Bob Marshall Wilderness Fishing Trip

Since Adrian doesn't blog, I got to choose some photos from his Bob Marshall Wilderness Fishing trip from August!  Our camera remained broken at that time, so I was glad Kris shared his photos with us, which include a lot of Adrian!  :)  Even though we missed him at home for one summer weekend, this was truly a once in a lifetime trip! 

Gathering up the horses ~ there were 6 men with 11 horses (6 to ride, 5 to pack out camp)



crossing a stream near the beginning of the trail





Kris & Adrian

August re-cap

summer didn't arrive until July, and then August 29 we had this huge hail storm, so once again summer felt very short!  Thankfully we had reason to keep out the summer gear until October.

We attended the local Tri-County fair in order to see what ribbons Ella's 4H projects had received.  The girls were so excited to see projects from our house at a fair, and Tessa is now exuberant about joining the Clover Buds as well.  I have completely loved 4H as a complimentary activity to homeschooling.  It only requires 1 evening meeting per month, instills healthy values, always involves a cute craft and lots of fun!  A lot of people still don't know that involvement in 4H doesn't require that you have farm animals; the art and craft entry selections seem endless!

Ahhh, the joys of summer ~ like drinking out of the soaker hose!

A family trip to Storm Lake

Gleefully throwing rocks into the lake!

Amazing scenery and amazing little blessings...

Daddy & Aaron in the float tube, ready to go fishin'

adrian & jaci out on the float tube

They caught one!!!

mmmm, those made some yummy dinners!!

<3

An ominous looking sun while the skies were smoky with nearby forest fires

Oh what fun, with friends from Michigan!!!
Our daddies had fun in the Bob Marshall together, and then we got to play too!  Here they are lined up, in order of age ~
Jalynn, Ella, Jocelyn, Madelyn, Tessa, Jaci, Aaron!

July Memories

4th of July!

Aaron's 1st sparkler

Just in case those sparklers are noisy...

So this is *part* of the process of packing 6 people for a 2 week trip.  Actually, I only pack for 5 of us; Adrian graciously takes 5 minutes to pack himself x amount of tshirts, jeans and socks... and wonders why it takes me so long to pack.  :{  On Day 1, I make sure all the laundry is clean so that we're not limited in what to pick out ~ I want to be able to choose comfortable clothes for traveling, play clothes for the beach, and formal clothes for Sundays without having to pick through laundry baskets!  On Day 2, I pack all of our clothing, which requires matching tops to bottoms, and sometimes coordinating matching outfits.  You also have to think about socks, shoes, and jammies...  On Day 3, I pack "everything else", which is, of course, more than half of the list.  Since we travel so often, I have a packing list that I print off the computer and just cross off as I go ~ so I don't forget to put the mail, milk and egg deliveries on hold, or a camera cable, or underwear for somebody.  I am looking forward to the day when the girls can be trusted to pack for themselves!  :) 

So we took off on our 2 week road trip, and saw a variety of landscapes ~ The main destinations were the Doland Family Reunion in Grants Pass, OR and David Oakes' reception in Eugene, OR.  But we also managed to visit Heyburn, ID, Bend, OR, Medford, Applegate Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville, Crecent City, CA, Lincoln City, OR, and Wilsonville.  Our camera broke about half way through the trip or else we'd have more to share ~ but I'm sure you're glad I have to stick to the highlights here!!

We weren't prepared to see *S*N*O*W* on our climb to Crater Lake!  In my 22 years of living in Oregon, I had never visited this famous landmark, so we were glad to go as a family on our way to Medford.

Freezing at the top

The kids enjoyed the view, yes, but not as much as the little chipmunk that darted across the rocks beneath them!

Drove through the Redwoods on our way to the CA beach.  Looking at these monstrous trees just forces you to say "WOW!" and marvel at God's beautiful creation!

The reunion began at Crescent City, CA where my grandparents honeymooned 60 years ago in June. 
It was an unusually sunny and warm day for the area, we were told...

Crescent City, CA
From there, we all traveled back to Grants Pass for our 4 day reunion.  We managed to rent a large property that provided plenty of beds for all, in addition to a lake, game room, basketball court, hiking trails.  Forty-five of us were able to attend, only missing 6 of my cousins and 1 dear Auntie!

Basketball games for all ~

And then the fierce competition showed up!

Honoring these wonderful people, my Doland Grandparents.

A new favorite photo ~ sleeping angel

The whole group: Grandpa and Grandma with their 9 living children and spouses, 16 out of 22 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren

My brothers and I



Another favorite: this crisp photo clearly depicts the relationship enjoyed between Uncle Darryl and Aaron.  I think because Darryl was able to be at our house in June, Aaron really bonded with him, and recognized him again in July.  Any moment he had a chance, Aaron would RUN to Uncle Darryl and demand, "Uppie!".  Mommy's arms got a break for all the toting Uncle Darryl did! 



From Grants Pass, we went to Lincoln City, where we enjoyed a few days with just my parents, brothers, and us.  I have no photos.  From there we went to Wilsonville where we stayed until it was time to travel to Eugene for the wedding reception of this happy couple: David & Jeanelle Oakes!

Little girls in summer dresses and a rope swing ~ what could be better?

June Memories

What Adrian does at work!  Well, not usually.  This was a special training; usually he is not working on the high voltage stuff.

The girls got to see Daddy's work "Snow Cat" up close & personal!  Adrian drives this to mountaintop sites during winter, when no other vehicle could access it because of snow.

Does this photo need an explanation?  Uncle Darryl just makes everything fun!  Like finding a stump while you're hiking, and pretending it is a bucking rodeo horse!

Jaci loved this natural little pond we found on our hike

The hiking crew, minus Adrian!

Mr Dirt Man.  I can't keep him out of the dirt.  And that's bad, not because I don't want to let my little boy be a boy, but because we live in Anaconda, one of the biggest superfund sites in the nation, where the dirt is known to be unhelathy.  I wish we had room for a sandbox... but winter is coming, and hopefully we'll be moving soon!

Summer means weather for pony rides!!!

Aaron's first pony ride ~ it went better than the girls' first; they all bailed very quickly!

Soap Giveaway

How would you like to win a free bar of Montana-made Goat's Milk Soap?  The soap is manufactured in Kalispell MT, good for you and are all natural: the ingredients are Goat Milk, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Vitamin E, Fragrance Oil and saponified Lye. If you're interested in entering the contest on my friend's website, click here and leave a comment!  Good luck!