JUNE 23rd
We left Cheney at around 10 a.m. This morning with lots of filled totes and high hopes for our extended 2 1/2 week road trip to Disney Land. We got to Portland, OR today and checked into our air B and B which was a charming 1880s home that was advertised as an "artists retreat". It had a lot of character and it was our first time staying at an air B and B, so I'm glad we did it. Tonight we rode a gondola just for fun that ran to and from a hospital on a hill above our place, and Mont decided ,(subconsciously) to get our one and only "wreck" out of the way by backing into a parked car. No damage was done to our rig but he did dent the other persons car. It could have been much worse and I'm glad we got that out of the way. Tomorrow we r headed to Lincoln City, OR to stay on the beach and play in the surf. 😛Can't wait!!
JUNE 24th
Got to Lincoln City this morning and we got straight to the beach to eat lunch and play in the sand. It was a warm, mild day and the sand was so wonderful to put our feet in. Then we checked into our hotel and then spent the rest of the day hanging out on the beach. The kids spent the afternoon running from the waves and ended up getting very wet from all the spray. They had a blast! After a bit we went to dinner at the hotel restaurant and then headed back to the room to call it a day. We got lots of pictures and sun. It was an awesome day!
JUNE 25th
I woke up this morning and went for a run on the beach. It was so wonderful!!! I didn't escape without wet feet but that's to b expected. It was a much windier day and not as nice but we still hung out on the beach for a while while the kids played on the beach and in the surf. We also made a pretty awesome mote/dam/lake/village out of sand. Even among contributed by creating the village around the top edge of it. 😄 then, we headed into town to shop a bit and ended up coming back with some lovely cement stepping stones for the garden. After that we flew kites with the kids and as always, the wind didn't disappoint. Then, after a pizza dinner we watched a movie and went to bed. That's one of my favorite things about going on vacation; it's the intentional rest, cuddling, leisurely activities that
we get to do as a family that makes it tops for me.
JUNE 26th
We drove to Crescent City today which took most of the day. En route, however, we visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium for a few hours. It was very interesting to see all the marine animals in their natural environment. I especially liked the walk-through tube where we got to be surrounded by sharks and other fish in every direction. After that a ways we stopped at the popular Sea Lion Cave attraction. We paid to ride an elevators down to view some sea lions laying on rocks in an open cave. It wasn't the most amazing thing ever but it was pretty cool.👍 that night we stopped for a good dinner and then made our way to The Lighthouse Inn in Crescent City.
JUNE 27
First thing today we visited The Trees of Mystery just out of Crescent City. It was actually a pretty long excursion that took most of the morning. To begin, we hiked the trail a bit to view all the very impressive Redwood trees rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain. It took us quite a while to hike back down the trail which was about a mile long. It was pretty steep and even though we had walking sticks we occasionally slipped and sputtered down the trail. At the gift shop we bought a large dragon fly for Lena when they come visit in a few weeks. After our hike we drove a LONG way to San Francisco and got to our hotel pretty late. It was only a few short blocks away from the wharf and all the tourist stuff which was great!
JUNE 28
Our time in San Francisco was wonderful! We acted like tourists in every sense of the word. When we got there, we ate a late dinner at Burger Meister and got settled at our hotel, "The Columbus Motor Inn" which was within walking distance of the wharf. It was a decent hotel and was very reasonable rate considering the great location. We only spent 1 full day in the city but did a bunch. We started at the Wharf and took a few tours while there. The first tour we took we were MOST excited about. It was called, "The San Francisco Dungeons" and had actors that took us through a few different long-ago, dark times in San Fran when scary stuff was happening (during the late 18th century times). It was SO great,and scary, but it got cancelled half way through for some reason, so instead they let us into the wax museum where we could view celebrities (wax ones) up close. We also took a "Ride the Ducks" tour which was SUCH a blast! Jeff was our tour guide and he was full of laughs and jokes and interesting San Francisco information along the tour. Part of the tour included the vehicle we were in going into the water. The kids even got to drive the boat! It was a party on wheels and super fun! We ate clam chowder out of sour dough bowls, spent time in an arcade museum where we could play many coin games from long ago (including some from our day like; Galaxia, Centipede, old fashioned Pong, etc) The kids sure enjoyed the street performers on the Wharf and we spent a lot of time watching their antics. I also got scammed out of $80 which I guess is part of our traveling experience.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
July 20th - August 20th, 2014
What a busy final month of summer this was for all of us!
