Father’s Day Weekend at June Lake

This is ridiculously behind schedule post-wise, but I could not let it go as this was a really fantastic weekend for our family.

It all began when we were packing to go away.

For the first time ever, Judah, age 5, was allowed to pack his very own suitcase.

Shortly before it was time to leave, Jeff called across the house, “You’ve GOT to come and see this…and you've got to bring your camera.”

I walked in to find that Judah had indeed packed the essentials:

Gun? Check.

Rubber knife? Check.

Water bottle? Check.

Green cap to the air mattress we weren’t taking? Check.

Bright red winter cap? Check.

Underwear? Check.

Socks? Check.

Actually, he did a pretty good job…were he staying only one night.

After adding a few other essentials we closed it and found this:

Because you just never know when a toy AK-47 with flashing lights and sound effects will come in handy while staying up in the mountains.

Did I mention that we left very early?

And that we had stopped to pick up grandma on the way?

Jericho was still not quite awake yet, and he'd put in a full week of grueling football practices the previous week.

Judah, however, was raring to go.

We drove and drove and drove.

Some of our journey was dry and dusty and not terribly impressive.

But the closer we got to our destination, the prettier the landscape.

We drove more.

“Snow in the summer?” the boys asked. “In California?”

"We're almost there" dad said at last. "Look at the lake!"

“Oh, isn’t it lovely?” I remarked, breathing in the yummy pine-scented mountain air as we beheld that beautiful, pristine lake.

At long last, we arrived: to find a most happily situated chalet style lodge awaiting us:

The boys were thrilled to discover that our stay also included use of a hot tub.

The view at our backs…and the setting for of an amazing adventure Jeff and the boys would have later that weekend:

We got inside, unpacked our gear into our rooms, and then looked out the big picture windows immediately smitten by the beautiful, peaceful valley view:

Us poor starved-for-green desert rats just couldn’t get enough of all that green.

All of us except Judah, that is.

“Take a pitcher of me, mama.”

As I went out to schlep the last of my gear inside, I snapped this photo of my sister-in-law K and her husband of 30-something years, P.

Not wanting to burn any daylight, we all hopped back in our vehicles to go see some of the sights.

These aspen with their greeny-gold leaves made a beautiful display among the backdrop of rock and forest green pines. Oh, and did I mention the heavenly scent of pine in the air? Mmmmmm.

K & P took us further up the mountain to see a waterfall they knew of:

Then a beautiful little valley with rushing mountain water:

Another beautiful lake in the area:

A high desert in the foothills of the mountains we would be staying on:

And then back to our beautiful chalet with the view:

What a beautiful place.

I think, were I fabulously wealthy, I would spend vast amounts of time here.

Everyone went off to get a closer look at the edge of this lake while I prepared dinner: Chicken Parmesan sandwiches.

We played games and then everyone crashed into their beds in anticipation of the very full day to come.

Not one to waste a moment of the day, our brother-in-law P had us up bright and early and on the road.

Up into the mountains we drove:

Until we reached this gorgeous little lake:

Check out how many feet we were above sea level!

There was still a layer of slushy ice on the lake…in June. The desert down in the foothills was about 95 degrees and hot, but here it was a bit chilly.

Oh, but just look at that crystal clear mirror image:

You’re welcome.

I should interject that it was here, while the guys were dropping fishing lines in the water, that I struck up a friendly conversation with a British tourist and fellow Nikon enthusiast.

He apparently assumed that I didn’t know a thing about taking photographs, and tried to tell me that I needed some fancy filter ring to really sharpen my photographs and differentiate their true-to-life colors.

And for a moment, I must admit I felt that my camera had shown up for the occasion very underdressed.

Until I saw these images on my view screen, that is.

Because what I was looking at in the camera was every bit true to the colors I was seeing with my own two eyes. The skies did look that blue up there.

Hmmmph. Who needs a fancy-schmancy filter ring anyway, I ask?

Of course, we couldn’t resist the snow, which to our desert-dwelling family is always a huge treat:

Jericho sank a line into the water on this side of the lake:

Later, he wound up back by dad once again:

Capturing a self portrait with the pretty scenery in the background proved to be a bit tricky to line up just so, backward, without a tripod:

I ended up looking like I had a very bad double chin because for some odd reason I kept leaning my head way back to hold the camera as far from us as I could manage.

It hardly mattered, however, because a commotion broke out nearby.

