Head Honcho 1917 - 2009

Daddy Post: It is with heavy heart that I pay tribute to my Grandfather Doyle "Head Honcho" Stockton who passed away this weekend. The girls and us have been incredibly fortunate to have his kindness, sense of humor, and resolve positively shape our sense of being in the world and we will miss him greatly. One not look much further than the Ruby and Willa's own strength of character to know that they were a part of his lineage. I've posted a couple of photos from our recent trip down there last weekend as well as a couple I found from past trips.

Staying Cool in the Hot Summer Sun

Daddy Post: Just some quick shots of the girls embracing the summer sprinkler season (plus, Willa being attacked by a bucket). Cutest....Daughters....Ever!!!

Ruby: First Blood Part II

Daddy Post: Evidently, staples are a close second to duct tape in terms of utility. Ruby is a champ.

Ruby - First Blood

Daddy Post: So Ruby gets a great new outfit from Grandma Joan and is all geeked up getting to go to school in it. Things go a little down hill from there with us getting a call that Ruby had bonked her head on a play structure at the local playground. There was a bit of blood, but Ruby was a total trooper the whole way through. At the doctor's office we had to apply some topical anesthetic on the wound before getting a shot with more anesthetic and then, for the grand finale, four staples. The doctor and nurse probably thought I was a terrible dad exploiting my daughter's misfortune for a few sensational pictures and calling her Frankenstein. Again, Ruby didn't shed a single tear and was good to go. We actually had a very fun father/daughter afternoon. The staples come out on Thursday. Hopefully I can keep them and put them alongside Marty's wisdom teeth. In the future, the Stockton museum will need such artifacts.

The 4th of July in the Flesh

Daddy Post: Following our trip to the Enchanted Forest we had another great weekend with the Paces for the 4th of July. Ruby and Willa had a great time playing with Karen and Alison. The pictures are pretty self-explanatory in regard to all of the girls getting a little crazy. They will hopefully act as great blackmail material in the future. Many thanks to the Paces for being great friends and hosts.

Return to the Enchanted Forest

Daddy Post: A few weeks back we managed to trek down to Salem with our good friends the Paces for a visit that took me back in time to my own youth...The Enchanted Forest. For those not in the know, the Enchanted Forest is like a poor families Disney Land full of interesting rides and exhibits ripped from the pages of Hans Christian Andersen himself. I was relieved to see that the place hadn't lost any of it's creepy charm that I recalled from 30+ years ago as many of the fairy tales are very much unnerving for a young child. Right off the bat, the witch in the Hansel and Gretel exhibit sent Ruby flapping her arms and running in retreat. From there on out she wasn't too keen on going into any of the other exhibits including the witch's mouth. From storybook lane we went on some pretty child friendly rides that left little Willa wishing she was a little older. Frontier land hadn't really changed at all nor had the haunted house. The haunted house itself is seriously creepy and a three story, unguided, and very dark fire trap. Thus, it was awesome. Once inside a flood of suppressed memories came flooding back to me reminding me of the unsettling experience I had when younger. In particular, there was a room with a piano which was being played by floating hands. This is significant considering I had a very memorable nightmare in my youth in which these disembodied hands were stalking me through my Grandma's house. Now I have closure in knowing that it was just an aftereffect of me being traumatized at the Enchanted Forest. Relief at last. Marty didn't let me take Ruby and Willa in after my failed experiment taking Ruby through the haunted house during the Rose Festival. However, we did take the Paces daughters through. Needless to say, it was best that we didn't take Ruby and Willa. Parents of the Year!!! The part I found most hilarious is that they had a sign saying that children under 2 were free. Who ever knew that disembodied heads and torture scenes could be so family friendly? In any case, we'll be returning to the Forest sometime again very soon.