April Tulips Bloom

The month of April brings the Tulip Festival to Skagit Valley.  Always so beautiful and a marvel of beauty not to be missed.  This year Grammy and a couple cousins were here to share it with!
Tulip Town here we come!  A perfect day for tiptoeing through the tulips!  Too many photo favorites... here you go!

Welcome to Tulip Town USA

Dazzling Tulips and Gabe's light-sensitive eyes!

"I am the angel, Gabriel!"


Grammy with her eldest grand-daughters.

Boys!

Is this for real?


A young girl that visited the face painting booth, a yellow orange butterfly among the matching tulips.

My little butterfly among the tulips.


My Carhart Orange Kid!

My namesake nephew, Shane.

Cousins - Happy Together.
My mom captured these...  earthy mamas let these little children at it, in the clay-like mud.  They were having a blast!

Forget beautiful tulips...  this mud is awesome!


Sweet Havilah

Shane boy

My Lydia among Black Diamonds, perhaps.

Cousins

Gabe couldn't resist playing in the mud too.  Couldn't let those toddlers have ALL the fun!

Thank you Tulip Town for another great year of beautiful blooms.

Lydia and Gabe

My mom was visiting and took this photo of Lydia in the kitchen.  My little girl is growing up.

Looks like we have a Delaware Rooster among the chicks.  Gabe is my constant farm hand.

Socks Memorial

Highway rescue with Grandma - Socks at home.

One cute and spunky kitten.

Socks and Gabe



Always ready to play with any playmate.
Playful

Fearless

Gotcha!

Always on the prowl.

Cool Cat

Looking at you.

Come and get me.

Snoozing

Always peeking in and pawing the windows.

Looking through the glass.  Must be breakfast time.

Yep. Just about ready for my mid-morning nap,


Lydia made a marker while Gabe grieved in the house.
Socks used up all nine lives in his first year.  Marshal said, "He was a 100% cat."  He lived through and defied the dire consequences of abandonment, starvation, standing in the middle of Hwy 12 in the dark of night, unfriendly dog face-offs, Tigey's mood swings, un-sourced poisoning, a puncture wound, mysterious self-neutering, neighboring cat threats on his turf.  He lived fearless, friendly, always curious, at your heels, playful, cuddly with his Gabe boy and Lydia too.  We were always chuckling with his antics.  I'll never forget how he used to sneak up on grumpy Tigey and pounce on him.  Tigey wouild be hissing and spatting, and Socks just seemed to laugh and do it all over again!  He looked at us so quizzically, wondering why he didn't get to come in when he pawed so fervently at the door just like Tirza!  He pawed at the window panes until he got our attention too.  He made sure Gabe always kept food in his bowl.  That was tough in the beginning when Socks was making up for his nutritional deficit.  He leapt into the can of kibble and started wolfing as Gabe would fill his bowl.  Little kitten didn't know how to stop until his belly looked about to pop.  But he filled out in flesh beautifully in time and learned to leave a little kibble in his dish for later.  He made the construction crew chuckle as the barn went up.  Socks was their overseer and inspector from day to day.  He found it all curious and didn't mind loud power tools either.  He was always present without being pesky.  He was the best cat we've ever known, absolutely the sweetest.   He was an animal whisperer, people whisperer, endearing himself to us all.  He was dog savvy, cat savvy, street savvy, so it was a total shock to find his stiffened mortal body on the road, because he was one SAVVY cat!  We all feel at a loss, feel the loss, feel a little lost without him here with us, I think, Tigey included.

Yes, It Is Resurrection Day!

Celebration Dinner.  Lydia is peeling a hard boiled egg.

We had a special little guest!  Having a good time.

Put together a meal, thinking of the Passover, thinking of the Lamb of God that took away the sin of the world, thinking of the power of the Resurrection on this Lord's Day.

So happy to have the opportunity to share our table with new friends.

Big boy and little boy - oh such fun!  Oliver's mommy invited us to his house for dessert.


Family Portrait!

Lydia captured the beauty of the Lily.

Such a sweet treat, decadent dessert, conversation with friends, and a short walk home at the end of the day.