Cousin D pulled in the first and only catch of the day:

Judah, having not had much success with his fishing (read: hopelessly tangled and hung-up lines), had serious fish envy:

“Let ME see the rainbow,” he requested, wanting to inspect it more closely.

I’m still not sure that he understood that the opalescent sheen on the trout was what gave it the name, and not a child-like image of a rainbow somehow affixed to it’s side.

Aunt K and Uncle P

Cousin D and his wife S:

Wait…what’s that he’s saying?

A wild mountain critter was running through the nearby field of snow?

Indeed there was!

I tried to get a close-up:

We’re still not sure whether it was a wolverine, badger, fisher, or marmot. Fishers generally have longer tails, and marmots aren’t usually found at that elevation this time of year or some such. With a little help from Google, we’re thinking it was probably a badger or wolverine, judging by the leg and tail lengths and other distinguishing characteristics.

Our boys tried their best to get a little closer, but the critter hurried along on his way down mountain.

So I rounded up the fam and did what I like best on vacations and took a bunch of pictures:

Where was grandma all this time, you ask?

Well, it was a bit chilly for her tastes, so she went back to sit in the truck and read a couple chapters of a Francine Rivers novel while our party attempted to fish.

The truck was parked right near where I saw this little bird sitting on a rock enjoying the general splendor.

And this patch of lichen on a rock near the dam:

Love that color.

Not sure I’m brave enough to wear or decorate with citron, but I’m likin’ it nonetheless.

I’m likin’ the lichen.

Ahem.

Here were a couple of logs that served to funnel the chunks of slush over the appropriate portion of the dam:

Here was where everything went rushing beneath the walkway:

And then…down the mountain:

This little manmade walkway was the only obvious sign that this was in fact, a hydroelectric power plant cleverly hidden in this scenic ‘park’ area above the dam:

When nobody had any further bites on their lines and the Slim Jim beef jerky supply had run low, we once again packed into the cars to go see some more of the area.

Ahh, there’s grandma!

She was totally gunnin’ for me.

Another beautiful vista:

K & P

“C’mon, boys, could you just work with me here?”

“Nooo…no, Jericho. Noooooo….”

Too late.

Poor, poor Judah.

**hangs head in shame**

I try. I really do try to instill decency and manners into those two, but sometimes…well, boys will be boys.

Just keepin’ it real, folks.

Once again looking down the mountain:

Daddy dipped Judah’s toes in an ice-cold mountain waterfall at a scenic turnout so he could feel just how cold mountain water is:

Tired from fishing, hiking and playing, cold, cheeks pinked up from the brisk mountain air, we headed back to the chalet.

Our porch view at nearly dusk:

Everyone kicking back at the end of a wonderful day:

Now THAT is tired!

Judah was out the moment he laid his head back.

:: :: :: ::

The following morning, we all got up, had Uncle P’s blueberry pancakes, bacon and biscuits and gravy for breakfast, then walked around the little town of June Lake.

Afterwards, we girls went into Mammoth in search of outlet mall shopping.

Uncle P and Cousin D elected to do some more fishing.

Jeff took the boys on a hike up behind that house I mentioned at the beginning of this post. He took our extra camera, and captured several really great pictures.

It’s also how I learned that he lets the boys to much crazier stuff on his watch than I ever would.

Things like, oh, say climbing around on a precarious, very large dying tree that had recently been hit by lightening if the scorch marks were any indicator:

Our chalet was down somewhere below where Judah was sitting.

Oh, merciful heavens! I want to reach into the photo and tell him, “You come down from there this instant!”

Oh, Judah…not you, too?

**hyperventilating at the very sight of my baby so high up in the tree**

The view from up there:

It was beautiful.

That would have been enough to behold.

However, the Lord had other surprises in store.

Only steps away from the climbing trees, they rounded a giant pile of boulders, and happened upon a doe.

A deer. A female deer...grazing contentedly in her peaceful surroundings.

However, upon hearing the crackle of their footsteps, she lifted her head suddenly and bounded towards them, coming within a foot or two of my guys to get out of the narrow little glen she’d found herself suddenly trapped in.

She literally passed within reaching distance, but they were all so stunned and everything happened so fast that no one thought to take a picture or reach out and pet her.

But boy did that make for a wonderful, breathless tale for Judah to recount for me blow by blow when we arrived back to the chalet.

Later that afternoon, we reluctantly packed up our bags and left our merry party for the long drive home.

After saying goodbye to K, P, D & S, we took grandma with us, hopped in the truck and headed for home, tired but refreshed. Sunshine and fresh mountain air are good for the soul.

