Friday, July 22, 2011
The Hills Are Alive
with the sound of screaming...
Karen and I took a little hike to check out a nearby brook. As we were walking back to the lake, we noticed the raft was drifting away from shore...with Sophie inside!
In our absence, the guys were in charge (our first mistake--haha). Sophie got in the raft & they turned their backs for one second to grab life vests. The wind picked up and carried poor Sophie out to sea (ok--out to lake--but that doesn't sound as dramatic). I'm sure her screams of terror could be heard for miles and miles but by the time we made it close to shore, Mark (who had ripped off his Clark Kent clothes and put on his Superman swimsuit) lunged out from the truck, jumped into the cold water, swam out to Sophie's raft and pulled her back to safety. Our Hero! Whew! Drama on the high seas...er...lakes.
but then everyone recovered nicely
and life-vested frolicking resumed
(and for the record, Bob also quickly got his suit on to rescue little Sophie but decided that Mark had it under control...once he got about knee deep and felt the icy chill of that lake water. And I wasn't just taking photos as Sophie was drifting away--in that first photo, Mark was already on his way--he just wasn't in the pic so don't go calling CPS on us-hahaha.)
Karen and I took a little hike to check out a nearby brook. As we were walking back to the lake, we noticed the raft was drifting away from shore...with Sophie inside!
In our absence, the guys were in charge (our first mistake--haha). Sophie got in the raft & they turned their backs for one second to grab life vests. The wind picked up and carried poor Sophie out to sea (ok--out to lake--but that doesn't sound as dramatic). I'm sure her screams of terror could be heard for miles and miles but by the time we made it close to shore, Mark (who had ripped off his Clark Kent clothes and put on his Superman swimsuit) lunged out from the truck, jumped into the cold water, swam out to Sophie's raft and pulled her back to safety. Our Hero! Whew! Drama on the high seas...er...lakes.
but then everyone recovered nicely
and life-vested frolicking resumed
(and for the record, Bob also quickly got his suit on to rescue little Sophie but decided that Mark had it under control...once he got about knee deep and felt the icy chill of that lake water. And I wasn't just taking photos as Sophie was drifting away--in that first photo, Mark was already on his way--he just wasn't in the pic so don't go calling CPS on us-hahaha.)
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Magnificent
Karen and Mark took us on a hike to find Magnificent. The whole area was truly magnificent, but there was this one specific rock...a boulder of magnificent proportions...aptly named "Magnificent." As we hiked along, the girls spotted several large boulders and wondered aloud if they were Magnificent but it turns out, they were just Magnificent's distant cousins, "Mediocre," "Just-So-So," and "You Wish." Finally, our search for Magnificent was over--it was well worth the hunt!
Truly Magnificent!
Truly Magnificent!
MagnifiDog
Mack was a natural at camping. Since he had a former life before we found him at the shelter, we're not sure of his camping resume but he got right in to hiking and fishing (he leaped off the edge of the lake to pounce on a jumping fish near the shoreline). He wasn't too sure about swimming but we could tell he definitely wanted to be in splashing around with the girls. Maybe next time he'll try again. He also got to sleep in multiple beds (his fav), lie by a warm campfire (his second fav), frolic in a mountain stream, roll in elk poo, and just be his awesome self. We were glad he scored an invitation to join us!
(anyone with a Lunchable is automatically his very favorite person in the world)
Cuddle-Buddy
Did someone say there would be S'mores?
Gone Fishin'
I have a theory that fishing is a lot like playing BINGO. I came up with this theory while fishing. You have a lot of time to think while you're fishing and the mind tends to wander. That's the awesome thing about fishing...and playing BINGO.
You buy all the gear--poles, bait, license etc. (Bingo card and marker)
You cast your line and wait (Wait for the caller to call any number on your board).
A fish takes a little nibble on your line, slyly eats half the worm and swims happily away (You need N32, the caller calls N33 and the old lady next to you yells out "BINGO").
You have a brief rush of adrenaline which quickly subsides but like a trooper, you re-cast your line and try again (Clear your BINGO board for another round).
But finally...you find a sweet spot, the numbers are all in a row and...
BINGO!
(Julia caught the first fish--a brook trout and Bob caught the second--a rainbow trout).
And they cooked up nicely tonight!
You buy all the gear--poles, bait, license etc. (Bingo card and marker)
You cast your line and wait (Wait for the caller to call any number on your board).
A fish takes a little nibble on your line, slyly eats half the worm and swims happily away (You need N32, the caller calls N33 and the old lady next to you yells out "BINGO").
You have a brief rush of adrenaline which quickly subsides but like a trooper, you re-cast your line and try again (Clear your BINGO board for another round).
But finally...you find a sweet spot, the numbers are all in a row and...
BINGO!
(Julia caught the first fish--a brook trout and Bob caught the second--a rainbow trout).
And they cooked up nicely tonight!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Ups and Downs of Camping
Turns out we ALL had a really fabulous time camping with Karen and Mark. Their camper is lovely and perfect for cozy nights and shared meals and just hanging out between excursions. We couldn't have been more comfy. Well, I might have been more comfy at the Broadmoor or Hilton but as far as camping goes...it was awesome!!!
Don't get me wrong. It wasn't all roses and daisies 24/7. I must get this unpleasantness out of the way before I can go on to the bliss which is fresh air and nature and family. That will be my next post.
