China Ranch Date Farm

Along the way on Hwy 160.


Lots of cacti were for sale at the date farm.




I don't know the story behind the bottles but there were a lot of them.


Trail through the woods along the creek that's nearby.


Alligator warning, we never spotted it.




Nicky's checking out the fish in the creek.


Rows and rows of dates, there are several varieties grown.






Toyed with an effect on this one










Grammy doesn't like her picture taken, but Nicky asked her so she couldn't refuse.






Table and chair, outside the giftshop, made from horseshoes.


Date shake, yummy!


Hummingbird





We had a great time at the China Ranch Date Farm. It's a unique little oasis in the middle of nowhere. After our visit, we drove along offroad trails and saw old talc mines. We'd like to return and do some hiking and check out the hot springs nearby. We brought home a package of dates. I plan to make date bread. I have my grandma's recipe, I've been itching to give it a try. We also bought chocolate oat date cookies. They were so moist and delicious. I might take a stab at replicating them.

Silliness, Bowling and Pinball

Next round of adventures from the weekend...

Pillow Fight!!


Riding the train.


I'm on the train, but the conductor took time out for baseball? yeah, that's what we'll call it.


Nicky didn't like that I was free. He had to lock me in jail.




Then tickling ensued.




Climbing the web like spiderman.


Nicky's first time bowling.








Fun continues at the Pinball Museum.






Next up, a trip to the date farm.

Grammy's farm

The first batch of weekend photos are from my mom's house on Saturday...

I brought over old asparagus to feed the animals. Cha Cha made a similar face as my mom did when I made her try it.


These are Nicky's photos. After he took these, he turned the camera around to show the horses their picture. It was very funny.




Nicky loves collecting the eggs from the chicken coop.


Looking for eggs.




The only thing he loves more than collecting the eggs is cracking them.


Wilbur likes eggs, can you tell?




More critters.














Nicky's pet rock.


Views from the front yard, looking toward Mt. Charleston.




Nicky filled his pant pockets with rocks to toss in the water.


The weight nearly caused his pants to fall down.


It was pretty funny to see.

A Complaint

I would like to file a complaint. It's March. I saw flurries this morning. This is the desert. Did April Fool's come early? Meanwhile, folks back east are enjoying our spring temperatures. This is some kind of cruel joke.

Not fair. I want our warmth and sunshine back.

Thank you.

I have hundreds of photos to sort through and I have much to share. We tried a couple new restaurants this weekend. Stayed out late. Collected chicken eggs. Visited the Pinball Museum. Bowled with a 3 year old. Went to the Date Farm. And laughed a lot.

Hell and back

Felt like I've been to hell and back, but it's nice to return to the land of the living. I lost 4 lbs since Monday. Not the way I'd like, but I suppose it makes for a silver lining.

I rarely get the flu, this bug was a gift from Amy. It hit early Tuesday morning, it was absolutely brutal. I've never seen so much bile. Absolutely disgusting. The stomach cramps, back aches and joint pain were so intense. The hip pain was so bizarre and unrelenting. Finally, yesterday I was able to move about and keep toast down. Pains have eased up, today, I have some cramping, stiff shoulders and neck, headache and I'm pretty tired. That's a long list, but believe it or not I feel a hundred times better.

My mom got it, too. Vomiting wasn't as bad for her. Amy feels bad. Between her and Nicky they've knocked out the whole family, only Frank has made it unscathed (I suppose working in a casino builds a strong immune system). Even traveling from IL to NV didn't stop these germs. My constant cleaning with disinfectant wipes and hand washing wasn't enough to combat them either.

Two missed days of work has me playing catch up. Tomorrow is Friday already, too. I'm taking Monday off with intentions of visiting Death Valley with the family. This might mean a brief hiatus, but regular posts will resume next week.

They're here

Friday night it was looking pretty bleak that Amy and Nicky were coming. Amy came down with the flu on Thursday and just felt miserable on Friday. My mom looked into flights to reschedule their trip, but I suggested holding off until Saturday to see if she felt any better. I hoped they'd make it, but I tried not to get my hopes up.

Mid-morning Saturday, my mom called to say they were coming. The worst was behind her, she was just wore out. She felt she'd have a better chance at getting rest out here, so the trip was on as scheduled. They arrived just before 6 o'clock Saturday evening.

Nicky was so excited on their way out here. We have tickets, today, mommy? Yay! I love Las Vegas!!!

At the airport he was facinated by the slots in baggage claim. I told him that adults put money in them and try to get more money out of it. A passerby overheard me, and asked "how well does that work out"? I said, well that is why they try, it's certainly not a sure thing.

We played all night, with new toys and old. I made a fort with a card table and sheets. Frank showed him how to putt with disc golf, since we have a basket at the house.

Sunday, Frank and I took Nicky to the park. We met our friends there. Jake's boy, Gavyn is 5 months older than Nicky they were fast friends. I took the boys to playground while the guys played disc golf.





The boys loved the volleyball pit even better than the playground. They were able to let their imaginations run wild there. They drew pictures, tossed pinecones, buried treasure, tested their balance and jumping abilities. They really had the best time there.







After the fun at the park. We went back to the house for lunch. Played inside the rest of the day. Lots of laughs, lots of fun. We had dinner at BJ's then the family left for my mom's in Pahrump. Frank and I returned home to quiet. And we quickly fell fast asleep. Keeping up with a 3 year old certainly wears one out.