There's an old saying that you don't know what you've got until it's gone.  Not so with our pond, we've known all along.  We also believe that everything happens for a reason, and that something good comes from all things.  So it was after 8 years when our pond lease was cancelled because the State of California has virtually limitless funds and wants to add our site to the Wildlife Refuge that borders us.  We knew we couldn't change the fact (although we gave it our best shot) so we decided to have a farewell party.  The party started in May, when our middle son "Sailor Jobe" was able to visit us.  We're really thrilled about that, especially since his ship (a US Navy Destroyer) heads out to war on November 11, 2001.  We felt blessed that we had 4 of our 5 children present at the same time.  Brice (and Cindy and Morgan) couldn't make the first party, but the ANIMAL (Mark Turner) was with us, he's like one of our kids anyway.

From left to right it's Mark, KeNyA and Chris, Steffie with the "do-rag" and Sailor Jobe lower right.  They look sweet and all, but just watch how our children play, how they've always played.

Jobe, Mark, Chris and KeNyA cheesin' it up, this was just for the photo opportunity, in actuality what you're about to witness is a family standard. . . kneeboard wars.  Below are Jobe and Chris about to thrash Mark, he's stuck in the middle of a mess.

So now it's Jobe and Mark after Chris.  Although she's 9 1/2 years younger than Chris (the youngest of our adult children) KeNyA's always gotten right in the middle of things and held her own. Here she is after brother Jobe.

She's jumped on his back trying to take him out.  Nice try little sister. Having so many siblings, some one is always there to help out, and in this game it's the last one on the water that's the winner. Chris to the rescue, or would that be crash, a two for one deal?  Not to be left out, Mark is after Chris.  Who knew kneeboarding was a team sport?  Looks like it's Jobe and Mark against Chris & KeNyA.

Everyone's calling for sister Steffie to come out on the water and play . . . but sister Steffie remembers the days pre KeNyA, when she was the only girl, and her brothers were merciless.  Get on a kneeboard and fight them, you must be nuts.  Been there done that, she'll just hang around on the dock and look tuff:)  

Well, I must confess here.  Steffie was our only non skier in the family.  I made a HUGE mistake was she was learning at the age of 8.  She got a little scared and I pushed her to go on.  It wasn't a positive experience for her, so she just didn't want to learn until just a few weeks before this Farewell Party.  She skies now, loves it, but there was no way she was going out on the water with her brothers being a new skier . . . she remembers all too well how her brothers played Barbie with her.  Did you know a Barbie truck and horse trailer can jump a Barbie house, or that it can crash into the Barbie motorhome and send all the contents all over the room?  Brothers.

Click on a link below to see more pictures:)

Lat Updated 04/15/04