Camping at the Coast

Our next adventure during vacation was a camping trip at the coast. We arrived in the afternoon and walked to the beach after setting up camp.

The kids were excited to roast hot dogs over the fire.

We returned to the beach the next day.

Joshua and the kids had fun running away from the waves.

Joshua taught us how to skip rocks.

Mary made a list before we went to the coast of things she wanted to do at the beach, including build a sandcastle.

Roasted marshmallows are always a hit.

One last climb in the tree at our campsite before we hit the road to return home.

Modesto

 

We started our fall vacation with a trip to see Dave and Gayle. It's always fun to see what they have growing in their yard and enjoy the bounty of the harvest.

A deer ran into our car a couple of weeks ago. Thankfully, we were all fine, but the car was totaled. Joshua and I took advantage of free baby sitting and an abundance car lots to look for another vehicle while we were in town. We were surprised and pleased to find a used minivan for a good price and bought it while we were there. The kids approved of our choice.

Mary punched out a bunch of butterflies and carefully colored them all for Dave and Gayle, then she arranged them on the table with some flowers from the yard.

First Day of School

We started school Monday and enjoyed icing our first day of school cookies.

Mary made happy first day of school cards and made up a little first day of school song.

First day of 2nd grade, kindergarten, and preschool.

August Happenings

We enjoyed settling into a quieter rhythm of life during August. Mary learned how to cook scrambled eggs. 

We went to a Fresno Grizzlies Game with Christina.

David lost his first tooth.

I made English muffins.

Mary drew birds and made a chore chart.

 And we picked, and ate, lots and lots of blackberries.

Iron Lakes

We enjoyed a day trip to Iron Lakes with the staff.

The kids had fun wading the in the water.

It was a beautiful day.

 After spending most of the time in the sun by the upper lake, we found a shady spot to play by the lower lake on our hike back to the truck.

Paving

They repaved the parking lot and part of the road, and it was interesting to watch.

The kids also had fun riding their bikes on the smooth surface once it was done.

Last Weekend of Summer

Dave signed up for the final Friday dinner of summer, and Dad, Mom, and I helped him with the feast.

Saturday morning the Events team opened up the aerial adventure course for the staff. I got to try it for the first time and thought it was fun, but more nerve-wracking than I expected.

We had the summer celebration that evening, then Sunday was the final day of the summer season.

We finished summer off with a celebration lunch that Dave, Dad, and Mom helped me make.

Gayle had sent a box of stamps and ink pads with Dave, so the kids had fun trying them out.

Sunday evening, we went to a surprise birthday party for Sarah in Sherwood. We were pretty worn out after the weekend, but it was a fun evening.

Canning

The final week of summer is here. It was pretty jarring this year. I feel like the summer has been long already, but it's also surprising and hard to believe it's almost over. On Sunday, the kids had fun playing at the creek with Katy.

I took advantage of the cooler weather and an abundance of summer produce to have a couple canning days and make pickled jalapenos and peach and plum jam.

Visiting Dad and Mom

During the week of high school camp and Week in the Forest, the kids and I headed down to visit Dad and Mom. We had a productive shopping day and enjoyed going swimming. Michelle and the kids came to swim with us Thursday afternoon.

 We enjoyed a frozen treat after dinner that evening, then headed home Friday morning.

Sherwood Forest

This was a busy week. We had middle school camp, Sherwood, a new session of AIM, and outdoor adventure all running at once. The Trevinos came up for middle school and Sherwood, and Natalie came to be a junior cabin leader in Michelle's cabin. We spent a lot of time in Sherwood; Monday evening we went down for towne meeting to see the first part of the Robin Hood skit. Katy, one of Mary's favorite staffers, was playing Maid Marian. Afterwards, the kids were excited to get to pile into the Accommo car to drive back up to the staff area.

Wednesday morning we went to Reddingham to have breakfast burritos cooked over the fire by Samwhere Over the Rainbow. Jonah and the boys were in that hamlet, so it was fun to see them too.

Wednesday afternoon we went down during free time and made candles.

We went down during free time again on Thursday, and Hannah got to make her first Sherwood candle. She and David also had fun playing with their candles as they cooled in a tub of water.

Natalie came by every morning to visit for a few minutes before the cabin leader meeting, and it was fun to chat with her and hear about her week. Friday morning we went to Sherwood for the final towne meeting before the campers left.

Friday evening a group from Delhi Community Presbyterian Church came up to make dinner for the staff. It was a feast.

Hannah with her first Sherwood candle.

 We burned some of the candles during dinner this evening.