It also happened to be the day of our 18th wedding anniversary, which would be celebrated the following day, and boy do we have a tale to tell!

I simply couldn’t resist these photos of Judah at a rest area on the way home:

While daddy was in the store, Judah was sitting on the edge of the truck bed holding his new sunglasses which grandma and Aunt K bought for him.

I watched as he held them in a way that he seemed to think made him look very cool in the eyes of all those passing by.

The little scamp.

Gorgeous location, seeing wildlife in their habitat, having a relaxing and refreshing time together as a family...priceless.

A Weekend Getaway

Somewhere near San Diego, California is a time-share type resort that was first begun by this guy:

For those of you who are younger than I am, you probably don’t have a clue who he is.

All I know is I spent numerous evenings at my grandma’s house as a kid watching The Lawrence Welk Show on TV and hearing his distinctive, German accent and his soft-spoken tone saying, “Ah-one, ah-two” as he would lead into a new musical number.

The show was also know for it’s propensity to have bubbles floating around during the opening and closing segments, lots of polka and big-band style music and ballroom dance numbers. At least to my recollection.

My grandparents had been fans of his show for years, and as a little girl, I remember thinking that they knew him personally, as everyone seemed to know his name. Lawrence Welk did convey a very likeable, neighborly sort of persona on-air.

However, we did not actually know him.

Ordinary folks like us didn’t know too many folks with the kind of money it took to build the resorts he did.

But I can tell you this…the resorts are beautiful.

The grounds and condos very nicely maintained, the condo we stayed in had a full kitchen and bedroom suites ideal for relaxing and enjoying time away from the daily grind.

The amenities are perfect for families with young children. They even have kiddie pools (which Judah mistakenly kept calling the Hello Kitty pools) and the shallow end of the bigger pools have large underwater ramps leading down into the water for the little ones to splash around on safely.

Judah couldn’t get enough of the pool. His favorite thing ever is to run and jump off the edge of the pool yelling, “Cannonball!”

He kept going strong all day long.

The main attraction at this pool area, however, was the waterslide, which spits you out into a long trough of water at the end

Big brother seemed to prefer the leisurely swim. He was exhausted from his grueling football practices earlier that week.

Judah really enjoyed ‘kickin’ it’ on the patio of the condo. Of course part of the draw was that Aunt K spoiled him rotten with all kinds of snacks.

“This is the life!”

Later, the guys went to check out the fish pond.

I’m not sure why big brother is lolling about on the lawn, but Judah took advantage of the great things to climb around on.

We left for a couple of hours to attend a family friend’s 15th birthday party.

Later we returned for a relaxing evening in the hot tub and for billiards, air hockey and ping pong at the Cabanna.

All in all, it was a wonderfully relaxing weekend getaway. Thanks K & P for inviting us to hang out with you!

Naughty Puppy and The 5K

Totally unrelated stories here, but this was what I looked out back and saw one day earlier this summer:

"I didn't dig up your flower garden!"

:: :: :: ::

Around the same time that I injured my back in late Spring, the day came for Jeff’s first 5k.

He had worked very, very hard preparing for it.

It was a long road which began a couple of summers ago when he and I went on the South Beach Diet. That was the summer that Jeff (effortlessly, I might add) blew past me with this enormous weight loss, while I, eating the very same things, lagged behind, stuck at the 10 pound plateau. Hmmmph.

Jeff, however, kept going. And going. And in spite of my own frustrations in that area, I am very proud of him.

He’s got a family history of mid-life heart problems that he doesn’t wish to revisit, and so far, so good!

Fast forward to Mid-May...Jeff and our nephew entered a 5 K.

For weeks ahead of the race, Jeff not only got up early each morning to exercise but was amping up his mileage on his morning run.

Finally, the day of the big race arrived.

I was so bummed to have to miss it, but my back injury kept me at home, but Jeff made sure to get pictures for me.

Jeff and his mom just after the race.

Jeff was pretty proud of himself for staying middle of the pack on his very first 5K run. And for not having a heart attack in the process.

Jeff’s nephew and his sister after the race:

Yes, that is a first place medal you see hanging around his neck, and we ARE proud of him…even if he only ran a total of two times to prepare for the 5k, shows up, stretches a bit and then proceeded to blow past everyone out there including his uncle. Hmmmph.

Our nephew’s cute little family. His oldest little guy was SO PROUD of daddy winning that medal.

Jeff is currently continuing training, and hopes to compete in a MudRun next.

