The Other Stuff in August

I haven't written much about it, but I finally started practicing yoga this year and loved it as much or more than I expected to. There are as many styles of yoga as there are instructors however, and I was spoiled to have my dear friend Allison as my guide from the start. I'd already bonded with her through church activity when I began attending her classes, but the spirit during her practice made us closer still. Sad for me that her husband Brett (also my friend, fellow yogi and concert attendee) was hired for a better position in a school district far north of here, causing their family to move in August.

Here is the photo a friend snapped after our last yoga class together. I mailed a letter to officially cancel my gym membership after that but, of all the crazy things, I won the random drawing (held the day before my letter arrived) for a free year! So I occasionally attend the yoga classes offered by the replacement instructor, but I am far less impressed with her style and generally practice at home instead. Miss you, Ali!!

Once again (third year now, I think) I took all the "cousins" (my children + nieces & nephews) portraits for display at Grandma's house. I really enjoy the project even though it can be difficult to get all 29 children in a well-lit, happy, naturally posed fashion. This was how David felt about his turn...

Yeah, sometimes you just have to wait for another day. Which is also why the project isn't finished yet.

Soccer practice has begun for Mark and Isaac, with some slight changes in line-up since the spring.

Sometimes the kids and I eat breakfast on the back patio before the day gets too hot.

Mark and I have had many date nights (more than usual); some double dates, good food, fun movies, etc.

And we've hung out with Spencer a couple of times before he ran off to get engaged and start another semester of school. In fact, we spent one morning having a massive chili making extravaganza with Spencer, followed by a pool party with some friends. After we were done swimming, David was casually running around the living room and somehow tripped over his own feet and cracked his head on the hearth.It was pretty awful, not gonna lie.

Five stitches and a long good night's sleep later and he was perfectly fine. Little ones heal so quickly!

McCall Snapshots

A dozen years, or really just eight months ago, I wrote here of begrudgingly going up to McCall but with hope for heading there again in the summer. Continuing the trend of this mostly fabulous year, we did make it up to the condo before Labor Day. Our week included warm sunshine on the beach, playing in the water, hiking into the woods to make our own secluded smores firepit, riding ATVs (Mark spent the better part of one day fixing the older one), Ice Cream Alley, and even having breakfast at The Pancake House one morning -- something I cannot recall ever doing with our kids, and so not in the past ten years.

Pancake House by Tom Stewart Photography

Another surge of awesomeness in my August was finally getting a smartphone, an iPhone 4S to be exact (picked because it's connector would attach to all my iPod compatible devices). I mention that because I chose to use the phone's camera in place of any of my fancier models for sheer portability and perspective (I did it again on my quick trip to Seattle), and to explain the noticeable difference in quality of photos.

On our drive home we passed a roadside fire that was clearly just beginning to take off into a much bigger disaster. Shortly after rounding the bend past the worst of it, our truck broke down. We were so grateful that it was shortly before closing time at the NAPA in Council, a few miles behind us on the other side of the fire, because Mark convinced a couple employees to bring a new battery to us on their way home from work. Our boys made the best of this hot, boring wait. We got to watch firefighters, including a helicopter, put out the fire in the distance.

The truck problem turned out to be electrical beyond just the battery and it was another stroke of luck that it was temporarily fixable - enough for us to drive home safely and be put more completely to rights the next day.

Lake Powell Trip

This year we had bonus vacation with the older bunch of cousins in southern Utah/Arizona, thanks to Grandpa's planning. Sharee and her clan (plus friend) drove up from Mesa hauling a speed boat and kayaks, Grandpa flew his plane with the rest of the cousins minus one, and we drove Mark's truck, hauling the jet skis, all the airplane people's bags, and our other son (Isaac on the way south, Samuel heading home).

My fam stopped in Fillmore to sleep the first night, and for delicious food + milkshakes in Kanab on our way into Arizona for the official meet-up in Page with the plane travelers. After convening, those who were interested made arrangements to do a slot canyon tour. Grandpa hooked a bunch of the kids up with a private canyon tour in a Hummer, while Mark & I (and extra kid who didn't fit in Hummer group = Sam) opted for the cheaper group shuttle out to popular Antelope Canyon. Worth it any way you choose; uniquely beautiful.

