Vacation Fun!

While we swelter in the heat of August, we find ourselves reminicing about our vacation days in cool, beautiful Colorado.   

A. was a huge help with the looonnnnnngg drive. 

She almost had her driver's license except there was a glitch in the paperwork which prevented my dream of her getting her driver's license. Soon though!

At a rest stop in the mountains, we found some ways to expend energy. 

Trying to squish together to take a photo of ourselves, except our heads are too big! 

Poor L. He's our Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc.

We arrived at my parents' house and went in search of wild apricots!

Yum!

L. treated us to music.

L., X-man, and Bumpa went adventuring in the mountain streams and caught a BIG Rainbow trout!

Showing off their muscles???

L. and Bumpa

L, A, and B editing the movie they created, "Marcus Picks up Chics...in Paonia (the small town).

The video had everything, action, romance, humor--I was in tears watching it.

Debonair Grandpa Mike in "Marcus Picks Up Chics..."

My parents' 49th anniversary. 

My dad didn't have light colored shoes to match his suit so he solved this fashion problem by putting white sport socks over his shoes. Stylish!

X-man a.k.a cool hippy guy in "Marcus Picks Up Chics..." 

The Chics were screaming for this handsome fellow!

B. ready for adventure.

We went to a local reservoir to swim. 

That's a hot tub the boys are digging. 

Bumpa needs a nap before joining the excitement.

So does Bumma.  Must be a riveting book!

The hot tub is almost complete!

Xman

A. letting us know how she feels about it all.

A. picking cherries.

I picked a few too.

Then X-man pitted them all.

And he, L, and Bumma made a tasty cherry pie. And cherry cobler.

YUM!

Of course we went on our annual camp out. 

Here's A, L, and X all clean and ready to go!

My sweeties. 

X, A, L, me, and B

Fishermen! See the fish?

A. and Bumpa went searching for fish.

And they found them!

Bumma fishing.

Now it's B's turn to find the fish. 

She stayed in the boat this year.

A is one tough mountain woman. 

If I had to be lost in the woods, I'd choose to be on her my mom's team. They would see us through. Note how she has that squiggly, slimy fish in her little paws, working the hook out of it's mouth. Not a scream or a flinch as that fish flailed and flopped. She even knew how to whack that fish on the head to put him out of his misery. Then she put that fish on a stick (after Bumpa gutted it) and roasted him for dinner! 

Here's the other mountain woman, my mom.

This fish had swallowed the hook, so trying to get the hook out took guts--literally.

Notice there are NO pictures of me holding fish. That mountain woman gene skipped me entirely.

A. thinks the world of her little brother and he thinks the world of her.

Yes, friends, THAT is how you catch a fish.

Fisherman X

Roasting hot dogs (fish were later). 

What's camping without a little smoke??!

Actually...I love camping. Camping, camping, camping.

Really.

Gimme s'more, man.

Yeah, I'm a fisherman. 

L with his catch.

An after camping picture--

tired, smoky, dirty, and well-worn out=camping success!

X-man now gives me tips on driving, because he drove the four-wheeler. 

#he cannot wait to drive #backseat driver

Fancy helmets.

Fun + Love=Family

Trying to crowd our heads in again--poor L!

We went to pick up T in the city 

and passed the time riding buses which the kiddos thought was pretty fun!

We then met up with my Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Brett for a fun evening of catching up.

Again it came to me, how blessed I am to have been raised by "goodly parents," to have been blessed with sweet, kind children, and surrounded by aunts and uncles, in-laws, grandparents, the best sister, and friends I consider family.