He and several other guys in our family were actually scheduled for one a few weeks ago, but that was the weekend 5 members of our extended family were all in different hospitals, four for health reasons or injuries, and the above little mama to have her baby…a story which I will save for a later post.

Back to School

A few weeks back at a church function, a family friend bent down to Judah level and asked, “So, is your mom excited that you’ll be starting Kindergarten soon?”

Judah looked up very solemnly and replied, “Nooooo…she’s gonna miss me when I’m at school!”

And he was right! The house feels pretty hollow and empty with all my guys off to school today after several weeks of togetherness that was our summer break.

Our day began bright and early at 5:45 this morning. We got the whole family up and ready because we wanted to take pictures of the big first-day-of-school event. Jericho began his Freshman year of high school this morning, Jeff returned to teaching at middle school and Judah just got dropped off at his afternoon Kindergarten class.

I knew it was coming, but I still felt a bit surprised when I found myself back in the kitchen last evening preparing school lunches.

Here we were first thing this morning.

For the record, Jericho is actually taller than me now, but I was wearing heeled sandals.

A friend from church, Cassie, a senior at Jericho’s school, had offered to pick him up for his first day and show him around campus.

A senior with her own car? Are you even kidding? He was thrilled and immediately jumped on the opportunity.

It was a bright, bright sunshiny day.

Hmmmmph. I guess now that he’s a big kid he’s too ‘cool’ to have his mom trailing him around with her camera on the first day. Whatev.

Then they drove away…and that was that. My baby is now a Freshman. **sniff, sniff**

Jeff left moments later for his first day activities, and had a couple of tricks up his sleeve.

Literal tricks. With the help of some props and some things he recently learned from an illusionist, he intends to really wow his students on their first day.

Really, I think he’s just glad to have several more audiences to practice said tricks in front of before the wedding he learned them for this Saturday.

The wedding he will be officiating.

The tricks he will be performing in lieu of the traditional unity candle.

It seems that lately, every time I turned around, there was Jeff with props in hand, practicing those tricks again.

I think he’s got it down. It will impress his students for sure.

Anyway, once daddy and Jericho were gone, Judah had approximately four hours to kill.

But do you think I could talk him into going back to bed for even part of that time?

Negative.

First it was, “Take a pitcher (his pronunciation) of me with my lunch pack!”

Then it was, “Take a pitcher of me with my pack-pack.”

Then it was 3 blessed hours and 45 long minutes of him chomping at the bit to go.

“Is it time for Kindergarten yet?”

“WheeEen do we get to GO?”

“Mom, you better check the clock.”

Lying around on the floor whining, “When is it time?”

Finally, with about 20 minutes before grandma was to arrive to see him off on his first day, I sat down to take a couple of pictures of he and I.

Betcha can’t tell he’s excited, huh?

Well, this should seal the deal

Seriously, this was him after he'd been running around like a wild child calling out, “It’s almost tiiiiiime!”

You’d have thought it was Christmas or his birthday or something!

But then, he stopped and climbed up on my lap and asked very soberly, “Mama, are you gonna miss me when I’m gone to Kindergarten?”

“Of course! This house is going to be so quiet without you!” I replied, feeling a little melancholy tug on the heartstrings. **sniff, sniff**

He gave me a big old hug around the neck. “I’ll still be your baby even when I’m all growned up.”

Awwww…little stinker. Guess he knew this was harder for his mom than it was for him.

At long last, grandma arrived.

We piled into the truck and drove to school.

We took a couple of pictures and a little bit of video footage.

Here he sports his new shoes, which upon testing them out in our front yard he breathlessly reported to us, “They make me run so fast the dirt flies up!”

Which was kind of a strange deja vu moment, because Jericho came home from his first day of Kindergarten reporting that his shoes “made him run so fast the wood chips (on the playground) flew up.” **sniff, sniff, sniff.**

These shoes were the closest thing we could find to PF FLyers, which he’s coveted ever since seeing the movie Sandlot.

He looks so little. Like he still needs his mama all day long.

T minus one minute to starting time: Is that a little bit of uncertainty upon my big brave Kindergarteners face?

Nope. Just the sun in his eyes.

At last, he eagerly and confidently jumped in line, I told him to obey all the rules, he smiled and then his teacher walked the little procession into her classroom.

At the last minute, just when I thought it would go into his class without a backward glance, my baby turned around and called out, “See ya later, mom.”

The photo was a bit blurry, but that’s okay, because I think my eyes were, too.

And that was that. My baby is now a Kindergartener. **sniff, sniff**