Tender Tracks Thurs. Day 66

June 1, 2017
Waxing Half Moon
Sorich Ranch

All were here and we were ready to celebrate Isabella’s Birthday.  It was such a treat to have you parents drop the children off where we would be all day and to see you be able to spend a little time playing with them where they actually play.

After the parents left the children played a bit more on and around their Big Rock and then we circled up to celebrate Isabella.   She so loved her birthday story and just laughed and giggled several times during it.  We were all blessed with her grand snack gift of cupcakes to enjoy.

The day before I had heard that there was an Owl’s nest up a trail that we actually have never taken so, off we went to find this delight.  I was given instructions so we did our best to follow the clues all along the trail. As we were going along what did Jesse and Kuba find?  A great long snake very much like the dead snake we found at Roy’s Redwood a couple of weeks ago only this one was NOT dead!
There it was just long and still in the middle of the trail.  We had some good time to see if it’s coloring was like the one we had seen before or to try and conjure up the memory of those colors and shapes.  Someone had tickled it a bit however with a long grass and the snake slithered, rather quickly, over the side of the trail and off through the bushes.  Snakes, they do seem to be a theme here in this group as they have showed up quite a bit.  The year also started out with finding the, fully intact, dead Raven!

Well, after the snake we moved on and went up and up and up looking for more land marks that we had to pay attention for.  We finally found a spot that did have large Eucalyptus trees, a big stick nest up in the tree and a small quarry a bit past it.  We heard Red Tailed hawks on and off and Michelle thought it was more likely to be their nest but, the story given was that it was an Owl’s nest. We never did see any babies of any kind in there though so we still don’t know whose nest it really is.  What we did find was a lot of fun in the quarry and that is where we wound up staying through lunch time and a bit afterwards.

It was GRAND.  The boys found some old Eucalyptus bark that they used for a “lasso” to try and tie us up with.  Isabella and Ruby made a great home under neath parts of the hill.  At first though Jake and Archer tried to climb up the hill but it proved to be very, very difficult. That was when the lasso came in to play actually.  Then the boys gave Michelle a good run for her money as they tried to capture her and she gave them one as she outsmarted them several times.
Throughout the day there were people walking their dogs along the path.  A little darling, energetic Pomeranian dog came bouncing into our camp curious as can be at one point. He wanted to play and play with the children. His owner then whistled for him and OFF he went. This is just what he looked like!!!
  When we were mostly finished with lunch he bounded back to our circle.  He wound up snagging a bit of some of our lunch and then proceeded to appear as if he was chocking!!!  I got very concerned. His owner was calling him. He ran out but then plopped right in the middle of the trail and would not come. Before he ran right to her when she called. No matter what she did this time however he did not want to leave and kept looking back at us.  It was quite sweet and a marvelous addition to the day.

Archer and Jake discovered the trail that led to a path right above our heads. While we were all still sitting in circle finishing lunch they ran up there and, with utter glee, yelled down to us to see them!  They then ran all the way back. We packed up after this fun adventure there in order to get Isabella back in time to go to her Kindergarten interview day.

Down the trail they were given little land marks to find and then wait for the rest of us. They did this very well. When we got back they were to look all around and find the place with shade and go there. And, they did and found the great Oak tree with shade underneath. There they saw a bottle up in the tree and proceeded to all work together to get it out. And, THEY DID!!!!!!!!!  From there the rest of the day was spent throwing their packs up in the tree and then trying to get them down. Several times we tried to go to the swings that they wanted to visit but alas, they were having such an incredible time working together and having LOADS OF FUN!!! They finally actually threw all of their packs up into the elbow of the tree one on top of the other. Truly they were all piled up on each other. It was a mathematical and engineering feat and a gorgeous display of team work.

We spent the last few minutes playing atop the Big rock and then getting picked up.