Summer 2019, week three - pictorial

Cousin sleepover down by the river!

Traditional end-of-night ice cream consumption

Joe's Donut Shop stop on the way to Frog Lake

No frogs, only tadpoles

Crawdad!

His name is Jeff.

Frog Lake, Mt. Hood

Multnomah Falls stop on the way back to the city

Who said you can't conga at the falls?

Rained out 2.0 / Oxbow Park

Hen's first pedicure

Whilst waiting for ramen, funny face #1

Whilst waiting for ramen, funny face #2

Fourth of July barbecue, Newberg

Stranger Things Monopoly

Pulled pork, salad, chips, and beer = excellent July 4th food

Sadly, the shark did not survive.

Fireworks!

Beach day, now with creatures

Looking for more sea creatures

A stop for cheese

Selfie at Tillamook State Forest

Summer 2016 recap

After I went to Africa and Darren took Hen down to the beach and Hen went to Trackers for a week, we still had plenty of time to do fun stuff this summer. Now, we're a week away from school starting so I thought I'd do a quick(ish) write-up of those things.

1. LOST CREEK CAMPING - We went with Jon, Briana, Kadyn, Mia, and Tabor to Lost Creek (near the Ramona Falls trailhead). Things I want to remember - it is wet there. Really wet. Most importantly, the campsites are HUGE! Fantastically large and accommodating, which will be good to know if/when we go back and if/when we have other friends meet us there. The creek is lovely and the kids ventured very far away - note to self: get whistles for kids - to play in the wilderness. Here's a link to the full album of that trip. And here's a pic of the kids hiking out from Ramona Falls. 
2. APE CAVE DAY TRIP - We went with Molly and Beren to visit the Ape Caves and managed to get all the way to the end of the tube but stopped when crawling became necessary. (We weren't sure we could get the boys to crawl back out on their own. Maybe next year...) It was our second trip out there and continues to be a fun and interesting, albeit incredibly dark and somewhat scary, place to go. The temperature is particularly nice on hot days. We were well lit and had fun, stopping at Yale Park on the way back home to picnic and play. It's a great day trip and is something we highly recommend to anyone who has yet to go. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. RICHARDSON'S ROCK RANCH DAY TRIP - We went with Amy, Elliot, and Alice to Richardson's Rock Ranch outside of Madras. It was hot. HOT. H O T. Even leaving early we arrived at the ranch to dig for thundereggs in the extreme midday 100+˚F temperatures. Did I mention it was hot? The kids were good sports and since we had no schedule to adhere to we stopped at Frog Lake on the way home. This was a most welcome end to a greatly hot-tastic day. The kids bought a few trinkets, played in the water, and saw some frogs and peacocks. I can't say I'd head back there again on what was close to being the hottest day of the summer, but we would definitely consider going back again. To see the full album of pics from this day, click here.
   
4. FROG LAKE CAMPING - We went with Amy, Elliot, and Alice back to Frog Lake for an overnighter. The kids had a fantastic time. The weather was gorgeous, we made s'mores, the kids played with fire. What more could you ask for? We had a most excellent spot that we managed to get when we saw some campers leaving. It had a trail that went out to the lake that the kids took advantage of, and, since we are much more lax about parenting whilst camping, the kids got to run around pretty much the whole time. They made their own leap frog game that they played as the sun set. To see the full album of pics from this trip, click here.
   
5. THE VINTAGES OVERNIGHTER- Again, we roped the Platt-Neitzel clan into coming with us on an adventure to a place called The Vintages just outside Dundee. We stayed the night in remodeled RVs. Yep, you read that correctly. We "camped" in RVs. Hen and I stayed in an Airstream Bambi and Amy, Elliot, and Alice stayed in a Shasta camper right next to us. The weather was overcast with a little rain but that didn't stop us from enjoying the pool or going for a bike ride around the park after Amy taught Alice how to ride a bike. Once the drizzle ended and the sun came out to dry everything the kids were able to watch Bolt in our little outdoor theatre (i.e., the iPad on a blanket with a sleeping bag for the kids to cuddle in). The Vintages is a super cute place with two rows of campers available for rent next to several rows of campers for people to park their own RVs in. We didn't end up biking into Dayton but were told it is a short 5-minute ride away. Perhaps we can do that next time we stay?
   
6. ROCKAWAY BEACH DAY TRIP AND SLEEPOVER - We went with Uncle Nick and Cousin Mia to Rockaway Beach for the day. We were not the only ones who got out of town to beat the hot temperatures in the city but even the cool ocean air did not do much to alleviate the oppressive heat. The kids didn't seem to mind. They built a castle, played in the very cold Pacific Ocean waters, and even saw mermaids! Or rather, women dressed in mermaid costumes playing in the water but still, mermaids! That evening, we got to bring Miss Mia home for a sleepover. Woohoo! And we got back just in time for the kids to hit the pool for a nice evening swim. Mia was particularly impressed with the idea of doing fun things with Blankie after seeing this album that I had taken after she accidentally forgot Blankie and Frog at our house after another sleepover.
   
