A Whale Tale

Late this afternoon I had had enough of watching Grandpa Fun watching some auto race on the tube -- surely it was a Formula 1 race, I don't even know. It was just too lovely of an afternoon to let it slip away entirely. So I stepped outside with Tristan and immediately realized that the afternoon breeze was taking the blistering, burning sting off of this summer afternoon.

Tristan wanted to bring his coloring book to the outside table and I realized the table was a bit dusty, kind of covered in grit, so I pulled the white plastic table to the edge of the pool and splashed some water on it and wiped the surface clean. Well, that started it. Tristan then wanted to get in the pool.

We neither one had our swimsuits on, so I told him to take off his play shorts and he could get wet in his underpants. He was hesitant at first, but I did a superb job of convincing him it would be okay. Well, it didn't take long and he was not only helping me clean a table and a couple of plastic chairs, he was playing and splashing in the pool.

Then Mr. Fun stepped out to see what we were doing and I asked if he'd stay with Tristan while I went in the house to put on my swimsuit. Moments later we were all in the pool having a great time. The pool's water is so warm (when we purchased the house it came with solar panels on the roof that heat the pool). We splashed and played and Tristan thought the whales looked a little dusty and we ought to "wash" them clean too. So we did. Grandpa Fun kept telling Tristan that he ought to ride a whale. Tristan wanted nothing to do with that.

So I got the bright idea to show him how. Well it took some manuevering, but I fiinally got the "she" whale to cooperate. The "he" whale threw me off several times and we all thought that was hilarious. So today's photo is from that moment of fun.

A bit later I got ahold of Chloe, and since the water was so warm, I thought it was time to introduce her to swimming and finding her way out of the pool should she ever fall in. I took her in and held her tight to my body while calming and confidently telling her that we were okay. I think she actually liked it, but I think she would publically confess to that. Finally I pointed her toward the steps and she swam to them and successfully found her way out of the pool. Tristan liked watching the dog "dog-paddle."

The other two dogs went crazy about Chloe being wet. Gradually Mr. Fun was able to get hold of Mitzi and it was her turn in the pool. Before long it was Max's turn. Eventually we had three wet dogs wildly running circles around the pool and then, sure enough, Mitzi was out in the dirt of the flower bed (that currently has no plants or flowers), and quickly we had "mud" dogs. Oh what fun! Eventually they got rinsed off and I got them to sit with me on a towel in the sun to dry some.

It's been a delightful afternoon and it was after 8:00 p.m. when we finally shut-off the spa's hot water and called it quits for the evening.

That's our whale tale for this Sunday.

Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun, and Chloe, Mitzi, & Max, and Little Tristan),
aka Carol