Judd Family Annual Campout

The camp is always over Labor Day weekend. The official last gasp of summer. This year we missed the Miner family--they chose to have a baby instead of clamor in a tent in the wilderness with us--whatever. I love this picture. It's taken from the top of the Bear Ridge. We hiked as a family from the lakes to the top and then down through the Willow Patch, past Cherry, and out through the road to Kenny's.

I still get pretty nostalgic when I get to that part of the ranch. I've ridden every inch of it [the ranch], either on a horse or a 4-wheeler--a great length of it I've walked and put up fence--but that section, I love. I love it in a way that is so deep and so personal that I really can't put it into words. Lucy Lippard, coined the phrase "sense of place", where an individual can have these feelings about where they lived in their childhood, and that the sense of place will remain with you for a lifetime. I have every confidence that her study is 100% true. When I'm there, it's like time has remained in place. I can feel the feelings, smell the sweat on the horses, taste the grit and dust in my mouth. And I ache for it. I ache to relive those moments over and over again. Only this time, I'd want to photograph it all--just to help myself remember every detail a little bit better.

I've been thinking about why we as sisters get along so well, but I know it's because of the work. Hard work. "The small female labor force" that we had to be together. When it was so hard that you wanted to cry, but you didn't because Cody Wilde was relentless--and you'd be damned if you weren't going to do it better than Uncle Bryan in the very least. ...And I know that everyone of us would be in agreement.

So, once a year you go camping with your ghosts. And you let it ache, for the past and for what your kids will never really understand. For who you once were that had everything to do with who you are today...

I try to think of ways to give my own children a sense of place.

I try not to think about my places being sold to the highest bidder [or worse to the lowest]. I try to remember that sense of place can't be sold or even given away.

But I can share it.

And, hopefully, they'll love it because it is a part of their mother.

And she never lets them have guns to play with, except once a year, when she reverts back to her origination.

...all the sisters go back....and we know how it will feel and what we will remember. It helps to make peace with the loss so that you can learn from what you have gained.

"I signed on to ride for the brand; and where you go, I'm going." Louis L'amour--

When you get to the thick stands of quakies, if you stand very still you'll hear your father's voice quoting the only poem he ever memorized. I cry every time I read it.


Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old-
This knight so bold-
And o'er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
"Shadow," said he,
"Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?"

"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied-
"If you seek for Eldorado!" 

Stuff they said....In August-October

Lachlan: I can't wait to grow up!
Dad: Oh, you should love being a kid. It is so fun to be a kid!
Lachlan: Is that because when you grow up you get hairy and covered with moles?
Dad: Exactly.


Jack praying, "please help me not to be a 'problem loser' and to start to be a 'problem solver'".


Jack: "Well, Mom. I'm growing up now--got a bunch of hair growing in my nose, just like dad!"


Lachlan [while watching Bieber Movie]: Ooh, look at his helpers are dancing and those girls are cheering for him too!"


Moment of alarm this morning when Jack told me that "his nuts were getting wet!!"...and he needed my help immediately...very relieved to discover that they were just nuts related to his ever increasing "walnut collection" that was drying on the back porch. Happy to report: Crisis Averted.

Jackie Sparrow

Tony Stark

Hey, Mom! I'm Ironman!

YW Camp

Every summer they make the teenage girls from church go to camp. This July, I was their camp director. This coming June, I will do it again. May God have mercy on our souls....and by that, I mean may we have NO rain. Here are a few highlights from last year. I've wondered whether or not to post these--because in the words of Bill Judd, "why take pictures of something you'll want to forget." I definitely had moments during the week when that was overwhelmingly true. But, I do love these girls (and their mothers, who really are some of my closest friends)...so I'll post these so that when they're in therapy in 10 years they can pull these out of the archive. And give credit to both of us (e.g., me AND their mothers).

...and now for a sidebar...

Let's forget for a moment that Lachlan is standing on our back porch. No, we don't live in a Western Kentucky trailer park--it just looks that way because I never got around to staining the porch this summer. I was too busy paying Sam Palmer to do 1500 other odd jobs. I should have convinced him to drop out of high school so that we would be all caught up before next spring.
Back to my thoughts about this picture. This is actually an outfit that L wore to church--with the sunglasses. She found these sunglasses at a park or public restroom or something like that...and as soon as she put them on it took me back to 1995. Brian Petersen's mother used to have an identical pair that she kept in the Chevy Lumina. Ah, the memories. I used to wear them when we'd drive around town and he'd always say "don't break those or my mom will kill me!" Still. funny.

I love it when the kids get their summer haircuts and all "tanned" up. I need to remember how good L's hair looks when it is in a shorter A-line. Note to self. I like looking at pictures like this because you can almost feel their hot little bodies on your lap.

Obligatory growth chart. Lachlan grew 3 inches, but only gained one pound this year. Just like a bird.

Jack with cousin Holden, who looked soooo confused in every one of the pictures I took on this trip.

See what I mean about the shorter hair? Looks good. She really is a pretty girl.

Mom and Lachlan. Riding the zoo train. Second note to self: for the love of Precious throw those sunglasses away!

Travelocity

I love the Eastern U.S., well parts of it. I often wonder if it is time for us to make a move. Watching Becca and Bruce head off to the Philippines this fall nearly made me sick with envy. I have to say that Eastern PA is a wonderful place. I could live there so easily--and this was a great trip because I actually spent most of the time visiting public schools and community gardens so I felt like a got a nice view of reality.

Although, the other part was at Longwood--with the largest lily pad collection in the Americas. These were as large as a dinner table. The flowers were as large as my head. 

And the orchid room. They have about 5000 species of orchids on the site. They only display about a third. This atrium was filled on all four sides. You really have to see it to believe it.

I have an incredible fascination with the Purple Martin. I want to put some of these houses in my yard, but they would only fill up with wasps. Curse you, desert climate.

The spice bush- you scrape the thin layer of bark off and it smells like Christmas. So cool. And look at these cool "woods"--I forget that you don't have to pray for trees to grow in other parts of the country.

Lancaster. This is just outside the Amish sector. Without a doubt my favorite type of home architecture. I love the windows with shutters, candles in the windows--l.o.v.e. I liked visiting the Amish Country. I thought that I was adventurous with food preservation, but I don't have anything on these folks. I brought home some raspberry butter. I can't even imagine how many raspberries you would need to make one pint of the stuff--but glory, it is heavenly.

One more reason I love the East. Toads. All the school gardens we visited had toad houses. The toads actually LIVE in them. I think it is so cool. Oh, and the ponds have these glorious bull frogs that make the most amazing sounds. They just hang out and you listen to them while watching the fireflies in the evenings. Seriously--I never get tired of it.

Hardwood trees. Reason #904.

#905...box turtles. I captured a wild box turtle and held it in my hands. This is a male because his eyes are red. It helps that I get to travel with a personal nature guide who could identify every bird or insect.

Lastly, a playhouse made entirely of twigs. Could you die? This would be a total fire hazard in CV--in the late summer you would have to have triple the insurance on the property just to make it legal. Still cool.