Four days after returning from our river cruise, we hopped into the car to drive to California. Family time called us west.
Clara’s grin . . .
wrinkles her nose,
puts sparkles in her eyes,
exposes niblet baby teeth.
The world is to be explored and conquered.
She has a zest for discovery.
Maddy is . . .
the best big sister,
an accomplished rider and jumper,
growing up too fast!
Horses are her world!
Before we knew it, it was time to get back in the car to begin the journey home. These memories and photos will have to suffice until we can return. Sigh!

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The words are as sweet as the photos — what a lovely pairing!
Beautifully crafted poetry paired with the beauty of your granddaughters. Love this slice. Made me smile.
Love the pics of your beautiful grand girls and your poetic words. Soon I’ll be sighing and wishing that my grandchild weren’t so far away. Glad you had some family time together.
How wonderful to see your granddaughters and spend time with them. They are lovely!
Love the pictures, especially as a horse-lover.Your grandchildren are lucky to have you, Elsie!
Beautiful pics, showing beautiful times with family! Nothing better!!!!
Gotta love your ability to hop in the car for a quick trip to see the fast changing grands!!! Beautiful!
Such beautiful grandgirls you have! They are lucky that grandma and grandpa can come visit them.
“Niblet teeth.” Superb!
What’s next? When do you leave?
Always enjoy how you find beauty and poetry in the simple, how you can make magic with the everyday. Thanks, Elsie!
So much love in this post! Thank you for sharing!!
Your ode to granddaughters gave perfect descriptions to those lovely girls. You must miss them so much.
What beautiful photography and words to accompany you photos. Family time, no matter the distance, is always a blessing! ~Amy
These photo collages are wonderful representations of your two adorable granddaughters! I’m glad you had a chance to visit them!
Such sweet, growing girls. Glad you got time to spend with each of them. They’re lucky to have a grandmother who sees what special about each of them!
One nice thing about having time is doing what you want when the urge calls. Love the photos and poems. Those smiles surely brighten up the day.
How could you not resist jumping in the car and head West. They are adorable. I’m off again tomorrow – this time I get the girls to myself during the day while Mommy works. I think we’re going to have fun!
Your framing of your two granddaughters is so much fun to see, and with poetic prose to match!
You have a gift for turning everything you focus on into a thing of beauty. Not to mention your zest for life in general!
Great pictures and memories! I love the poetic style of this post.
Such wonderful words and photos! Thanks so much for sharing the wonder and love of being a grandmother.
I love your photos. How lucky your grandchildren are that you make that drive to go spend time with them. I bet they love the time as much as you do.
Maddy looks like quite the horse woman! I bet it is fun to watch her ride and jump. And Claire’s grin is infectious! Complete joy
So love that you made the trip, and now share the pictures of your granddaughters, Elsie. Happy memories for this time!
Photos are a wonderful way to hold on to what is near and dear to us. You are quite the traveller lately and how brave to drive to California! Safe travels.
The perfect power of words and images!
Two very lucky girls to have you for a grandma
What a beautiful tribute to your granddaughters. They are definitely worth the drive.