Camping in Tehachapi

Yesterday we spent the day in Tehachapi.  We set up our trailer, went to a small lake near the campsite, we played at a park, we ate hot dogs for dinner, we watched a movie in the trailer, we played card games, we went to bed, we woke up and ate granola bars for breakfast and then returned home.  It was short, but we enjoyed it.  Today I spent a large portion of the day working on the Young Women Newsletter.  After dinner I was able to join a phone call with the Missionaries.  They were teaching a woman named Morgana.  At first I thought that it was odd having a discussion on the phone...but it was really neat.  I was actually able to feel the spirit and I was even started to cry at one point.  It felt really good to be able participate in a missionary discussion.

As far as our camping trip is concerned, Lizzie wrote a few poems in an effort to record the events of the day.  She did a great job, so I included them here.

Poems by Lizzie:

Boating

We bought a boat to swim in the lake

and boy, oh boy, it was gonna be great!

So we zipped up our life vests, and Mom took us aboard.

While Dad stayed behind, sitting on the hot shore.

Mom started rowing, and rowing alone

But the wind had a very sneaky mind of its own!

It pushed us the way we did not want to go

The water was mossy and dirty, oh no!

There were some rocks there too, and we moved out of the way

But we got stuck in the moss, and there we stayed.

We called to Dad, who was far away, 

and then he came, I'm glad to say.

So Bryce lassoed a rope, in his direction,

and Dad caught it and, to our protection,

we held on tight to each other,

while we sailed back to shore, and oh, dear Mother,

helped us out of the boat, for we could not float,

and we landed safely on the warm, warm land.

Now, that turned out differently than we planned!

The Giant Pinecone

We went to a park, near the lake,

and after we played, for Bryce's sake,

I went with him to climb some trees,

(thank goodness there were no bees)

We saw a tree, and to our surprise,

we saw a giant pinecone, with our own eyes!

It was bigger than an apple, and bigger than my head

"But how will we get it?"  dear Bryce said.

 It was on top of a branch, it was high, not low

and we stood up high, on our tippy- toes,

But we could not reach it, yet we were not sad,

we went and called Mom and Dad.

Dad threw some rocks, Mom threw some twigs, 

Yet it was stuck, it didn't sway, it didn't swig.

So Dad got a rope out from the car,

but he couldn't throw it that far.

So we tied a rock on, so it weighed the rope down,

and Bryce lassoed it again, that little clown!

It made it to the branch, so we tied a knot, and started to tug!

"TUG!" We shouted, and everyone did, but the branch wouldn't budge!

Not even a smiggle, not even a smudge!

So Dad got the car, and drove on here,

Mom stood on the roof, and said,"Don't steer!"

I handed her a pocket knife, so she could cut the branch it was on.

then the pinecone will be ours, now nothing could go wrong!

I watched to see if security would be coming our way.

If they came and caught us, what would we say?

Mom climbed down off the car, with nothing in her hands,

"Sorry, Liz, the branch was tied by a thousand bands!

I couldn't cut a sliver, I couldn't cut a band. 

So, I guess we're coming home, without the giant pinecone."

I sighed and said "Whatever. I guess that is Okay.

At least we tried, and now we can say, we saw a giant pinecone."

So sorry for the ending, but it is just there to show

never give up, no matter how it goes.