We did not set the pool up this summer because the wind damaged it last year and it would have taken lots of effort and $ to fix the parts so instead we made efforts to visit the lake a few times. We went to Lake Coeur D'Alene and played for part of the day which helped cool all of us off. It was a HOT summer and we needed it! We even went to Medical Lake once with Delaney and Alex. I also planned a trip to Canada for all of us because I was aching to go somewhere and Finn had done a report on Canada in class last year and wanted to go "some day." I got us Canadian money, got our driver's licenses changed over so we could cross the border and got our hotel arrangements arranged. We were ready to go on Saturday, August 16th and returned on Monday, the 18th. On the way there we stopped in Sandpoint and checked out their farmer's market which was a highlight for me. I looked for huckleberries but ended up with blueberries which is o.k. because they were still delicious. We also bought a few other little things. We then headed to Ainsworth Hot Springs where we planned to spend the majority of our time. It only took about 6 hours of driving and we were able to even take a ferry ride across Kootenay Lake on the way. There were lots of little towns along the way that were so quiant and artsy that I would love to check out more another time. While at the Hot Springs we soaked in the deliciously hot water at least a couple times a day, we ate really well at the fancy restaurant there and even took a cave tour at Cody Caves. On the tour we hiked a bit and wore real miner's hats and lights. Our guide was the owner of the caves and was very knowledgable about caving. There were several other folks that were on the tour, from all over, and it was very fun sneaking around in the cave and getting to know the other people too. We only went as far north as Kaslo, B.C. but that was enough to get us out and about and to give us our FIRST trip as a family, all by ourselves. It was so wonderful!!!
We did not set the pool up this summer because the wind damaged it last year and it would have taken lots of effort and $ to fix the parts so instead we made efforts to visit the lake a few times. We went to Lake Coeur D'Alene and played for part of the day which helped cool all of us off. It was a HOT summer and we needed it! We even went to Medical Lake once with Delaney and Alex. I also planned a trip to Canada for all of us because I was aching to go somewhere and Finn had done a report on Canada in class last year and wanted to go "some day." I got us Canadian money, got our driver's licenses changed over so we could cross the border and got our hotel arrangements arranged. We were ready to go on Saturday, August 16th and returned on Monday, the 18th. On the way there we stopped in Sandpoint and checked out their farmer's market which was a highlight for me. I looked for huckleberries but ended up with blueberries which is o.k. because they were still delicious. We also bought a few other little things. We then headed to Ainsworth Hot Springs where we planned to spend the majority of our time. It only took about 6 hours of driving and we were able to even take a ferry ride across Kootenay Lake on the way. There were lots of little towns along the way that were so quiant and artsy that I would love to check out more another time. While at the Hot Springs we soaked in the deliciously hot water at least a couple times a day, we ate really well at the fancy restaurant there and even took a cave tour at Cody Caves. On the tour we hiked a bit and wore real miner's hats and lights. Our guide was the owner of the caves and was very knowledgable about caving. There were several other folks that were on the tour, from all over, and it was very fun sneaking around in the cave and getting to know the other people too. We only went as far north as Kaslo, B.C. but that was enough to get us out and about and to give us our FIRST trip as a family, all by ourselves. It was so wonderful!!!
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Drama and Art Camp 2014
This was such a fun busy week for you and Arya. You both tried something new. You, Finn, were in a drama and set making camp at the Spokane Civic Theatre and Arya was in an Art camp at the Corbin Art Center.
Blake Wiley joined you acting in the, "Hermione and the Hogwarts Home" production. You memorized lines, got to hang out with Blake a bunch and you both even designed the set for the play throughout the week together. Because your camp started at 11 and Arya's started at 9 you got to hang with him for a few hours in the morning each day. You mostly spent your time playing video games like Minecraft, Lego Harry Potter, Lego Lord of the Rings and Skylanders Giants. You had two speaking parts. The first was Ruben Aiken and the next was, Dumbledore (7 lines in all). On Friday, after a week of practicing, you performed for us and it was wonderful! Grammy and Papa and Grandma Lynn came to watch too. You did such an awesome job and we were so proud of you for your confidence up there on stage and your hard work too.
Arya and Loren had very full days at Art Camp too. I dropped them both off each day at 9 and Ehren picked up up at 3:00. Arya brought home many, many wonderful works of art between Monday and Friday and the girls were able to play with lots of different art materials throughout the week. All of you had such busy days that you were exhausted by the time you got home.
You both even spent the night with them and absolutely loved it!