7. FROG LAKE CAMPING, AGAIN! - This time we went with Libby, Emory, and Etta for two nights and Amy, Elliot, and Alice joined us for one. Phew. That's a big group. The kids had fun. The adults had fun. The only downer came on the second evening when our camp host, David, told us that a prowler was in the area and that someone at the site had been assaulted (details were sparse but David did tell Libby something about bringing weapons into the tent with us). I love Frog Lake and we have a lot of good memories of times spent here so it was disappointing to hear this. I don't want my camping stuff stolen and I don't want myself or anyone else at the campground to feel unsafe.  To see the full album of pics from this trip, click here.
   

Our next and final adventure for this summer? We're heading to the Wallowas! Pictures to follow, I'm sure. 

I did go to Africa, but the boy didn't

The morning I left for Africa I walked into Hen's room one last time to make sure stuff was relatively picked up and his plants had been watered. As I turned to go out I was struck by an idea. I quickly selected four tiny toys to take with me on the trip - Bob, a little creation Hen made when his cousin Mia was over, diamond-armor Steve (from Minecraft), Unikitty (of The LEGO Movie fame), and a baby ankylosaurus. I stuffed them into a Ziploc bag and into my purse and made my way to the airport.

I thought it would be fun to take pictures of the stowaways in Africa. I'd document their experiences in photos and later write a story to share with Hen since he couldn't be there with me to see it for himself. The first shot was taken of them from above while they stood on the PDX carpet (a must for everyone traveling through Portland) and later I snapped one of them attached to my bag. On the plane, I caught the stowaways trying to watch Deadpool and made them watch Zootopia instead. Our guides, Ole and Moses, and spotters, Blackie and David, likely thought I was nuts when they first saw me do it but it didn't take long before they were making suggestions for stowaway photos. The stowaways sat on the roof of our safari vehicle, checked out giraffes, posed with Sudan, the world's last remaining Northern White Rhino, sat on the equator, straddled the border between Tanzania and Kenya, and a whole lot more.

I still have photo editing to complete and need to proofread the story but I'm already super excited to see the finished product and share it with Henry.

Since the stowaways remain tucked in my purse, I was able to snap this shot of them at Frog Lake the other day. These little rascals are troublemakers for sure.

African safari begins now

By the end of this journey these shoes will have multiple types of poo on the soles. Just sayin'.

First summer vacation plans confirmed, more to come

Last year we met the spectacularly awesome Brines family at Lakeside, and then Jon and I took the kids for their first fantastic overnight backpacking trip later in the year. Jon recently stopped by to deliver a box of Girl Scout cookies and we chatted about camping again this summer. I finally understand the whole booking window thing, unfortunately not in enough time to really help us this season, so we're going to a place we've never been before. We're still able to visit Lost Lake or Trillium or any of the other outstanding Mt. Hood spots but will get to come back to our quiet, restful camping neighborhood each night. Lost Creek, here we come!

ROAR! (A second Walking with Dinosaurs experience)

Hen was about two and a half years old the first time we saw Walking with Dinosaurs. It's still an awesome show. And if it comes to town in another couple of years, I'll probably suggest we see it again. ROAR!

Here's what Hen looked like the first time we went:

Here's what Hen looked like the second time we went:

First show pics here. 

Second show pics here.

Note: I really enjoy taking pics of faux dinosaurs.

One of the greatest moments ever

Friday, May 30, 2014.

We went on a boat ride with the kids.
Juel was our guide, Ricardo was our capitán.
Our destination was Isla Carmen.
We saw dolphins.
We saw manta rays.
We swam with a whale shark.
For reals.

The whale shark was gorgeous, swimming around and underneath the boat.
Megan, Juel, and I jumped in and swam with the shark for a couple of minutes before it dove down.
It was awesome.
The kind of awesome that is hard to put into words but I have felt a few times, like when I saw the Madonna of Bruges and when I gave birth.
I am quite sure that if I had had this experience at 20, I would have changed my major to marine biology. Or I would have quit school altogether to become a beach bum.

I highly recommend swimming with whale sharks if the opportunity ever presents itself.

The phone books are here, the phone books are here!

Ski season has started! This was taken off of Cascade Express at Mt. Hood Meadows last Friday. Woot!

Montana Update

Christie reports that is it, yes, it is, possible to survive without internet.  I talked to her just tonight so while I maintain my skepticism the evidence is pretty compelling.  The Boy is having a fantastic time hanging out with his cousins and doing little-boy things that fall into these general categories:

1. Running
2. Watching movies
3. Running
4. some Lego, but also ... running

Not that it makes a difference to Hen, but Mum reports clear weather with the occasional cold spot.

Reportedly, they will be back soon.  Ellie, Mabel, Beauty, Darren & Fred miss them.

Amazing Adventures: Seattle Happenings

My white blood cells and me

Amazing Adventures: Making Friends

Amazing Adventures: Sip & Kranz

Amazing Adventures: Dinner at the Herzings

Amazing Adventures: Epicurean Feast