Water Works/Statues

Nolan has a new watering iguana to take care of Gramma's plants.

Grampa has plenty of towels to assist him.

"This is the biggest squirt gun I have ever seen."

The waterpark also had a sand area with water.

Nolan likes working with the other children at the park.

Water and sand make a great combination.

Grampa and Nolan dug a "swimming pool." 

Then they dug a "channel" to fill the pool.

Every child there was amazed and entertained.

It's impressive to have an "engineer" Grampa.

He may not like crumbs on his fingers, but sand everywhere is okay.

"Look how high the water is!"

Nolan wants to return to the bigger kids' waterpark.

Nolan isn't going to give up his squirt gun.

And Gramma brought blueberries for snack.

Nolan is proud of the puzzle he put together.

Nolan takes his watering duties very seriously.

He is a very good worker.

"These flowers grow pretty flowers, 

because I take good care of them.

Grampa and I like to cut flowers for Gramma."

News from the California Gentlemen

The farmers' markets in California are beautiful.

And they're year round.

If you pose with a statue,
does it mean you are statuesque?
(Grampa with Molly Malone in Ireland - 2007)

Or does it mean that you are a work of art?
California - 2014

Some sculptures make you want to dance.

(Gramma and Auntie Becca in Ireland - 2007)

Ring around the Rosie, anyone?

(Nathan and Andrew, California 2014)

Smalls in the Walls
by Gramma

Nathan and Andrew Small live in the walls of Gramma and Grampa's house.  They go into the walls at the secret plug-ins that just do not seem to work.  Grampa thinks it is odd that some of the plug ins do not work, but he thinks the men who made the house forgot to hook them up.  He took one of the plug ins out and saw the wires were hooked up to the plug in on the other side of the wall.  "No wonder my lamp will not work there," he said.

Gramma knows the Smalls live there, but she does not know where they live.  When she washes her socks, sometimes one of them will be missing.  She keeps the sock she still has, thinking the other sock will show up.  But it never comes back.

The Smalls need the socks to make blankets and rugs for their home in the walls.  They like to be warm in the winter and sleep on soft beds.  They like Gramma's socks best.  She has socks in lots of colors.  Sometimes they take Grampa's socks, too.  Grampa's socks are all the same color, so it is hard to tell one is missing.

Andrew and Nathan Small look like other little boys, but they are much smaller.  And they have cute tails.  Andrew's tail is long and straight.  And Nathan's tail is curly.

The smalls have lots of food to eat at Gramma's and Grampa's house.  They take all the food they want from Gramma's pantry.  Sometimes, when Gramma goes to cook, she finds what she needs is missing.  She asks Grampa why he did not put it on the list, if he ate the last of it.  He says, "The Smalls took it."  Then she has to go to the store and buy more.

When the cookies are all gone, and Gramma knows she did not even eat one of them, she thinks Grampa ate them all.  But Grampa says, "The Smalls ate them."

Grampa has to make trips to the store to buy his Wheaties.  He gets lots of boxes of Wheaties.   Gramma says, "You eat too much Wheaties."  But Grampa says, "It is not me.  The Smalls eat the Wheaties, too."

The Smalls do not like rats.  Gramma and Grampa do not like rats. One night, Nathan was taking his bath in Gramma's coffee cup, when he felt someone was looking at him.  When he looked up he saw two red eyes in the dark.  He was so scared, he jumped out of the coffee cup and ran into the plug in without his shirt and pants.  He had the shakes as he told Andrew about the rats.  Andrew had to go back and get Nathan's pants and shirt.  He did not want Gramma to wake up and find Nathan's pants and shirt in her coffee cup.  He kept very still, so the rats did not hear him.

The Smalls like to watch Gramma and Grampa.  They have fun playing games on them.  Sometimes they start Gramma's CD player in the middle of the night.  And sometimes when Gramma and Grampa come home, they find the CD player playing music.  Nathan and Andrew Small like to come out and dance to the music, when they are gone.  When they hear the door open, they have to run so fast, they do not have time to turn the CD player off.  Gramma will ask Grampa, "Did you forget to shut the CD player off?"  And Grampa will say, "No, I did not do it.  The Smalls did it."  Grampa likes having the Smalls to blame.  He even blames them for things they did not do.  And they cannot tell on him.