{"id":6652,"date":"2011-08-08T09:08:58","date_gmt":"2011-08-08T16:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/?p=6652"},"modified":"2026-01-30T09:40:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T17:40:49","slug":"more-summer-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/2011\/08\/08\/more-summer-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"More Summer Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;ve been busy climbing and splashing and creating! Bean had a total of three weeks of swimming lessons. She is still shy about getting her face in the water and going under water, but she had a blast with her teachers. She very specifically insisted on lady teachers &#8220;because they are more gentle.&#8221; (She had a man the first day and cried, and refused to even allow a man to put her into the pool.)  She practiced floating on her back and kicking&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/5983268843\/\" title=\"back kick by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6022\/5983268843_5b47ae84b4.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" alt=\"back kick\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>&#8230;and jumping into the instructor&#8217;s arms.<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6011421873\/\" title=\"ker-splash! by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6142\/6011421873_a9360acf84.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" alt=\"ker-splash!\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>We&#8217;ve also been playing with our food:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/5956711980\/\" title=\"dinner by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6136\/5956711980_397637c73e.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"390\" alt=\"dinner\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6014978189\/\" title=\"lunch by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6123\/6014978189_0a5d19d958.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" alt=\"lunch\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>One day Bean asked for a knife and began slicing up pepper slices I&#8217;d given her. Once she cut them all, she ate them. Never before had she asked to do this, and she demonstrated real dexterity at cutting. That brain of hers is always growing!<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6005667086\/\" title=\"slicing pepper by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6021\/6005667086_fa16d743b8.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" alt=\"slicing pepper\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Yesterday we took a day trip to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sccgov.org\/portal\/site\/parks\/parksarticle?path=\/v7\/Parks%20and%20Recreation,%20Department%20of%20(DEP)\/Find%20a%20Park&#038;contentId=b9f18a77d9784010VgnVCMP230004adc4a92____&#038;cpsextcurrchannel=1\">Mount Madonna County Park<\/a>. It&#8217;s a gorgeous park, and they also have campgrounds, which we may reserve for later. Here&#8217;s the scenic view of the valley:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6020470629\/\" title=\"view from mount madonna by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6010\/6020470629_43e3c1588c.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" alt=\"view from mount madonna\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>And up-close views of beautiful mosses and lichen:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6021027150\/\" title=\"such a variety of green by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6144\/6021027150_068a38f027.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" alt=\"such a variety of green\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>We saw California <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Banana_slug\">banana slugs<\/a>:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6021034698\/\" title=\"banana slug view 2 by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6007\/6021034698_49087e6af5.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" alt=\"banana slug view 2\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>And a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.californiaherps.com\/snakes\/pages\/t.a.atratus.html\">Santa Cruz Gartersnake<\/a> basking in a spot of sun:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6021037362\/\" title=\"cool snake by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6140\/6021037362_f46ed9f9a8.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" alt=\"cool snake\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>The redwoods are amazing:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6020486901\/\" title=\"hollowed out giant by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6008\/6020486901_e0467b5fb8.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" alt=\"hollowed out giant\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>These were the Twin Giants:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6021042468\/\" title=\"beauty on high by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6139\/6021042468_9528ab629a.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" alt=\"beauty on high\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>We had fun hiking the trails:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6021047214\/\" title=\"mommy and Bean by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6026\/6021047214_6738ba9d88.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" alt=\"mommy and Bean\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>We visited the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dreamlogic.net\/archives\/henry-miller-summer-home-mt-madonna-pt-1\">Henry Miller Summer Home<\/a> ruins, and Bean hopped around:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6021049204\/\" title=\"in the miller house ruins by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6125\/6021049204_9ba8fe3a95.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" alt=\"in the miller house ruins\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>A view from within the former house:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6020502891\/\" title=\"room with a view by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6121\/6020502891_20d9ebeb7d.jpg\" width=\"333\" height=\"500\" alt=\"room with a view\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Bean had many questions about the former house and why no one took care of it anymore:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6021060074\/\" title=\"miller house 2 by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6141\/6021060074_d5414cc987.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" alt=\"miller house 2\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>We walked and walked, and later she had a nap on the way home:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6021065826\/\" title=\"strolling by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6149\/6021065826_540d7ff44c.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" alt=\"strolling\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>We&#8217;ve played with paint and paper plates:<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6008947661\/\" title=\"paper plate ladybug by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6146\/6008947661_a9fab60464.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" alt=\"paper plate ladybug\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6009496454\/\" title=\"paper plate fish by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6001\/6009496454_c65eac70b0.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"257\" alt=\"paper plate fish\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>And we&#8217;ve started collecting our spare change in a jar which we decorated. We&#8217;ll empty it periodically and use it to donate to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&#038;source=web&#038;cd=1&#038;sqi=2&#038;ved=0CB8QFjAA&#038;url=http%3A%2F%2Fshfb.org%2F&#038;ei=NglATom6KJTKiALsl-nDBg&#038;usg=AFQjCNGeBW_M6oc_sz-Az3EQrjPvoEuHyg&#038;sig2=inaRy0T0i6a_Q3L0cwY1Uw\">food bank<\/a>, or the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&#038;source=web&#038;cd=1&#038;sqi=2&#038;ved=0CCAQFjAA&#038;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.familygivingtree.org%2F&#038;ei=VQlATt2nHOTKiALzgJHDBg&#038;usg=AFQjCNFdPZ0ZCnMuifJI9A1wlPLwjnrfTA&#038;sig2=QdTDb4S5IdJokrErmwJZtA\">Family Giving Tree<\/a>, or some other worthy organization.<\/p>\n<div class=\"photopost\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mindfulone\/6009055923\/\" title=\"our collection jar by Mindful One, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm7.static.flickr.com\/6014\/6009055923_7df4d52e25_m.jpg\" width=\"240\" height=\"240\" alt=\"our collection jar\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p>And so our summer continues!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;ve been busy climbing and splashing and creating! Bean had a total of three weeks of swimming lessons. She is still shy about getting her face in the water and going under water, but she had a blast with her teachers. She very specifically insisted on lady teachers &#8220;because they are more gentle.&#8221; (She had [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,25,34,16,27,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community","category-education","category-motherhood","category-nature","category-recreation","category-regional"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6652"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13527,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6652\/revisions\/13527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kathrynpetroharper.com\/mindfullife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}