Blake Wiley joined you acting in the, "Hermione and the Hogwarts Home" production. You memorized lines, got to hang out with Blake a bunch and you both even designed the set for the play throughout the week together. Because your camp started at 11 and Arya's started at 9 you got to hang with him for a few hours in the morning each day. You mostly spent your time playing video games like Minecraft, Lego Harry Potter, Lego Lord of the Rings and Skylanders Giants. You had two speaking parts. The first was Ruben Aiken and the next was, Dumbledore (7 lines in all). On Friday, after a week of practicing, you performed for us and it was wonderful! Grammy and Papa and Grandma Lynn came to watch too. You did such an awesome job and we were so proud of you for your confidence up there on stage and your hard work too.
Arya and Loren had very full days at Art Camp too. I dropped them both off each day at 9 and Ehren picked up up at 3:00. Arya brought home many, many wonderful works of art between Monday and Friday and the girls were able to play with lots of different art materials throughout the week. All of you had such busy days that you were exhausted by the time you got home.
You both even spent the night with them and absolutely loved it!
Several Weeks Later....
The last blog I wrote (that saved correctly) was on Father's Day on June 21st. Today is July 18th so it's been almost a month. During that time, you and Arya have both had week long camps (Arya was at an art camp at the Crobin Art Center), Josh and Lena have come for their two week visit and we have traveled to a few different places and done many things.
Shortly after we returned from Camp Sweyolakan, starting on June 23rd, you and Blake Wiley were in a production at the Spokane Civic Theatre called, "Hermione Granger and the Hogwarts Home." You had two speaking parts; Rubus Aiken and Dumbledore. There were 7 lines you spoke independently and I think you're hooked! You and Blake also designed the set for the show and really enjoyed that too. I took a VERY nice picture of us together that day, but my camera was stolen a few weeks ago after I popped my trunk at the feed store in town here and all the pictures I took from this event as well as from the last year were on it and are now gone. :-( I am so glad you were brave enough to try this type of thing and am thankful you had a friend there with you to enjoy it with. We'll see if you want to do it again next year.
After this camp we had about a week of down time before we headed to Lake Chelan to meet Josh and Lena. Our visit with them was wonderful. They had a two room condo type thing in Chelan and while there, we swam and played in the lake. They were only here for a week but in that time we did lots. We went to the beach, walked around town. It was wonderful to get out of the house and into the world. You guys all watched satellite T.V. galore and we spent lots of time out on the deck of our unit visiting and basking in the sun. We also rented a boat and you and Arya went tubing and loved it! It was so fun for you both and was HOT so we all took a cold water swim, which was wonderful.
After we left Lake Chelan we came home and hung out with Josh and Lena and the boys here. Your daddy and Josh golfed a few times and you had LOTS of hours of playing "Skyrim:The Elder Scrolls V" and Halo 4 on the X-Box in the house here. The only other thing we did was go for the day to the southern most part of Lake Coeur D'Alene near Plummer, ID for a barbeque with Lena's family. You and Arya loved playing on big logs that were floating freely in the water. I would have loved that as a kid too! I would post a few pictures of it, but my camera is gone, and I didn't have it to take pictures with.
Shortly after we returned from Camp Sweyolakan, starting on June 23rd, you and Blake Wiley were in a production at the Spokane Civic Theatre called, "Hermione Granger and the Hogwarts Home." You had two speaking parts; Rubus Aiken and Dumbledore. There were 7 lines you spoke independently and I think you're hooked! You and Blake also designed the set for the show and really enjoyed that too. I took a VERY nice picture of us together that day, but my camera was stolen a few weeks ago after I popped my trunk at the feed store in town here and all the pictures I took from this event as well as from the last year were on it and are now gone. :-( I am so glad you were brave enough to try this type of thing and am thankful you had a friend there with you to enjoy it with. We'll see if you want to do it again next year.
After this camp we had about a week of down time before we headed to Lake Chelan to meet Josh and Lena. Our visit with them was wonderful. They had a two room condo type thing in Chelan and while there, we swam and played in the lake. They were only here for a week but in that time we did lots. We went to the beach, walked around town. It was wonderful to get out of the house and into the world. You guys all watched satellite T.V. galore and we spent lots of time out on the deck of our unit visiting and basking in the sun. We also rented a boat and you and Arya went tubing and loved it! It was so fun for you both and was HOT so we all took a cold water swim, which was wonderful.
