Last Wednesday evening, the Grand Mother and Grumpy were favored by a visit from the two Great GrandMermaids. Oh, and Grumpy should mention that their Father and Grandfather also visited.
The original purpose of this preannounced visit was to view the total eclipse of the Moon from our northeast-facing deck. The deck provided a relatively unobstructed view of the eastern horizon and a minimal interference from urban light pollution. Unfortunately, a mid-altitude cloud cover totally obliterated our view of the night sky until about a quarter to seven (totality was to occur at about 7:00 pm). The opportunity to view this semi-rare event was especially pleasant because of being able to share it with two grandsons and two Great GrandMermaids. For excellent photos of what we saw, please go to Blief's and Renton Kayaker BLOGS (see links in column on right). A photo from a different point of view (namely the Straw House in Amboy) can be seen by going to the BLOG, Letters from Amboy (also available on the right).
Meantime, inside the warmth of the Grand Mother's house, the resident Grandson Paco shared his Leopard gecko's ("Tange" and "Bumpy") with his two second cousins, the Great GrandMermaids, Abigail and Amelia. Careful handling of these shy creatures was allowed by Paco; the littlest Great GrandMermaid Amelia, however,
declined to hold the sometimes squiggly little lizards. Mostly, they just watched the gecko's as they skittered about in the strange, red tub that restrained them from becoming an elusive part of the living room fauna -- along with an occasional cricket that escapes the otherwise careful handling by Paco in trying to feed the crickets to his gecko's.
It was an especially enjoyable evening for the Grand Mother and Grumpy. We think Paco enjoyed showing off his gecko's to the Great GrandMermaids also. And we all enjoyed a dish of pudding mixed up by the Great GrandMermaids under the watchful eye of their Great Grandmother.
The original purpose of this preannounced visit was to view the total eclipse of the Moon from our northeast-facing deck. The deck provided a relatively unobstructed view of the eastern horizon and a minimal interference from urban light pollution. Unfortunately, a mid-altitude cloud cover totally obliterated our view of the night sky until about a quarter to seven (totality was to occur at about 7:00 pm). The opportunity to view this semi-rare event was especially pleasant because of being able to share it with two grandsons and two Great GrandMermaids. For excellent photos of what we saw, please go to Blief's and Renton Kayaker BLOGS (see links in column on right). A photo from a different point of view (namely the Straw House in Amboy) can be seen by going to the BLOG, Letters from Amboy (also available on the right).
Meantime, inside the warmth of the Grand Mother's house, the resident Grandson Paco shared his Leopard gecko's ("Tange" and "Bumpy") with his two second cousins, the Great GrandMermaids, Abigail and Amelia. Careful handling of these shy creatures was allowed by Paco; the littlest Great GrandMermaid Amelia, however,
declined to hold the sometimes squiggly little lizards. Mostly, they just watched the gecko's as they skittered about in the strange, red tub that restrained them from becoming an elusive part of the living room fauna -- along with an occasional cricket that escapes the otherwise careful handling by Paco in trying to feed the crickets to his gecko's.It was an especially enjoyable evening for the Grand Mother and Grumpy. We think Paco enjoyed showing off his gecko's to the Great GrandMermaids also. And we all enjoyed a dish of pudding mixed up by the Great GrandMermaids under the watchful eye of their Great Grandmother.
