I Spy

It seems this trip was almost like a game.

Quite a trip, an average late summer day. This is the view from a tiny wave tossed boat on Lake Crescent. I spy something beautiful.

Unique.
....no, Fascinating!

What a sight. Then, we were out just long enough to rescue novice rowers that couldn't make it back to the old Lake Crescent Lodge. (They took a picture of us too.)

I'm not sure how I'd describe this.

What, Dear? Your turn? (Two year olds don't know the concept of the game yet.)
...His name is Baker.

This is Shasta. Their names change a lot.

Oh, don't show them that. A potted Lavender I killed. We're working on it.

What else can you see?
Mom.

And now what's this?

Oh, "paper mache."
....I......... wouldn't have guessed that.

Bow and Arrow Summer

As you may know, I don't have boys of my own.
(Yet. Who knows?)
But last weekend, I watched about seventy-five of them participate in Cub Scout Day Camp.

The girls tagged along, played in the shady van,

Dee ate 7 pieces of Trident (another story) and Allie had fun feeding long blades of grass through the fence, to a bleating sheep.

It was a space theme.

I took pictures, I couldn't stay all day every day, but I swear.

There's something about bb guns, boys teaming and scheming, and a real bow and arrow to make a hot summer
a princely experience.

(I chose these photos because the subjects are not easily identifiable.) 

And ya, I really did want to try my hand at all this fun!

Good Clean Fun

This post is at request-- I might remove it since there are people in it I didn't ask. (Oh, sure, they saw me walking around snapping pictures but still, you know?)
It's something certainly worth blogging about.
We took the awesome youth in our ward to Lake Southerland, just for an hour. The lakes (Anderson, Southerland, and Crescent) are not very far away.
Side Note: There are some amazing lakes around here. Awesome. I told Jake- with quite a serious delivery- that we need a place on one of these lakes if we live here long enough. Or even if we ever move away! It would be soulful to know we had a Spot On The Lake. Out in the forest. On the edge of the world....
I'll stop there so I'm not coveting too much; thanks again for sharing, Bro. and Sis. Lee!



The little kids love our resident "grandpa," Doug. He loves it too.

Some didn't make it to the water. That's just fine. These ones "boffered" instead. I don't get it. But I'm a girl.

A regular evening on Lake Southerland!

Hope they had fun!

Work Hard, Play Hard

Such a mantra, though exhausting, is very fulfilling.
I first heard, "Work Hard, Play Hard" from an area leader visiting in my local ward when I was a young teen at church. It was certainly food for thought for me at the time, and everyone that seemed to be flying with personal contentment and healthy success I saw in any acquaintance thereafter hearkened my memory of hearing these four words. It stuck with me; it additionally seemed they were not being weighed down as much by hang-ups, life happenings, and bad habits. I also think it has much to do with the religious and spiritual pursuits these people were dedicated to, but this way of thinking can be adapted by anyone. I'd like to be more like those good examples one day! And I think we are moving that direction.
Our family time has been in a vortex, but this weekend was encapsulated in Working Hard, Playing Hard. Working hard comes first (us working on our property ie. growing, cutting, building, starting, and more digging and smoothing than I am comfortable thinking about). Then, we can Play hard (...visiting, splashing, strolling, discovering, and swinging and nature-appreciating).
I talked to Jake, after so much time in our humble little yard with seemingly "little to show for it," he should build some nice chairs so we can sit outside and just enjoy. And build he did.
Adirondack chairs. VERY Nice. So sit we did.

We will work hard,
And sit we'll do.