After we left Lake Chelan we came home and hung out with Josh and Lena and the boys here. Your daddy and Josh golfed a few times and you had LOTS of hours of playing "Skyrim:The Elder Scrolls V" and Halo 4 on the X-Box in the house here. The only other thing we did was go for the day to the southern most part of Lake Coeur D'Alene near Plummer, ID for a barbeque with Lena's family. You and Arya loved playing on big logs that were floating freely in the water. I would have loved that as a kid too! I would post a few pictures of it, but my camera is gone, and I didn't have it to take pictures with.
Monday, June 23, 2014
June 21st-1st full day at camp
The first thing we did was have an all group breakfast at 8:00. Arya said that she expected to get "slop," "like they have on M.A.S.H.," but was surprised it was so yummy. Finn, you planned out which activity you were going to do for every hour of the day which is sooooooo something you would do. :-) You both were ready to go!
After breakfast, our first stop was the "Swing." We got there right at 9:00 and were among the first people to get a chance to try it. Both you and Arya really loved it. You were clipped in and raised up high and as a group we were in charge of pulling you higher and higher into the air. When you got high enough you unclicked yourself and swung a long distance up high between the trees. I got it on video so we can watch it again and again.
After the swing you found your way to the "STEM" activity and tried to make the tallest sculpture out of marshmallows and toothpicks. I even tried it and it was harder than it looks.
Lunch was very good also and we were spoiled to be able to eat as much as we wanted because it was buffet style. You made sure to get at the front of the line as often as you could so you could eat first and make it back for seconds too. You are so much like me as we both LOVE our food!
After lunch, you spent most of your day on the lake in the funyaks and kiyaks. You met a few other kids too and boated with them throughout the day. You also spent some time in an old war canoe that the native americans used once upon a time.
WAR CANOES
Arya met a friend named Julia who lives close to Newman Lake up North and they played off and on the whole day. The water was very cold so neither you nor Arya swam at all. Sissy and I found our way to the handcrafts area and made bracelets and other art-type projects but you chose to hang out in the boats instead. You tried archery also and we went on a long hike to "Beaver Bay" too. It was a great day!!
However, part way through the day Arya tripped over a stick and had what appeared to be a sprained ankle. She was limping around for most of the day after that and it was really hurting her so we didn't hang out by the fire that night. I was bummed about that but we were all tired and got to bed earlier than we would have otherwise, so that was great because we were tired!
It was very gratifying for me to have you both spend the day with me at Camp and I sure loved making memories with you. I do think it helped you get over your fear of what camp would be like and I think you will consider going next summer with a friend. Love you guys!
After breakfast, our first stop was the "Swing." We got there right at 9:00 and were among the first people to get a chance to try it. Both you and Arya really loved it. You were clipped in and raised up high and as a group we were in charge of pulling you higher and higher into the air. When you got high enough you unclicked yourself and swung a long distance up high between the trees. I got it on video so we can watch it again and again.
After the swing you found your way to the "STEM" activity and tried to make the tallest sculpture out of marshmallows and toothpicks. I even tried it and it was harder than it looks.
Lunch was very good also and we were spoiled to be able to eat as much as we wanted because it was buffet style. You made sure to get at the front of the line as often as you could so you could eat first and make it back for seconds too. You are so much like me as we both LOVE our food!
After lunch, you spent most of your day on the lake in the funyaks and kiyaks. You met a few other kids too and boated with them throughout the day. You also spent some time in an old war canoe that the native americans used once upon a time.
WAR CANOESArya met a friend named Julia who lives close to Newman Lake up North and they played off and on the whole day. The water was very cold so neither you nor Arya swam at all. Sissy and I found our way to the handcrafts area and made bracelets and other art-type projects but you chose to hang out in the boats instead. You tried archery also and we went on a long hike to "Beaver Bay" too. It was a great day!!
However, part way through the day Arya tripped over a stick and had what appeared to be a sprained ankle. She was limping around for most of the day after that and it was really hurting her so we didn't hang out by the fire that night. I was bummed about that but we were all tired and got to bed earlier than we would have otherwise, so that was great because we were tired!
It was very gratifying for me to have you both spend the day with me at Camp and I sure loved making memories with you. I do think it helped you get over your fear of what camp would be like and I think you will consider going next summer with a friend. Love you guys!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
June 20th-Headed to Camp Sweyolakan
What an adventure we began today! You and Arya didn't know a thing about it. I just told you to get packed up for a weekend away and that there would be no electricity. You also knew we would need sleeping bags and that there would be no tent coming with us so I'm sure you were very confused. Of course, when we got to the dock in Coeur D'Alene and other families started arriving you were even MORE curious so upon talking to a few counselors, the secret was spilled!