UP--we went for a neat hike up to what is usually a rushing waterfall. Since the water wasn't actually falling, the girls got to hunt for shells and polished rocks in the dry stream bed. Very cool!
DOWN--Me. Yes, I slipped on the hike back down...and down I went. Once the laughter of my companions subsided, I was able to evaluate the extent of my injuries which included this enormous hematoma (fancy talk for a genuine Pete Puma lumpy bruise) on my arm. I also have another monstrous bruise that resembles a star nebula on my backside but I'll spare you the photo of that one.
My arm looked so gross it deserves two photos so you can get the full effect (I had Karen take photos so I could see the damage--you know how you can't lick your elbow--you also can't see it too well either. Are you seriously trying to lick you elbow right now?!?). Anyway--if you're squeamish, now's the time to move on to another blog.
Good news is I only cried a little so I wouldn't look like a big camping baby and everything appears not to be broken. Ever-prepared Karen and Mark hooked me up with some ibuprofen and an ice pack and the swelling eventually went down.
I doubt this would ever happen at the country club but I had to have some proof that "roughing it" occurred, didn't I?!?
Don't get me wrong. It wasn't all roses and daisies 24/7. I must get this unpleasantness out of the way before I can go on to the bliss which is fresh air and nature and family. That will be my next post.
UP--we went for a neat hike up to what is usually a rushing waterfall. Since the water wasn't actually falling, the girls got to hunt for shells and polished rocks in the dry stream bed. Very cool!
DOWN--Me. Yes, I slipped on the hike back down...and down I went. Once the laughter of my companions subsided, I was able to evaluate the extent of my injuries which included this enormous hematoma (fancy talk for a genuine Pete Puma lumpy bruise) on my arm. I also have another monstrous bruise that resembles a star nebula on my backside but I'll spare you the photo of that one.
My arm looked so gross it deserves two photos so you can get the full effect (I had Karen take photos so I could see the damage--you know how you can't lick your elbow--you also can't see it too well either. Are you seriously trying to lick you elbow right now?!?). Anyway--if you're squeamish, now's the time to move on to another blog.
Good news is I only cried a little so I wouldn't look like a big camping baby and everything appears not to be broken. Ever-prepared Karen and Mark hooked me up with some ibuprofen and an ice pack and the swelling eventually went down.
I doubt this would ever happen at the country club but I had to have some proof that "roughing it" occurred, didn't I?!?
I Know You Want To Know
Don't act like you don't want to know how the whole camping/bathroom situation turned out. And I know you haven't seen many a blog entry devoted entirely to...well...the john. At least I know I've never blogged about this topic before (unless you count my last very long toilet-related blog entry). And I hope never to blog about it again. But here goes.
This was not our bathroom...though it was cozy and lovely and had plumbing...and a pop machine outside it--who can dislike that!? This one was at a rest stop in Eagle, Colorado--our first foreign bathroom stop--very charming--and even (almost) a little bit country club...as country club as a rest stop in Eagle can be.
Also not our bathroom...this one was located near the spot where Mark proposed to Karen...though entirely unrelated to that event...and Mark said it was added to the decor of the terrain much later. Embarrassingly, since it was just sitting out in the open like that, we all dared each other to peek inside. No one was game except for Julia (surprise) but I pulled out the "mother card" and nixed that before it happened.
Still not our bathroom--though it did seem to have a very strong flushing action--unlike anything I've ever seen--except maybe a in Harry Potter movie.
Much to Julia's and my relief...this also was sooooo not our bathroom and we really felt sorry for the person to whom it belonged. (And no, Julia was not preparing to use it...she was wearing her swimming suit under that shirt).
And finally...drumroll please...here is our bathroom. Don't tell anyone I said this but it was actually not entirely unpleasant. It had an actual door that locked and nice floors and walls and it must be said...little to no unpleasant odor. Which is quite a feat for a communal, non-flushing bit of architecture. I admit, I was wrong to judge Karen's non country club camping ways and I concede that there may be a bit more 'country' than 'country club' in this girl. There. I said it.
Now will someone please get me a hot towel and a warm chocolate chip cookie?
This was not our bathroom...though it was cozy and lovely and had plumbing...and a pop machine outside it--who can dislike that!? This one was at a rest stop in Eagle, Colorado--our first foreign bathroom stop--very charming--and even (almost) a little bit country club...as country club as a rest stop in Eagle can be.
Also not our bathroom...this one was located near the spot where Mark proposed to Karen...though entirely unrelated to that event...and Mark said it was added to the decor of the terrain much later. Embarrassingly, since it was just sitting out in the open like that, we all dared each other to peek inside. No one was game except for Julia (surprise) but I pulled out the "mother card" and nixed that before it happened.
Still not our bathroom--though it did seem to have a very strong flushing action--unlike anything I've ever seen--except maybe a in Harry Potter movie.
Much to Julia's and my relief...this also was sooooo not our bathroom and we really felt sorry for the person to whom it belonged. (And no, Julia was not preparing to use it...she was wearing her swimming suit under that shirt).
And finally...drumroll please...here is our bathroom. Don't tell anyone I said this but it was actually not entirely unpleasant. It had an actual door that locked and nice floors and walls and it must be said...little to no unpleasant odor. Which is quite a feat for a communal, non-flushing bit of architecture. I admit, I was wrong to judge Karen's non country club camping ways and I concede that there may be a bit more 'country' than 'country club' in this girl. There. I said it.
Now will someone please get me a hot towel and a warm chocolate chip cookie?
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