Kirsten is an 18-inch-tall girl from pioneer times, and Nellie is an 18-inch-tall girl from the 1900s! This is their last album in California, at least for now. :(
Here they are in a file photo.
"Hey," Kirsten said. "Miss Cheap Lady's friend has a fenced backyard! Do you know what that means?"
Nellie said, "It must mean Miss Cheap Lady's friend is richer than her!"
"Probably," Kirsten said. "But it also means that we can go outside to play, without anyone thinking we're weird or trying to kidnap us!"
"Hooray!" Nellie replied.
"What is this?" Nellie asked.
Kirsten smirked. "It's a horrible dragon with a ton of sharp spikes and claws!"
"Aaaah!" Nellie screamed.
Kirsten laughed. "It's just a plant; can't you see? If you didn't wear your hat over your eyes, you'd be able to see that."
"Oh," Nellie said. "Miss Kirsten, that wasn't very nice."
But Nellie did offer to help Kirsten pick some berries.
"Hey," Kirsten said, "I think those might be poisonous. Nellie?"
"Oh, right; sorry," Nellie said meekly, lowering her outstretched hands.
I know Nellie is the sweetest doll ever and would never think of poisoning Kirsten, no matter how mean Kirsten can be! I'm sure!
Kirsten, however, doesn't share my optimism, so she quickly moved to another part of the yard.
"Look; this isn't poison!" Kirsten said.
"Is it a lime?" Nellie asked.
Kirsten said, "Judging from the yellow rocks in the background, I think it's a lemon. But, oh, no, I can't reach!" Since her knees don't bend, she wasn't even able to jump up to pick it.
"It's probably sour anyway," Kirsten said, moving on.
Somehow she climbed up to pick...well, something orange and fuzzy. I don't know anything about fruit; I guess they might be peaches?
Meanwhile, Nellie busied herself sniffing a very pretty flower. I don't know anything about flowers; I guess it's a...er...flower?
"Be careful!" Kirsten called. "That flower's as big as your head! It might eat you!"
"That's unlikely," Nellie said.
"I've heard of flowers that eat flies," Kirsten says. "Maybe there's flowers that eat dolls too!"
Nellie fell silent for a moment. "Well, I think I'm strong enough to defeat most flowers."
"Ha!" Kirsten said. "You may be pretty strong, but I'm the strongest girl ever!"
"See? I can almost lift this dumbbell!" Kirsten grinned.
Nellie clapped.
"Bet you can't do better!" Kirsten said. "Come on; I dare you."
"Well...." Nellie nodded.
"Miss or Mrs. or Mr. Reader, please ignore the leg in the background," Nellie said.
Kirsten was slack-jawed. "You're not stronger than me!" Kirsten yelled. "I just got restrung and everything!!!"
"Well, Miss Kirsten," Nellie mused, "I can't lift your Sari."
"Ha!" Kirsten said.
Nellie politely didn't mention that the only reason she couldn't lift Sari was because Kirsten wouldn't let Nellie play with the doll.
Kirsten was so pleased, she ran off and then came back. "Here's your hat, Nellie!"
"Thank you, Miss Kirsten," Nellie said.
"But I wonder how I lost it," she mused. "And how'd this spider get in it?"
Before Kirsten could speak, Visiting Samantha came out to visit! Nellie was happy to see her friend, and Kirsten was happy to see...cookies, from the Chinese bakery!
"Hooray, cookies!" the girls shouted. And they all agreed, it was the best summer vacation ever!
On to 9.16.06