The boat ride to the "island" took about an hour and we lucked out with GREAT weather after a week of rain. Thank goodness.
To begin we got settled into our "trees" unit. We were up in actual tree houses and had to climb a ladder to get into our sleeping area. It was very cool. You were worried about not having electricity and being out with the bugs but we made do and you did great!
First, we met up for a tour of the area where we visited other units and went to the "Enchanted Forest." There we each got a fairy of our very own and were able to see fairy houses that had been made by previous campers and fairies too. It was a very special moment and everything I remember it being when I was a counselor there and we would go through the same ritual with our campers 20 years ago or so.
Then we had a bonfire with the other families that shared our unit, even though we were in our own tree house space. We then had smores and sang camp songs. I was emotional at times thinking back to the summer I spent there and also trying to remember the words to songs I hadn't sang for so many years. We even sang, "Barges" the song I often sing to you and Arya at bedtime. It was wonderful!!!! It was a beautiful way to end the day. Sleeping wasn't as comfortable as it is at home,of course, but that is to be expected. You, Finn, were worried about not having your fan and all the little things you think you need to be comfortable, but you did great. My hope is that you will want to come back as a camper yourself next summer. Maybe with Alex?
Tomorrow is sure to be packed with more fun. I will write more about that later. I sure loved sharing this special day with you both. I love you!
The boat ride to the "island" took about an hour and we lucked out with GREAT weather after a week of rain. Thank goodness.
First, we met up for a tour of the area where we visited other units and went to the "Enchanted Forest." There we each got a fairy of our very own and were able to see fairy houses that had been made by previous campers and fairies too. It was a very special moment and everything I remember it being when I was a counselor there and we would go through the same ritual with our campers 20 years ago or so.
Then we had a bonfire with the other families that shared our unit, even though we were in our own tree house space. We then had smores and sang camp songs. I was emotional at times thinking back to the summer I spent there and also trying to remember the words to songs I hadn't sang for so many years. We even sang, "Barges" the song I often sing to you and Arya at bedtime. It was wonderful!!!! It was a beautiful way to end the day. Sleeping wasn't as comfortable as it is at home,of course, but that is to be expected. You, Finn, were worried about not having your fan and all the little things you think you need to be comfortable, but you did great. My hope is that you will want to come back as a camper yourself next summer. Maybe with Alex?
Tomorrow is sure to be packed with more fun. I will write more about that later. I sure loved sharing this special day with you both. I love you!
Thursday, June 19, 2014
June 19th, 2014
Today, we planned to have Alex Tareski and Delaney Marshall over to play. After daddy's doctor appt. in Spokane, we picked both of them up and were here from about 12 until after 6:30. It was a gggggggrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaatttttttt day for you both. Finn, you spent time in your treehouse played video games, took a ride on the 4-wheele and helped me spray paint a table that you want in your treehouse with Alex's help. Shaemis Ellwood came to hang out too while I visited with his mom, Kym. All in all it was a great day for you both! Arya, you played on the grass in the sprinkler with Delaney, you both took a bath to warm up, you made a fort in your bedroom over your bed, you picked veggies in the garden and did so much more. I wish these kids lived closer but I figure if we get you all together once a week or so, that will mix it up for you a bit this summer.
Tomorrow we are going on an adventure! I have arranged for you both to "go to camp" with me at Camp Sweyolaken for the weekend. My hope is that you have a blast and will consider going on your own (together?) one of these years. We will take a ride on a boat to get there from Coeur D'Alene and will stay Fri. night until Sunday morning. I hope it opens your mind a bit and gets you out of your comfort zones too. We will eat well, go boating, hiking, do a craft, and so much more! SUMMER CAMP IS FUN!!! I'm sure you'll get that message by the time we leave. So, I won't post a blog until Sunday evening and I'll write about how it went for us then.
I'm excited for you both to have this experience and I hope you love it! I love you!!!!
Tomorrow we are going on an adventure! I have arranged for you both to "go to camp" with me at Camp Sweyolaken for the weekend. My hope is that you have a blast and will consider going on your own (together?) one of these years. We will take a ride on a boat to get there from Coeur D'Alene and will stay Fri. night until Sunday morning. I hope it opens your mind a bit and gets you out of your comfort zones too. We will eat well, go boating, hiking, do a craft, and so much more! SUMMER CAMP IS FUN!!! I'm sure you'll get that message by the time we leave. So, I won't post a blog until Sunday evening and I'll write about how it went for us then.
I'm excited for you both to have this experience and I hope you love it! I love you!!!!
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