Crazy because we were leaving the next day but it was nice, John started his vacation, and the boat was at home.  We spent about 3 hours on the lake.  We brought the tube but left it in the bed of the truck.  It was a skis and wake board kind of afternoon.  Isaac was first up and he wanted to water ski.  He was able to drop a ski!  Success.  Job water skied as well and dropped a ski but hit some bumps, he almost was able to do a deep water start on one ski.  Lona wake boarded and she completed butter turns back to back going both left and right.  Then the kids cajoled me until I got in.  I wasn't going to water ski.  I thought it was too cold, I didn't want to get into the water.  I had a million excuses but they kept coming back with my words for why I should get into the water.  I hate/love that they are actually listening to me.  It kind of bites me in the but sometimes.  I dropped my ski right away and then the next time I just did a deep water start with the one ski.  It was so exciting!  The water was calm, warm and beautiful.  Loved it.  Finally John decided to ski too.  He grew up skiing.  They had a cabin that they would spend many days at during the summer.  He popped up and looked beautiful.  It's always a little scary because of his neck but skiing is easier than wake boarding.  When he was done, he just let go and slowly sank into the water.  Now for the best part.  Since it was Friday, and there is a $50 boat inspection fee for the summer, the lake just isn't getting as many boats so it was like having the lake to ourselves.  When we took the boat out, I was able to back the trailer into the water, and Isaac loaded it.  Then I hauled it out.  I haven't done that before with this boat.  Last time I put the boat in by myself, I had someone else take it out.  I was just too shook up from someone running into me as I pulled the boat up to the dock.  Today, there just wasn't anyone really at the boat ramp and I could take my time.  What a great feeling.  It helped to have John walk beside me and talk me through it.  I'm hoping that I can continue practicing that this summer.

Photo hint:  When taking a photo on a boat moving up and down of a moving subject which is a fixed distance away, pre focus on the subject and lock in the focus.  Then snap away. Also, give yourself a solid base by holding the camera with one hand, the lens with your other hand and your elbows on your knees which helps to stabilize your lens.  Give yourself room to adjust your photo afterwards, you may need to straighten the horizon line.

Cannon Beach is an annual tradition and every year I think that I'm going to post what we are bringing but I don't.  I frequently look back at posts to remember how we did something or where we went.  It my memory because the one in my head doesn't always work.  So here is the list:

Short sleeve shirts (many)
1-2 long sleeve shirts (the beach can be windy)
shorts (many)
swim suits
socks
pajamas
underwear
pants (1)
wind breakers/ hoodies
flip flops/ tennis shoes/ water shoes
work out clothes (I always run a couple of miles in the morning)/ knee brace/ armband & earbuds
towels
grass mats
wet suits (the ocean is cold and we rent boogie boards)
kites/frisbees/soccer balls
books/ movies/ Bible/ notepads/ pens
sun glasses/ sun screen
pillow (John)
camera (very important - rather go without underwear for a day than my camera)/tripod
travel coffee mug
knife/ bottle opener/
skim board
computer/ power cords for ipods/ phones
bucket/shovels/ sand castle tools (optional)
cooler of food (we also buy sandwich makings down there)
knitting (there is a knitting store - thinking of socks)
hats
tooth brushes/ hair brushes/ toiletries
beach bags
water bottles
diabetes supplies
laundry 3-1 soap/ quarters

This was the year for family to visit us I guess.  Between the end of June and the middle of July we have had family come.  John's Mom came to stay for 5 days. I realized that as she was walking out the door to leave that I had no photos of her visit.  Yikes. While she was here, some of our friends from Montana came.  They had a RV and so spent the night.  Then a few weeks later, John's brother came and spent the Fourth of July with us.  We spent the day on the lake tubing and a little bit wakeboarding.  Just after John's brother left, my Mother and her husband came for a visit.  Unfortunately I have no photos of their visit.  It was a quick trip for them.  Within a couple of days we left for Rainier and stopped at John's Dad's house for lunch on our way.  We were able to visit with them on the return trip as well.  A couple of months ago, we had received a call that John's Dad was in the hospital.  He's around 80 years old and very active around his property.  He was working out in the yard and decided to lower the bucket on his backhoe.  However he was not in the cage but rather outside and reached over to the handle.  The bucket came down so quickly and pinned his arm.  He was pinned for a good 20 minutes or so.  Pat had to force him to go to the hospital where he stayed for about 5 days.  He damaged all the nerves in his right arm and can't use.  The good news is that with physical therapy he will most likely have full use of his arm again. 
Within a month we had more visits than we had in the past two years with family and friends.  When it rains it pours I guess. 

Our neighbor's were cleaning out their house the other day while my kids were outside.  They were hauling things out to their car to take to goodwill when my young son spied a treasure.  They readily and happily offered it to him.  He ran inside with it and spent the rest of the day working on it.  Actually he started working on it and then I heard, "I need some help."  I helped him and then went back to doing what I was doing.  Quite soon I heard, "I need some help."  and the cycle started, until we put the last piece in that we had.  The next day I found another puzzle on our front porch along with the sound box.  So here it stands on our school table and as the kids pass, they reach over and press the button so that it whistles and beeps.  I'm wondering how long until we pass it on.

