August 2015

What a great month……Brandon, Karen,
Ben and Anna came over to Sunriver.

We floated the Deschutes River – what a beautiful day

We had the most amazing day at Crater Lake. 

There was smoke in the distance but it was clear
and gorgeous at the lake.

August 14^th we took off on our adventure with Anna.
We take each of our grandkids on a trip, to the destination of their choice,
 in our motor home, when they turn 10.

This is Anna’s year!

Arches National Park in Moab Utah
It was very hot and very beautiful!

Balancing Rock – Amazing
The rock on top weighs 3,500 tons!

While in Moab, we went to Canyonlands National Park,
it looks like a miniature Grand Canyon.

In Page Arizona, we took a tour to the Indian Reservation
and saw the incredible slot canyon.  It is so beautiful!

In Page, AZ – we took a smooth water float trip down 

the Colorado River below the Glen Canyon Dam.  

The canyon is beautiful.

On this trip we saw some ancient Indian petroglyphs.

Next stop – Williams AZ.
We took the railroad up to the Grand Canyon.
The train was a trip in itself!  Lots of fun!

The Grand Canyon was mesmerizing.

It just goes on forever….the different colors….the history.

After two days driving  (hot driving – 108 degrees)
we arrived in Escondido, CA.  Our base for more adventure.

Our day at the San Diego was wonderful. 
So many animals and such a great zoo!

Next day we drove over to Seaworld (Anna’s favorite)

It appears to me that Seaworld takes amazing care of their animals….

The rides at Seaworld were so much fun!

The whale show (very educational) was outstanding.

One of Anna’s favorites was the Pet’s Rule Show.
The animals were adopted out of the animal shelters
and they put on a really fun show.

Day 3 in the San Diego area – The San Diego 

Wildlife Safari (Mike’s and my favorite)

We missed the gorillas at the zoo but
saw quite a few at the Wildlife Safari

Anna fed a giraffe…… up close and personal!

And then a rhino - We fed her and her
2000 pound rhino child, apples.

This is a Northern White Rhino.  There are only 4 in the entire world.
This one and 3 others under armed guard in the Czech Republic.

Final Stop – The Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield CA.
We took the tour and bought $52 in jelly beans!

We had such a wonderful time with Anna, she is a great traveler and so much fun!  These trips with our grandkids have all been great.  We get to know each of them so much better….. and we hope they have memories to last them a lifetime.

July 2015

We went to the Fourth of July Parade in LaPine. 
It was a good old fashioned celebration! 
Lots of fun!

We also had a picnic with Pat, Rollie, John and Sheri.

The mama deer and their babies are here most every day.

Pat, Sheri and I made greeting cards…..Don’t you love them?

Mike and I celebrated our 48^th anniversary at my favorite restaurant –
Anthony’s in the Old Mill District

Sheri and I went to the Sisters Quilt Show!

Hundreds of beautiful quilts hung outside!

One of our many nights out with Pat, Rollie, John, Sheri, Mike and I –
this time at the Basecamp Grill

Mike does all our maintenance on the motor home while we are in Sunriver.

The Gilchrist car show was great…..over 80 beautiful cars!

The drought has hit Oregon……  This river is normally up at the tree line.
There is barely a trickle of water coming through.

This summer was our 50^th High School Reunion…  50 years – can you believe it?

My step sister Jeri (both of us graduated the same year) and a dear friend Butch,
who was like a brother to us.

Some of us girls!......We had about 150 people at the reunion…… 
What a great time visiting with wonderful old friends!

July 2015

We are all set up in Sunriver…… Let the summer begin!

Mike’s cousin Gloria and her friend Len came for a visit.  We had dinner together
and a great time catching up.  I really enjoyed the time together.

The Iris’ are in bloom. 
These are the few flowers that the deer don’t seem to care for.

Spark Lake kayaking…… it doesn’t get much better than this.
 A great day – just the two of us.

Mike, Marc and Brandon spent a night on Neil Peterson’s
houseboat on Lake Union near Seattle. 
According to their reports…….  It is over the top gorgeous!

The next day, all four of them went to the US Open at
Chambers Bay just south of Seattle. 
An outstanding day!

We made two trips to the Portland area in June.  One weekend with
 Brandon and Karen, Ben and Anna……. And another weekend
with Marc and Maria, Camryn and Colby. 
We had so much fun with both of them.  Busy and so much fun!

This picture was taken as we crossed over Detroit Lake
on the Santiam Pass.  Normally the water is up to the tree line. 
Wow – the water is LOW!

Mike’s two sisters are also up here in Sunriver.  Pat and Rollie are
on their lot….getting everything ready for a huge second hand tool sale. 
Their lot is for sale.  Sheri and John live just outside of Hillsboro, OR
and are up here for 3 weeks – to enjoy the outdoors.
We are spending some of each day together and having a great time!

We went to a Bend Elks baseball game.  The Elks won that night…..
It was a beautiful day!

A day on the water……. A beautiful day on the water (even better)
John, Sheri, Mike and I floated the Deschutes….. with Mt Batchelor
in the background!

Most mornings we have some visitors.....
This little fawn didn't seem afraid of us at all.

It seems as if time is flying by.  July is just around the corner!

Oh my!   

May 2015

May found us in Moab Utah at an FMCA Jeep Rally.

This picture was taken on Klondike Bluffs Trail Run.It is part of an old mining site.

This picture was taken from my favorite run…. Hidden Canyon.

I never tire of the beauty in Utah.

 

 Mike was part of a skit at the rally.  It was hilarious!

This picture was taken on Long Canyon (another outstanding run)

This was taken from Kane Creek….. the storm coming in made this beautiful.

The rock formations in Moab don’t even look real  (but they are)

After 11 days, we headed west…….stopped in Wells Nevada and found this gorgeous owl in the tree at the RV park.

Next stop…..Reno NV….  Great to see my nephew Brett. He is doing well and loving his job at the Harley Davidson Dealership.  So good to see him!

Still heading west – Spent a week in the Sacramento area.  Got to spend a fun afternoon with Mike’s brother, Chuck and his wife Eva.  We went to the local casino 

and had an awesome crab dinner! 

While in Sacramento – Mike and two of his buddies, navigated the Rubicon Trail (a difficult, famous Jeep trail- near Lake Tahoe).  Sharon O’Connor and I set out shopping, going to the movies and eating out!  At the mall, we saw Dr. Oz.  He was promoting healthy diet and exercise.

After the Rubicon trail expedition, we headed north toward Sunriver, OR.  

This picture is of Shasta Lake.  California is suffering an extreme drought 

and the lake was very low as we expected.

One day after arriving in Sunriver, we spent three days in Redmond with Marc and Maria.  We were able to see 5 of Colby’s baseball games.Great weather……lots of fun.  It was an awesome Memorial Day weekend.