Fireman's Father's Day

I've just realized that the events leading-up to Father's Day were a mix of expert planning and then, a complete mess. No, I didn't fail in what I was planning, I just didn't put-away all the things that had led-up to my home-made "present project" I can only say that playing the "The Glad Game" from the movie Pollyanna, helped me be motivated to set my house in good order and have it look-like nothing was homemade. Clean-up my mess day was set to before Steve came home from duty on Monday.

I had a great Father's Day with MY boys. I went to the fire station after church and had dinner with my dear husband and my dear son. Both are captains and at the station, they're in charge. I had the best seat at the table and they treated ME like a queen. I wanted to look nice and hadn't bought a dress in years, honestly. I needed a new dress.

I had made a new dress from seersucker and felt like it was a formal. I didn't realize the sheen and the fullness of the pattern. It's a Simplicity pattern #5767  It was easy to make except the cuff facing and when I actually got to the point where I wasn't sure how to do it. I just thought of my mother-in-laws favorite sewing quote, "Who's gonna' git off their galloping horse and look at that?" I think the relief of not having it perfect made the facing, with a placket slit on each side, completely easy. My next dress with the same pattern will be a breeze. Don't you love it completely when you KNOW a pattern and not even refer to the directions at all. I forgot pins cause puckering. I will not tear-out another seam and really baste the just facings and the zipper. Oh, yeah, I might even put some pockets in for my hankie. It was an inspired sewing project from Pinterest only because I wanted to see how cheaply I could make a dress, and like it. Hey, nothing wrong with finding exactly the right color and pattern, and material, right? My dress was from Ben Franklin Crafts and was flat fold Friday and on the $1 a yard table. I bought 7 yards. I have a bunch of material left over.

Easy Simplicity Pattern #5767

 Father's Day at the Fire Station

I arrived at the fire station right after church and when I got there Dustin was going-out to a call. Steve looked-up the call, and it was in his sector, but because Dustin's engine was parked one engine over closer (GPS) to the call they received the alarm. It was lights and sirens and Steve already had been on a real terrible call earlier in the morning. I had told them to quit talking about it because it was so bad and we were going to eat. I suppose the talking...is a form of debriefing, but it was really upsetting for me to hear about it all.

Dustin's call was horrifying to hear. It was a large spider that had bit someone on the back of the leg. The call wasn't too far from the station and he returned soon and said that they had the spider with them. Nooooo! They confiscated the spider?

 On-Scene Report County-wide. Plastic Spider Removed From Home

It was a plastic spider and the acute poison symptoms went away when the person found-out it was a toy. He said those calls are the best calls in the world. The firemen smile and it leaves a great story and memory for them and they got the proof. Dustin said if his kids were with him on Father's Day, his day would have been perfect.

The firefighters served us and did the dishes. I had a visit from the Stake Presidency and renewed my Temple Recommend. My husband and I have so many dates planned to go down to the Temple. President Watson was very sweet to visit me at the station, even on Father's Day.

Now for the present. I picked this out months ago. It's a saying at the fire station and he's not leaving it down there. We had always thought those silly saying were funny. I saw this on Pinterest. Again, I was inspired to try and make the posters and have them framed. The site that had the free download was in a small resolution, so I had to re-sized them. Actually, I had to re-do them because I didn't want round edges and I wanted different colors and I didn't take long on my Photoshop and I had them made at 16 inches by 24 inches and the resolution at 600. There wasn't a bit of pixeling, very sharp copies. I bought the standard frames at K-mart that matched. I also bought chalk paint for the glass. The one that looks like orange is a very light coral color.

I really feel that the last couple of days have been our real celebration of Father's Day. My kids all were wonderful... sending messages and everyone called. We were sent fun pictures of  Steve with him holding the babies when they were little.

Timery, our Larin's cousin, is giving Larin kisses. The photo won the best Father's Day picture. We have enjoyed Steve's "Brady-Bunch Dad" hair-do. Christmas 1979.

Our Father's Day Holiday

We took a vacation day, even though I've been under-the-weather with my cold. It's passed the contagious time, but had to go on antibiotics to recover from it, so after going to the doctor's again and off to the drug store. We hurried and went to breakfast at our new favorite spot near Ventura High School. We drove to places we wanted to see, people we wanted to visit, and talked about the things we want to accomplish this week. Steve stopped on our way back and bought me some yogurt and yep, it hit the spot.

Ventura County Fair Livestock Brand New Fencing!

The Barn At The Ventura County Fair

Steve went to the place on the fairgrounds were the new barn has been put-up. He couldn't wait to show me the livestock barns. Everyone has been going in to see it. They leave all the doors open while the workers are there and let us completely enjoy the renovations. It's been decades since they've remodeled the Livestock Area of the Ventura County Fair. The kids can all stay again at the beach's edge, right in the sand. Everyone is in tents, motor-homes, and trailers again this year. Last year it was so sad about not being able to do that anymore and we thought it would never be back to the old-way again. Well, it's back and a huge draw for those that want to enter our county's livestock show. Vacation + Fair! Can it get any better?

Faria Beach, Mondos, "The Cove"

We drove about 3 miles passed the fairgrounds to where our family's staying soon at the beach house. Oh, the tide is still extra-high and no beach at all. Actually, I'm glad we're waiting for August because it looked like it might rain here in June. The "Cove or Mondo's" rarely, ever has cloud cover and our visit took us by surprise. We can't be too surprised though--I've gone and stayed at "The Cove" for my whole life, 61 years. We've seen everything, but snow. We'll have to remember to go there if we ever have another rare snowfall. We've even seen whales and sharks and a funnel cloud. Honestly, we didn't know what it was, until a lot later so we weren't even worried at the time. We even were knocked-out of our beds from an earthquake one year and actually, that was fun...

The Rincon

Darling Beach Cabin

We saw this little cabin on the wall at the Ventura Breakfast House. Steve and I would love a house, even like this--sand and all. Little cabin on the beach. Looks a'bit like it could just float-out into the ocean and I'll bet it's on the East Coast. Very cute.

Santa Paula Airport

The clouds and fog followed us home and my Steve went to see his friend at the airport and the clouds looked like a thousand other times when the clouds move-in and spill over South Mountain. We were at the end of the Santa Paula Airport. I love South Mountain and our big SP written on the mountain-side.

Abrupt and Useless Bluffs Santa Paula California

This just happens to be our favorite spot. It's our backyard behind our Jurassic Park and overlooking our Santa Paula Creek, "The Crik" and a view of the Abrupt and Useless Bluffs. I've ridden my horse, taken jeep rides, and even hiked all over those foothills. I love the view and has a perfect vantage point on the highest peek of the cliff to see the ocean and a view beyond the Channel Islands off of our coast line of Ventura County and Santa Barbara County. It's hard to imagine that these cliffs are that tall. I know they are because I've perched my horse right up to the edge. I didn't need a phone camera back then, I have the memory of the view in my head forever.

I loved being with you, Steve on Father's Day. You're a great example to me and I'm trying to do right. I love you so much. You're the greatest dad and finest example any child could ever dream of having in their life. A great grandpa, too. The "cuppy-cake" making Grandpa Steve for any "little ones" and "teens" that come through our door.

Steve Lazenby at 911 Tribute Ventura, California