Templeton Adventure Saturday

Because we live in wine country, one might expect our free time is spent doing wine country activities.  But, the reality is ... we don't.   There is soooo much to do here, and the kids aren't always interested in doing the things we'd like to do as adults.  But on this day, we wanted to be outside and enjoy the relatively cool weather before it gets hot this coming week (the high summer temps have been delayed this year!). 

Our first stop was Templeton Valley Farms for blackberry and raspberry picking!

Our next stop was J. Dusi winery (very close to our home) for a bottle of wine, lunch and a little picnic.   The air in the shade was a bit chilly and I keep forgetting to carry jackets in the car all the time (its the Phoenix girl in me who keeps thinking summer = hot days and nights 24/7).  

Next, on our way home we visited Bethel Road Distillery.  We drive by all the time, and Jonathan has wanted to stop in and taste ... so today was the day!  He enjoyed his experience and I took the tiniest of sips and didn't care for the spirits at all.  

And finally, we paid an unexpected trip to Castoro Cellars (which is across the street from Bethel Road Distillery, and sooooo close to our home.   What a beautiful property!  The kids sat outside and amused each other while Jonathan tasted several wines and I kept an eye on the kids while visiting with Jonathan and the tasting room host.   The unexpected surprise was that our host lived in Albuquerque for many years, so we had a nice conversation about living in New Mexico. 

Castoro has free music and events and I know we'll be back many times in the future!

The Day O' Horses

We received an invitation from Jonathan's co-worker, Dave, for lunch and time with his horses, Penny and Sierra.

Dave has worked with the therapeutic horseback riding place we'll be taking Christian to soon, so he was really great with our anxious kiddo. 

Scarlett, on the other had, was ready to get on that horse and loved every moment of it! :)

It was another hot day, but they were all troopers!

Dave told us about how good horses are for people's emotions and mental health.  And so perhaps that fact explains this oddity:  Christian had been complaining about an earache (which I figured may have come from swimming the day before).  And after he got off the horse, he said his earache was gone and it has not returned.   Hmmmm ....

Family Night at Templeton Tennis Ranch

With the week of Tennis Camp now over, we decided to join the fun at Templeton Tennis Ranch's Family Night and play pickle ball.  It was a hot day, so it was a bit uncomfortable for all of us, but it sure was fun!

Pickle ball is similar to tennis, but the court is smaller, and the balls and rackets (paddles) are different.

Christian really did quite well at pickle ball and the instructors were impressed how quickly he went from knowing nothing about the sport, to doing so well over the course of a few days.  We're hoping to get him into the next camp in August.

Maybe we can make "his thing" to be surfing, trampoline AND tennis / pickle ball. :)

Tennis Camp for the Lucero Kiddos

Christian and Scarlett enjoyed a week at "Tennis Camp" at our local Templeton Tennis Ranch.  They were both hesitant to do it, but had fun and learned a lot!  They played tennis, pickle ball, bocce ball, and ping pong ... and had water day on the final day.

I lingered for a few minutes after I dropped them off on the last day so I could watch them for a few minutes.  They were so cute!!

There is one more tennis camp offered in August and I'm hoping to convince them to do it. :)

And when they go back to school, I'd love to take tennis lessons myself.  So fun!!