Red Rock Sedona VIII?

My grandparents have lived all over, but they retired like 20 years ago to Tyler, Alabama. They bought a bunch of land and my business-man-grandfather became a farmer. They don't farm anymore, but they still have "the farm" and mom, Emma Kate, cousin Courtney and I headed over there Saturday to visit my Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa.

Emma Kate loves the farm. There is a lot of green grass to run around on, a big pool, and PaPa always pulls out a huge bag of toddler legos for her. We usually head over to the Rhyne compound, which is an even bigger farm, so that my Aunt Beckie can ride us around the big town of Benton, Alabama on her golf cart and EK can feed ducks, horses, catfish and see lots of cows. We didn't have time this visit, but she did ask.

This was the first time this year it was warm enough for us to swim and Emma Kate had a blast.

Everything is bigger at the farm and I am sure to Emma Kate, as it was to me when I was younger, everything is HUGE at the farm.

The pool is bigger.............

The grass is bigger.................. The porch is bigger................ The DOG HOUSE is bigger.................... Why is the dog house that big? Let me introduce you to Red Rock Sedona VIII. I don't really know if he is number 8, but he is at least 8. When my grandfather moved to the farm, he got his first Rodesian Ridgeback and named him Red Rock Sedona because of his color (and because Red Rock Sedona is just a cool place, too). We called the first one Red. When Red passed away, PaPa got a second one.....and we called him Rock. When Rock passed away, he got another. At first we thought we would call him Boulder or Stone, I cannot remember. But Rock just stuck and since then, every subsequent dog at the farm has been called Rock.

Emma Kate LOVES Rock. She loves all dogs and has no fear of them. Rock is ginormous, but Emma Kate puts him in his place. He tried to eat her pretzel stick, but she pointed THE FINGER and told him no. That is all it took.

Then they sat and had a long talk.

Then she saw his manhood from behind and explained to me that he had poo-poo. I just changed the subject, not quite sure how to explain that one.

The she examined an old wound (I think it was a snake bite) and told him he needed a band-aid. Then she played tag with him.

After a long day of swimming and playing with Rock, she laid in the grass for a nap.

We love the farm. I forget how much we love it, especially in the summer and vow to go there more this summer. It isn't just the farm we love though, it is the folks that live there too that are pretty darn great!