FTF: My Favorite People? Place?

I know I'm kind of cheating on my Favorite Things Friday (FTF) by just posting pics of the kids and I on vacation, but it's summer and I feel compelled to break a few rules.  We drove up to the ranch today.  For the first time in a long time, we made the trip without dogs.

After years of battle after battle and 7 pest control treatments, we finally got rid of the ticks in our house.  We think they initially came into the house from Bailey, who would play with the neighbor's livestock on visits to the ranch.

  

Did you know a tick can complete a life cycle (conception to conception) without a blood feed?  

Did you know ticks can live in your walls for 9 months without a blood feed?

Did you know that most of the pesticides out there are actually repellants and not poisons?

Did you know that BAKING SODA is poison to arachnids?

Well, you would know all of these things if you spent a few years battling ticks.  I'm happy to put that chapter behind us, and I'm not willing to risk having dogs at the ranch again... ever.

SO... thank you Grammy for Daisysitting for us!

Without dogs, we were able to stop at a restaurant and eat dinner on the way to the ranch... which was awesome.  After a trip to HEB and getting settled into the house, we went down to the creek.  Look at these beautiful faces...

90,000 miles young and looks like she belongs on a commercial.

Even through the hill country drought, our love fern (Cypress tree) lives on.

When we first got to the creek, Taylor and I left the kids in the car and set up the chairs.  I grabbed the kids hands and walked them into the water (both of them had their Crocs on).  They were totally grossed out and mad at me for subjecting them to this barbaric torture.  When I grabbed my camera, this was the first shot I got.  Blessed Daddy cleaned their shoes and rinsed their feet, which helped in their recovery.

I know it looks like they're sitting in a pasture up there, but there's actually quite a bit of water up top and flowing off the waterfall (relatively speaking).

Kiss

Initial reaction

... and disperse