The Three Investigators: Mystery of the Abandoned House

We were playing over at "the pad" today (the concrete, quadruple-wide driveway of The Abandoned House), when Elizabeth somehow got Grayson and Reed involved in solving the "mystery" of the house.

They discovered the following clues:

1. A red windbreaker on the floor of the garage.
2. A pair of broken eye glasses in the garden.
3. Many Miracle Gro spoons scattered about the property.
4. A broom on the porch.

Elizabeth loves mysteries.  Power Boys, Milo & Jazz, Nancy Drew, Cam Jansen... you name it.  It must have been so exciting for her to find herself in the midst of a real mystery!

Neighbor Daryl and I are both a bit obsessed with the potential danger posed by the abandoned house.  For instance, the garage (which we investigated today, using the flashlight app on my phone [as the windows are painted over, leaving the interior pitch black]) didn't used to be unlocked.  I've tested that door many times, and it's always been locked.  Well, now it's not.

And what about that strange mud-smear on the rear door of the house?  Kind of looks like someone with a muddy boot tried to kick the door in.  Daryl proposed we put our own padlock on the garage door, to keep squatters out. 

On the other hand, Aaron told me tonight about a homeless family he met today -- two young parents and a five-year-old.  One of the parents was panhandling while the other read to the boy from a stack of library books.  Aaron stopped and chatted with the family (and gave them some cash) and felt that they were good folks in a terrible situation doing their best to survive.  And here's a 2000 square foot house going to waste.  Why shouldn't they squat in there?  A roof overhead is a helluva lot better than nothing.

Elizabeth and Reed (in helmet) picking flowers.

The Three Investigators searching for clues and freaking Daddy out by saying, "There's someone in there. I saw them move." No you didn't.

Playing Power Boys

Elizabeth loves playing this game where she pretends to be Chip Power's friend.  Then Chip's older brother shows up and... well, you'll see.

If you don't know who the Power Boys are, they are a low-rent Hardy Boys who starred in six books published by Whitman in the mid-60s.  Elizabeth is mildly obsessed with them.

Uncle Mark sent me a couple of the Power Boys adventures well before Elizabeth was born -- I can't remember why.  I found them amusing, but only read two of the four in my collection.  They sat on our bookshelf gathering dust until a few months ago when some random impulse prompted Barb to show them to Elizabeth.  Now they are one of her favorite things -- to read, to think about, to talk about, to imagine.

Depoe Bay, Vacation Wonderland

There's a bit in the old show WKRP in Cincinnati where Andy Travis (who isn't from around there), gets back from a long weekend in Columbus, OH. He is gently derided by his co-workers for spending his free time in the state capital. "I like Columbus," he states, a bit defiantly.

Barb has a knack for planning unconventional, close-to-home vacations. Places like McMinnville or Depoe Bay.

In April, we returned to Depoe Bay for a long weekend with grandma. Rented a condo (the same place we stayed with Grandpa Frank and Aunt Bev), hit the beach, had a good time. It was an excellent time for Suzanne to get some bonding done with Grandma, and I think it's paid big dividends. Last time we left Grandma's apartment, Suzanne ran back three times to give her good-bye kisses.

Elizabeth climbed this cliff with me following in a mild panic, camera in hand.  It got to the point where the stone was slick, mossy, and nearly vertical. Of course she fell.  She wasn't injured, but decided of her own accord to climb back down to the beach. Thus is education.

Check out that spray! One of the cool things about this section of the coast is big breakers. 

Barb and Suzanne taking a break in the shade.

Suzanne in the condo.

On a hike above the beach. Elizabeth just saw a rabbit.

Elizabeth got a hold of the camera and took a lot of terrible pictures. As usual, there was some gold in the dross. I like this one.

I like Depoe Bay.