Renaissance Fairy Tale

I've always been a fool for dressing up.  Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved to put on costumes and play make believe.  I know I am a little old for it now, but luckily, I still have a few friends who not only indulge me in the activities, but even join along.

This summer's August Renaissance Faire had a Fairy theme, and I thought Isabeau might look like an adorable fairy.  I was right - and she honestly didn't seem to mind wearing her wings.  Everywhere we went, I got the usual every-day question: "What kind of dog is that!?"  This time, I was able to give a unique answer: "Fairy, of course."

Brandee, Anthony, Katie and Larisa were my willing time-travelling companions, as we journeyed back to the days of Jolly Old England.   Larisa brought daughter, Lizzy, who was a champ on the very hot summer day.

Anthony enjoyed the excuse to hurl some axes, and combined with his fireman-training, he, of course, hit a bulls eye (where's your costume, Anthony?).

Brandee and Anthony have been my constant source of warmth, friendship, support and fun for the last two years.  I don't know where I would be without them!

Katie is extremely creative, and definitely looked the part of the fairy-elf.   Ahh, youth and beauty!

The gypsy horse show is always astounding, and my favorite Ren Faire event.  Unfortunately, my cell phone camera cannot do it justice.

I enjoyed every moment of the day, and am so grateful for my young friends for not only indulging me, but helping to make the day a perfect memory of laughter, magic and fun.

Stamp of Approval

On a bright August day, Austin and Faith got to check out my new house for the first time.  It was still in the building process, but they were able to walk through each room, and identify the one they wanted for their own . . . the one overlooking the park.

I had been worried about what their reaction might be, as they had really loved the Carnation house, with it's 11 acres, salmon stream, and the ATV.  It was hard to imagine that anything could live up to that . . . but Austin and Faith gave my new house a resounding stamp of approval, particularly after they explored the park that is right across the street.

 

Choosing my particular lot had been an agonizing decision, but the park and its appeal for the kids had been a big part of the process.  I'm on a lane that adjoins the park, which has two levels of playground equipment, a sand volleyball court, a basketball and tennis court, and a dog park.  I'm looking forward to the fact that the community 4th of July fireworks are held at the park, although I am sure that Isabeau will not appreciate that aspect of our new location.

Austin and Faith eagerly began to explore the various options for play.   They wanted to check out each and every square inch.  It was so fun to hear Austin say: "Grandma, I think that when I am a teenager, I might like to bring my friends here to play tennis . . . and I guess we could also play basketball on the same day, if we wanted to."  We talked about the fact that while I am in cooking dinner, they can be directly across the street, playing and enjoying themselves, and they also took Izzy on several long running sprints across the green.

At the end of our inspections, Austin pronounced: "I think this is going to be a very good choice for everyone."  "How so?" I asked him.  "Well, Izzy will have a backyard all to herself, Faith and I will have lots of choices of things to do, and you will be happy because you can have a sunny garden."  All so very true, and so very hopeful, as I look to the future that Austin described.