Then we all finally met up at our hotel by the Wawheap Marina for dinner and a little exploring in anticipation of getting our houseboat the next morning.

It was a bit of an adventure getting the the jet skis and speed boat tied up to the houseboat! Once the Marks accomplished that feat, it was a long, slow, winding path past the Antelope Point (Page) Marina (because the water through the main passage by Castle Rock was too low), through the narrow Sand Hills passage. We stopped for the night right by Gunsight Butte. Lake Powell is HUGE, houseboats go SLOW, and we only rented it for two nights so we couldn't waste time going too far or exploring. But Lake Powell is also GORGEOUS and FUN wherever you are located, so no worries.

We did not have the most perfect weather we could have hoped for - it thundered lightening and rain on us each day and/or night - but that was part of the adventure and we definitely also got a lot of hot sunshine. The first night was especially crazy because half (or more?) of the group decided to put their sleeping bags on the roof of the boat to sleep under the stars... and got drenched. Twice. (Because they came inside, waited for the ultra dry air to evaporate the puddles, changed their bedding and clothes if necessary, and went back up... and then another storm front came through even bigger than the first.) Just about everybody was up very late with all that noise and fumbling around. My two boys, with whom I was sharing a queen size bed inside the unit, both snored their way through the whole thing!

The next morning I convinced my neice Claire to go on a little hike with me.

Our houseboat featured a slide that was a great addition to the fun.

In the afternoon, we decided to head back in the direction of the rental marina so we wouldn't have to use up our entire final day just driving it back. We pulled up onto the sandy beach somewhere in Warm Creek Bay (I think). The areas all seemed quite a bit different than the navigation maps we had, since the water level was so low, sometimes revealing rocks and inlets that weren't pictured, and sometimes removing passageways that were. The lightening and rain started up again just as "we" (mainly Mark & Reed) were getting things anchored. The kids were in high spirits though, and held an impromptu singing/dancing party on the roof.

This was a great location for beach combing, boating, tubing, exploring on the jet skis, and jumping off ledges.

And water skiing! (Mark is the best, most fun to watch!)

We attempted to thoroughly clean the houseboat during the drive back to it's home marina. I was so grateful for Sharee's work during the trip - the main meal planner & cook, basically head mama. We all pitched in with prep and clean-up, the men dealt most with machines and muscles (and mopping). The kids were all really responsible with wearing their life jackets. The teens decided not to be responsible with their sunblock, but that was their problem. Ha! Anyway, returning the houseboat and getting all our things (and extra water toys) loaded back up took us longer than anticipated. Those going home by plane needed to head straight to the airport, the rest of us ate dinner at Denny's together before going our separate ways. Sad to say goodbye to the awesome Castleton clan! We went across the bridge right next to the Glen Canyon Dam and stayed in Kanab that night.

In the morning we headed into Zion National Park as a detour on our route home. We drove from the East Entrance to Springdale on the Zion-Mount Caramel Highway and parked the truck to take the shuttle through Zion Canyon. We road that to the final stop and took the Riverside Walk to the start of the Narrows. (We didn't have hiking shoes nor a very willing child with us, but managed to enjoy it nevertheless.)

We took the shuttle back halfway, to the Zion Lodge, just as it began to rain. Took a little break and bought a bribe for Samuel to get him to hike the Emerald Pools trail with us. Chocolate ice cream cone did the trick and the rain turned to sprinkles and dried up just as we hit the trail head. Sam ended up loving this hike (at least on the way up)!

We drove as far as we could handle that evening; I believe we grabbed a room in Ogden at around midnight. Made another detour the next day to Twin Falls where we got to have lunch at Cafe Rio with our dear old pals the McCammons and then Tony introduced us (mainly Mark) to a nearby permaculture farmer/developer. That took more time than anticipated (but worth it) and we still made it back home in time for supper (and a final day of visiting with Laura's family before they headed home to Iowa). Phew! Awesome good time.