Cute Kate

Kate keeps getting cuter and cuter - not that I'm biased.

Backpacking with Blake

Blake and I tried something new and exciting and went on a backpacking trip to the Inyo National Forest. My uncle Larry organized the trip with the goal of fishing for Golden Trout in the high Sierras.

Blake and I drove through Yosemite and down past Bishop with Allen, Michael, and JD to the trailhead. We slept at, and started hiking the next morning, at about 10,000 ft. The altitude was fairly unforgiving for several in the group.

The first day we went about 5 miles in the heat and sun up to close to 11,000 ft. It was a tough day for everyone and we arrived at the lakes pretty well spent. After some late lunch, Blake had recovered enough that we climbed a smaller peak surrounding the lakes we were camping out and I took this next photo of him. Mount Langley is above his head in background.



The next day we woke up to frost and several in the group were still feeling the effects of the altitude and thought there would be no way they'd be able to traverse the 12,000 ft pass to the next campsite. We put our heads together and scrapped the loop plan for the trip and decided to stay where we were for the day.

Since we had a open day a few decided it would be great fun to summit nearby Mount Langley. Langley peaks at 14,042 feet and is just south of Mount Whitney, which at 14,500 ft is the tallest in the lower 48 states. We had a long climb up - none of it technical - and eventually summited late in the afternoon. Blake was dragging for portions of it but definitely got a bump from the single GU I had brought as we approached the final ascent. On the way back down he commented that he had, "really built some character" that day by making it all the way to the top. For me, it was the highlight of the trip, and really, the summer.



On the summit with Mt. Whitney in the background

Our summit group - Me, Blake, JD, Jon, Rob, and Abbie

We finished the next two days with a bit of hiking and fishing. Blake enjoyed reading in camp, looking at stars and exploring. In all, it was a great trip and something that I'm very happy that Blake and I could do together.

Summer Family Fun

We enjoyed a fun end of the summer with several more family get-togethers. My mom celebrated her 60th birthday and all the kids surprised her by sneaking into town and we met her and my dad for an early morning hot air balloon ride. She was completely caught off guard and we enjoyed a fun day and also had a new family picture taken.



The first week of August we went to the Oregon coast with Pam's family. Our kids love the beach and ocean and they spent lots of time collecting shells and building castles. The cousin and family time was super. Also while in Oregon Pam met up with my grandparents and Severson cousins

Family reunion time

We just enjoyed our bi-annual family reunion near Mount Hood in Oregon. The theme was generations and all four present had the spotlight on them. The weather was cool but nice. A few less people were able to make it this year but was fun even so. A few highlights were zip line, soccer, and game show night. Charlotte put together a compilation video which was also super and a great walk through the years since Grandma and Grandpa were kids. Of course, the best part is chatting and catching up with everyone.

Kate with cousins Grace and Brooke

Our happy baby Kate

The week before our reunion was Blake's first scout camp. No photos of him there but here he is trying out his pack before leaving. He had a great camp and reported enjoying the merit badges and getting to know some of the older boys.

Happy Father's Day Daddy

At the end of the day when you're tired and through,
At the end of the day when you're down and you're blue,
At the end of the day when you've finished all you do,
We're there for you, at the end of the day.
Happy Father's Day Daddy! Love us.

Swim Team season start

It's summer now and swim team is now underway. We had our first swim meet yesterday and I snapped a few photos and video. Of note - this was Josh's first competitive meet and he has made a lot of progress in his confidence in the water. Abby and Meg are in the 9-10 year old division now so swim 50 yards (or meters) with a turn in the middle. It takes a lot more endurance for them and they're trying to get down their flip turns. Abby also swam butterfly yesterday for the first time. She'd never raced it the last two years in the 25 distance and was very concerned going in. There were some tears but she put her cap and goggles back on for it and our theme after she finished was "I can do hard things."

Josh Backstroke

Abby

Megan

Megan

Abby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMOsr10TRBQ

Josh

Burney Falls

My family has been going to Burney for vacationing for over 50 years. Recently, we've been going over the Memorial Day weekend for some great fun with family. We arrived late day on Saturday and mostly set up camp and enjoyed some conversation and let the cousins play. Sunday was church in the meadow, a bit of exploring and a visit to the fish hatchery. We left Monday after a trip to the falls and some ice cream treats at the general store. It was a short, but very fun, adventure.

Kate with her Great-Grandma Frances

We found a salamander and Josh and Blake enjoyed holding it




Blake with cousins Michael and Levi