Calico Ghost Town

Earlier this month we had a nice four-day weekend that we hadn't made previous plans for. For months F and I have been saying we needed to take some time to take C to Calico Ghost Town. It's a tourist spot just a few miles from Fort Irwin. We tried, in vain, to avoid the heat of the day by going early, but it was still a nice, toasty 107 by 1:00 pm when we left. They've certainly captured a sense of the Old West in their preservation and restoration of the site. I don't know how much C took in, or enjoyed of it, but F and I had fun. We wandered among the many craft shops, took an old-time photo of C and me, ate at the on-site cafe, and just generally enjoyed the atmosphere of the old mining town. If you're ever out this way, it's worth the side trip. We're planning to go back, perhaps for one of their festival times.

Miss Personality

My goodness, my baby girl is growing up so much. She's really demonstrating her own little personality and preferences lately. This means, of course, that she's holding regular temper tantrum sessions. However, it also means that she's doing any number of cute things as of late. Let's see, she's discovered a certain capability in problem-solving: dragging a chair over in order to reach things once out of reach.

Her animal-lover tendencies are as strong as ever: her stuffed friends are ever-present, and the only "Little People" she plays with are in her zoo/zoo train set. She discovered the wear-able monkey the other day, and I'm plagued by requests to put it on her, and take it off, and put it on...etc.

Water play is one of her favorite things, and today I caught her banging on the bathroom door, hollering "bath!" I wonder what she'll do when she understands about the baby pool we just got. Eek. Of course, she still wants to be just like Mommy. She has a child-size broom and dustpan, so she "helps" sweep at least once a day. She gravitates to the child-size kitchens with toy food and utensils that some of our friends have. She loves to "talk" on her own phone and carry her "purses" around the house, usually saying "bye!!" Of all her "mommy-isms," my favorite is the wearing of Mommy's shoes. She's totally "stylin'!" and I think she knows it. Here she is, mid-wave, saying "hi".