This is the second year our church has had a Lake Day for the high school, middles school youth.  We bring out our boat and another man brings his boat.  This year we had 4 boats which allowed the kids to really wear themselves out.  They were done by 5:30.  The schedule this year went like this.
Put the boats in around noon.
Kids meet at the church around 1:00 and car pool to the place.
Get together for prayer and instructions.
Then go hard on the lake until about 5:30
Dinner around 5:30
Devotion about 6:30
Clean up and out by 7:30.

I hardly saw Isaac until it was time to take him to his summer job.  Job I saw a little bit but Lona was around a lot.  I really wanted other kids to have the opportunity to tube.  My kids get to often enough and I want them to think of others.  I'm not sure that happened.  I think there is going to be another Lake Day in August and I'll talk to them about that.  However it is also a great opportunity to hang out with friends as well. 

I've been having a ton of fun creating these little movie clips set to music.  This is the place where I place things to remember.  A recap of our adventure.

Our last hiking day in the park.  We had planned to hike to Owyhigh Lake, there were two different directions that we could approach the lake, from outside the park and from inside the park.  I thought about splitting up and meeting in the middle, handing off the van keys and doing kind of a shuttle hike.  We thought about it but in the end decided to go as a family.  There were too many things that could go wrong with that plan.  So then it was which trailhead to choose.  If we started inside the park then later we could drive up to the Sunrise Visitor Center and do a small hike/walk around there.  When we arrived at the park entrance we asked when was the best time to go the Visitor Center.  There are only 120 parking spaces there so it was a consideration.  Morning was the best time.  Well, now the plans changed quickly we would do the little hike right away and then drive back down to do the Owyhigh Lake hike.  Once we got to the visitor center and saw how beautiful it was there with the sun shining and Mount Rainier standing out, we decided to scrap our original plan all together.  There wasn't a ton of snow like at Paradise.  We looked around, went inside to talk to the rangers, and came up with a plan.  We'd hike to Mount Fremont, which was a fire lookout tower and then think about hiking to Dege's Peak.  We took off hiking following a trail of people to Frozen Lake.  At one point we were standing there admiring the view when we were asked what the mountain peak was far to the north.  Mount Baker I answered  Not that's not Mount Baker.  It's Mount Baker, No Mount Baker is flatter.  No, it's Mount Baker.  Mount Baker is farther away.  No, it's Mount Baker, we live there.  Isaac said he wanted to die of embarrassment.  If the guy wasn't going to believe me then why ask?  I was chastised by my kids for my graceless tack, and rightly so.  I didn't need to be so right.  We continued hiking.  That guy asked numerous people along the way what that mountain was.  He never did believe me.  We reached the lookout, which was perched atop of the ridge and could see for miles and miles all directions.  The view was incredible and the chipmunks were prolific.  Unfortunately for Job, it was his least favorite hike.  He HATES heights and this was too much for him.  I forced to climb the stairs of the tower but he wouldn't walk around it.  With tears in his eyes he begged to go down.  After having lunch under the tower we started our decent to Frozen Lake where two other trails start.  We came upon a group with a ranger and he was pointing out this movement in the valley on some snow.  It was a mountain goat.  I stopped, took a picture with my wrong lens but hey I made the decision to use my wide angle lens only today and that was that.  The boys were long gone and so Lona and I had to hustle to keep up.  At one point in the trail, we stepped off to let two people hiking up go by us.  I looked up and she looked up and we both said, "Hey, how are you?"  It was Lona's dance teacher!  Amazing that we met someone we knew on a trail that we almost didn't go on.  So fun when things like that happen.

Working towards their junior ranger badge

Sunrise trail head

Taken with my 17-50mm and then zoomed in.  Mountain Goat.

Meeting friends!

At Frozen Lake we decided to hike the Bourough's trail but after 1/2 mile straight up and promising Job a stuffed animal at the visitor center for not whining on this hike because it was another ridge trail we decided to turn around, the ice ax and crampons recommended helped us with that decision.  We returned to the trail head and chose the Berkeley Park trail.  The only one we hadn't tried.  This was absolutely beautiful.  The wildflowers were just starting to bloom.  The creek was bubbling with water, there was a little snow but nothing in the valley.  The trail descended to the camp which was empty and then it was uphill the whole way back to Frozen Lake where it descended again to the visitor center.  This was my absolutely favorite hike.  The hike to Fremont was almost like a pilgrimage, there were so many people all along the trail but the hike to Berkeley Park was mostly deserted.  It was a prettier hike too. Lona and I were able to talk about the verse in the bible about God clothing the fields with flowers and how beautiful they are but that he makes us special.  It was such a great teaching/talking moment.
It was starting to get late in the afternoon when we headed back to the visitor center and John had a hard time keeping up with Job.  The first day he was tired and didn't want to walk as far as the others, this day no one could keep up with him.  I practically ran the last mile just to make sure that the gift shop was still open and he could get his little stuffed animal.  When that boy has an idea in his mind, there is no stopping him or changing his direction.