June 2010

This was the last time that my family was able to go to Whiskeytown! We missed this year because I was huge pregnant and contracting constantly and for some reason the summer Whiskeytown trip never happened! This trip I also had to fly solo. Peter's Grandpa had passed away a few days prior to the trip and Peter was helping with funeral arrangements and finishing work deadlines that he'd plan to put off until after Whiskeytown which was when the funeral was planned. Anyway! It was a crazy 13 hour drive by myself with 5 kids and we could only stay for 2 days so it was a whirlwind of fun for us! ... No seriously, it really was a lot of fun and I didn't regret it for a second!

Cute Logan not long after we arrived. We didn't waste any time jumping into the lake, one our our favorite camping activities!

Here's Nathan, Maddie and Lauren playing on the big blow up "island". The kids spent forever this trip pulling the island into the middle of the cove and doing tricks while jumping off of it.

Nathan and Emily just floating around the cove soaking up the sun!

Life jackets are required for all of the kids on the boat. No matter what! So here's little Nate-man just obeying the rules, even though he's drowning in his adult sized life jacket!

Here's me and Emily, getting all set for our "Midnight" ride or "Moonlight" ride or "Drive-around-silently-in-the-dark-until-the-little-ones-fall-asleep" ride! :)

Aaron and Chloe. (Looks like Chloe is too excited to be on the boat to be falling for any of this falling asleep business!)

Emily, Grandma DaNae and Britta relaxing in the hammock

Madeline and Lauren doing the same!

Tyler and Drew, climbing and being boys!

Emily, Nathan, Wes and Brynne hanging out around the campfire in the morning!

We found a snake slithering around the "kitchen" and spent awhile trying to decide if it was red on black stripes or red on white stripes that meant we had a poisonous snake on our hands. We finally decided that it was "Red on White - Take Flight" and "Red on Black - friend of Jack". So we let a few of the daring kids hold him before we let him go.

Tyler

Amber

Lauren, Nathan, Sequoia and Drew roasting Marshmallows

Emily with her s'more in one hand and her starburst (about to be roasted) in the other!

Madeline and her s'more

Tyler has no problem eating his s'more with filthy black hands. I guess as the saying goes, "God made dirt, so dirt don't hurt" (Grandma and Chloe on Grandpa's lap in the background)

Doin' What We Do!

So Memorial weekend was a bit chilly this year.  No reason to blow off our favorite lakeside beach!

We've dealt with rain plenty of times, this was nothing we couldn't handle, and it certainly didn't stop any of us from doing what we do, when we go where we go.

We just wore our coats and boots and hunkered down in our chairs.

 

Certainly there's nothing wrong with digging in the sand in uggs and a sweatshirt

The shovels still dig up scoop after scoop of the rocky Brandy Creek sand

And while a good game of football is always a draw with the boys

The desire to dig and create always seems to win in the end

So rain or shine, young or old, hot or downright cold, nothings gonna stop us from going where we go and doing what we do!

Just a few favorites

Oaky Family here is the challenge...We all have a gazillion pictures from whiskeytown...twice a year for the last 15-20 years and once for the other 20 plus...lets get them all uploaded along with any fun memories you have associated with any of the pictures...One post a week from everyone, pretty please?!

I didn't take many pics this year as I was more than a little out of it having had surgery the week before we left.  Tara got this one of Brynne at Brandy Creek one day.

I think I actually got this one of Garrett on one my few trips out of my tent that week.

 Same night, but I loved this typical moment of all the kids just hanging out having a good time together near the campfire.  This is exactly why these kids will have great memories of growing up together.

I think this one came from Debbie or Melissa's phones, but still a pretty rare shot of so many of the adults  out doing what do.

So, share away family... I know I can count on Tawna, but what about the rest of you? C'mon post away, I dare ya!