Sunshine, Beach, Family = Great Vacation!

A successrul family vacation is the goal of any mom...at least for me.  See our slide show to see the proof that we had a great time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46658179@N07/sets/72157630882977988/

Island Park 2012 -- 2 day rush for fun

Brian and Pam invited us to join them for a few days in Island Park, ID.  Wow, was it great weather and beautiful scenery.  We had a mad rush to fit this mini vacation into the plan, but it was very enjoyable.  We headed up Sunday afternoon with trailers full of motorcycles, bicycles, fishing rods and golf clubs. 

Monday, the boys went to "Two Top" on the motorcycles while Pam and Linda stayed at the house. 

Jason playing with Nathan's new iPad

Keeping connected via electronic devices

Michael and Jason at the top of "Two Top"

2nd Peak behind Jason and Nathan

 

Snow and play at the top
Michael and Jason

The girls didn't want to slow down the race to the top and we crafted a couple of key chains and did some prep work for Pam's girl camp crafts. Linda took a minute to watercolor a sunflower from a photo she took in Italy last summer. 

Pam getting ready for girl's camp 2012

Sunflower -- rough draft

After completely filling our bellies with watermelon and sandwiches, we headed for our tee time at the golf course.  Luckily, "best ball" worked on some of the holes.  Keeping ahead of the mosquitos worked for a minute, but by the end of the course, those biting, buzzing critters were ahead of the game.  Pam and I ditched out early to fix dinner...

Jason and Nathan...yes, a picture please!

Peace Man!

Brian and Pam

Following his swing...

 

Michael with his new Oakleys...sweet!

Jason making his putt!

 

Nathan pulling the pin

Tuesday morning brought blue skies and a breeze.  The motos headed up Sawtelle Mtn and found a great spot to do some fishing.   I'm sure Brian will be here on Wednesday.

Upper Coffeepot Falls--Beautiful place to fish

Pam and I found a couple of Adirondack chairs by the river and we did a little "people watching" and book reading.  At the local groc store, they had books for a $1.00 to benefit the new library.  My purchase was a winner:  Double Image by David Morrell.  (warning: a few shades of grey parts at the end)  It was a thriller suspence mystery and for randomly picking a book to read at the last minute...it ended up being a page turner...and finished in one day! 

Pam at Henry's Fork

Children at the river playing -- so fun to watch...

Lunch and load and we were back to Logan in record time to attend the 4th of July cookout at the Merrill's and watch the fireworks with Trevor, Arica & Jordan and Celeste & Erik.  Of course, Kate and Garrett and Ali Jane were the "show" for everyone.  They ran after each other in a game of chase with glow stick bracelets around their ankles and clapped for all the beautiful explosions in the sky.

 Happy 4th of July!

Today in the Hollow, we had a knock on the door. Two of the neighborhood children were doing what children for decades have been doing in the summer: selling lemonade. I think they knew we would be supportive and therefore were confident in their approach.

"Would you like to buy some lemonade?" they quoted together.
"Sure", said my push-over husband, "how much?"
"One penny" was the reply...again said together.

Although a push-over, he is not the most generous on occasion. He pulled a quarter and a penny from his pocket and deposited them in Ella's cup. This was a "problem" for Ella. She carefully explained that they were sharing the money equally and that they could not split a quarter. As I approached the door, I immediately knew that the solution was to go get another quarter and a penny and deposit it in Ian's cup.

Upon my return, Ella made sure all the change was exactly the same and then asked if I wanted a cup of lemonade, too. I assured her I did. As she handed me the cup, I was instructed that she had put a fresh leaf of mint in my lemonade, but "make sure you don't eat it." The lemonade was delicious and the mint infusion was delightful. As I caressed the leaf, the fragence of the oil touched my nose and I had to smile. I was dutiful in following her instructions. I didn't eat the leaf and I'm sure it was sound advice. At age 6, how did Ella know that small surprise would brighten my day?

My mint leaf "gift"...left in the cup as instructed...

A few minutes later, my phone rang. It was Ella's mother calling to apologize that the children had bothered us with solicitation. She was mortified that her daughter was in her swimming suit and looked like an orphan child. She wanted to know if Ella had asked for a large sum of money in exchange for the lemonade and if she needed to return the money. As we visited, she informed me that Ella must really like me to make sure I had the mint leaf in my drink. It was a warming thought.

This is not the first encounter we have had with this effervescent girl. Two weeks ago, she decided (probably with the same side-kick) to re-gift a loaf of bread nestled on my neighbor's porch to me. I called her mother to thank her for her thoughtfulness and discovered that mom wasn't the gifter. We never found out who delivered the gift to the neighbor, but the gift was enjoyed all the same. Another time, Ella took some treats out of our freezer in the garage (yes, a trusting neighborhood here), came to our front door and gave us a "gift". It took me a couple of days to figure out that I had essentially provided the gift to myself.

Sometimes, the surprise gifts give us great pleasure. I found a cupcake kit that helped me create a gift for my neighbor up the street. I am supposed to be a "caretaker" for this woman. My role is to get to know her likes and interests, keep up to date on her family, and uplift and inspire her with spiritual messages. We have planned lunches and I have shared my love of flowers with a beautiful arrangement for her on a couple of occasions. This week, she will receive a pre-4th of July treat since I know she will be busy next week celebrating with her family. I had a smile inside my heart as I made beautiful cupcakes...

vanilla cake in festive paper cups,

red juicy raspberries

and intense blueberries to adorn the tops.

Wrapped in wax paper and tied with a patriotic bow, they are sure to inspire a smile on the receiving end. Hopefully, she will also know of my love for her.

Isn't that what we want summer to be about? Lemonade stands or doorstop delivery with a hint of mint? Gifts that let others know we care? For me, this was a memory day!

Art Filled Photos

"Angel Wings"

Well, we try to make art photos for our class. Levi is an enthusiastic teacher and such a great poser.  He is patient while we try out our different settings.   And he let me borrow his lens for a few shots..... now I want it.

Arica gets tired of being my model, but what a gorgeous girl to have in a photo. Thanks, dear, for your patience with me...and for taking the class with your mom.

I loved the reflected light on the steel.

Photo 1 & 2 - Photography Class Begins

Well, I learned quite a bit at class tonight.  Thanks, Levi Sims, for offering the class.  Tonight I practiced aperature, shutter speed, white balance, focusing and ISO.  As I left class I noticed the moon was full and since I happened to be driving past the Logan Temple, I thought I'd try to get both in one picture.  Not the best, but I tried several times to get all 5 items changed and somewhat balanced.  I will improve I'm confident.  I guess a cronicle of the endeavors will be boring except for me who hopefully learns how to make art filled photos.

Logan Temple
f/5.6, ISO-1600, No flash, 35mm, Incandescent lighting

Quail Hollow
f/7.1, ISO-3200, No flash, 50mm, Cool White Florescent lighting