Saturday, July 12, 2014

Saturday Morning With Kids

Jill went mountain climbing again today.  We picked up the grand kids about 9:30 and were off to the nearby Des Moines Farmers Market at the Des Moines marina. We hoped to have a little fun before it got too hot.

These are all iPhone photos.  Isaac took photos with his phone too.  Yes, that's him hiding behind his hair.  He insists on growing it long, so we are all letting him



 These warty gems are bitter melon.
 We bought one of these cat toy gloves for $3.00.
 We admired the little nosegays of sweet peas. 



 A rainbow of berries.
 Irene thought these mini melons were adorable.

We bought a bag of dark cherries, not these more expensive Mt. Rainiers.



 I chatted with these sketchers.

Irene got berry lemonade and Isaac got plain lemonade.






A colorful street corner.
We finished the market, and I left a trail of cash behind.  I bought cherries, little cucumbers, kohlrabi, and baby carrots, a cookie for Isaac, a cinnamon roll for Irene, their drinks, and a beach glass necklace for myself.  Oh, and the cat toy.  Gotta' support the local merchants and farmers.

Then we walked over to the DeMoines Creek Park and went out on the tide flats.  It was an especially low tide today.




 We were walking out nearer the water when I heard Irene squeal. Then Isaac yelled out.  They were getting squirted.  We did some investigating and discovered we were in a colony of horse clams. I showed them how to poke the siphon holes and then stand back.  Neither of them wanted to touch the clam necks.  Isaac finally consented to using a beach rock to poke them.
 That brown circle left of center in the photo below is the top of a horse clam siphon.

                                                         Squirt!

We left about 11:30 and it was already heating up. We did a few jobs at home, mostly setting up Irene's flower shop for Thursday, and then spent most of the afternoon indoors on screens and reading and hanging out.  I even turned on the air conditioner this afternoon, the first time in three years. 

Jill returned this evening, tired and sore from climbing Merchant Peak, really a 3.5 mile rock scramble to over 6000 ft, and then back down again, to pick up the kids.  About 9:00 Tom and I went for our two mile walk after the sun had gone down, and watched the super moon rise in the east.
Summer continues. 

11 comments:

  1. What a delicious way to spend the day!

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  2. What you call bitter melon, we call bitter gourd , here in India. The juice of these is considered excellent for diabetics.

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  3. What a great market. so beautiful and so much stuff!! I wish we had something that neat here. Our markets are pretty limited and just sell food and canned goods.

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  4. What a fun day, I enjoyed going along for the ride! We spent the day in the mountains...love your moonlike walk, I go before 6 am cause it's only 79 degrees then...ah summer!

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  5. What a day! I'd get tired just walking behind you. What a colorful farmer's market!

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  6. That Farmers Market looks a great deal like our own. I enjoy walking through it even when I don't have anything to buy. I love your picture of the squirt: you captured it perfectly. Sounds like you had a really nice Saturday, Linda. Have you seen Far Side's glass flowers? You inspired her. :-)

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  7. Those bouquets were beautiful. Got a chuckle out to the squiring clams.
    What a neat day for both young and old. You entertain well.

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  8. Oh, Linda. I got a laugh out of the long hair. I kept asking Dane if he wanted to get a haircut while we were together on vacation. He wants it to grow so he can have "Head Locks" like Ziggy Marley. I do remember the battles between my brothers and my parents over the long hair in the late 60's/early 70's.
    What goes around comes around, as they say!

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  9. What a fabulous farmer's market. and a low tide besides, very wonderful. I have great memories of being there with my sons 30 some years ago when they were that age. Lovely.

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  10. What a great day - two of my favorite things: farmer's markets, and low tides! And to end with a clearly visible moon...quite a good day!

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  11. I like Issac's longer hair! I bought Bing Cherries 3.99 a pound. BUT we have apple fritters for 99 cents...interesting to see the difference in prices:)

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