When we took up the deck we found a ton of gorgeous soil. I couldn’t let it go to waste and am trying to save it. We also found a ton of rocks. I want to save them too.

Big  fans of grandchildren on this island. Difficult for most of us to be away from our grand kids day to day lives but many of us are rewarded with quality grand child time while they vacation here both with and without their parents. Our kids loved coming in the summers to visit Papa, without us. He, in turn had a very special bond with them, having spent endless days on their own terms. Papa had his routine with the kids. He provided the food and cooked. They set they table, washed the dishes and tidied up after themselves. The kids provided their own snacks and junk food.

Every morning he had a chore which he would assign. They would collaborate to pour the concrete for a wood shed, or wash the windows or split wood. One chore a day. Then they were on their own. He didn’t entertain them…. he sat on the deck and facilitated their fun. If they needed a hammer to build a raft or a string to make a bow and arrow, he could point them in the right direction. They loved coming here and he loved having them. 

Some weeks, there was overlap and their cousins would be here at the same time. A great opportunity to hang out with the cousins other than formal family dinners. The kids were encouraged to bring a friend. One week Papa had forteen kids here. He never complained but I suspect, often would duck over to Bills for some peace and quiet.

In the winters Papa would travel for six weeks to Cuba or Mexico and fortunately for our eldest, China. His intention was to take each grandchild on a trip but he ran out of time and only one grandchild benefited. He took our thirteen year old for six weeks up the Yangtze and along the Great Wall of China.

Today I started  a rock wall around the bamboo with all of the rocks from under the deck. E fixed a broken pipe and worked on the wiring. I wouldn’t be surprised if in 771 AD the wife of China’s Emperor Qin Chi Huang came upon some nice rocks after their palace renovation and thought, let’s build a rockery to use up these extra rocks. Then, the whole thing got 

out of hand.