when to pick the corn, but once you learn you know forever. He even said that he’d made the same mistake before (but somehow I think he only said that to make me feel better.) I ended the call sort of comforted, determined to be successful next year, and ready to get rid of any trace of corn left! We put up several bags…hopefully it will be good in soups and stews.  Our joy was gone though. As we sat on the patio shucking corn we were silent and sullen, not excited and glowing as we had been that morning.

Ready to haul! 

     What was left of the corn after we put all we could manage up, we fed to the horses and chickens over the next few days. They were very appreciative and enjoyed it immensely. To help me vent my frustration I started chopping down a section of corn stalks a day and throwing them to the horses. I wanted to get them all down before anyone came over and saw our patch and asked about it!

      I think the worst part was having to call and text people we’d given corn to and tell them that it was not very good. What a bummer! But we had to do it so that they didn’t think it was our best work and we expected it to taste like that.

      So that is the saga of the corn. What was once a glowing dream in our eyes became a black mark on the pages of our gardening adventure. Next year though…..next year.

 In other gardening news, we did have a good onion crop.

“For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven….a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

(I didn’t know how literal this verse really was.)