rock on

i'm a little behind on this one, but it's been a busy summer:) onerepublic and sara bareilles came to the  gardens.  it was SO GOOD.  plus, the beautiful weather and good company made it even better…

oregon

adam had a work conference last week, so the whole family tagged along and we made it a mini vacation.  the fist few nights we were in bend, and yes, i'm in love.  it was a beautiful city.  so clean. so green, even at the end of summer.  plus they have a trader joe’s and a river district…and  longboard louie’s who served up a mean fish burrito the size of your head…

even now, after visiting the coast, seeing some of the most beautiful beaches the country has to offer and trees wider than cars, this was the kids favorite part…the pool at our “campsite” as eli called it, was the highlight.  i have to admit, i spent a good amount of time soaking in the hot tubs.

after bend we headed to the coast. 

not to sound too dramatic, but beverly beach was like a dream. warm. no wind. no clouds. hardly any people. an explorers paradise. those two little dots in the middle are eli and lyla.  they had so.much.fun.

the evening romp…

there was a river that flowed under a bridge to the ocean, which provided yet another element of entertainment…

this bridge was also the gateway to the ocean from our camp…

our campsite was in a forest of amazing trees….

the next morning we went for a walk on a trail behind our campground…

eli making good use of his knife…he posed himself for this picture:)

later we went back to the beach to explore some more.  lyla made a bakery under this old log.  judging by it’s rings it was at least 150 years old and had obviously drifted in the ocean for quite some time.  it had tons of character and was just plain stunning.  wishing with every fiber that we could have brought it home and put it in our backyard:)

a product of the bakery…

ada made them “cups” from seaweed..

oh the joy:)

that was it for beverly beach.  for now.  we plan on returning, hopefully next time for a week instead of a few days:)

the thomas fam

our good friends, corrie and mike, came to visit a few weeks back.  they are always gracious hosts when we go down to SD, so it was fun to have them here.  we had a few adventures…

we took the greenbelt downtown for dinner at bittercreek (yum, yum, yum) and then to flying m for “the best latte you’ve ever had in your life.”  by the time we finished our coffee a storm had rolled in and it poured on us the whole ride home.  it was awesome.  you may not make plans to ride in the rain, but once you have no choice it’s a good time.  a little dark…a little wet…but really fun.

then we headed up to mores mtn. for a hike.  i've decided it’s my favorite place within an hour of home.

our “ninja climbers”…

it’s amazing the rif raf they allow up there!

  

so fun to have you here corrie and mike!!!

“working”

on a walk a few days ago adam showed me the diversion dam just a bit down the greenbelt from our house.  it was FULL of amazing driftwood.  i had to wait three whole days to go back…that’s like 49 years in driftwood hunter years.  it was a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l morning.

eli caught this snake all by his little self…

lyla spent most of the time in her shelter picking bark off logs to use as fire starter. thanks Man Woman Wild, for teaching my 5 year old how to survive on her own… 

the hunt was an uber success…

oh, the fair

in the middle of winter inevitably we will hear, “WHEN’S the FAIR C-O-M-I-N-G!!!”  it’s one of those look-forward-to kinda events around here.  this year was no exception.  we rode LOTS of rides, petted some furry four legged friends, ate a pound of french fries and called it a day.  the rides, of course, were the main event...

until this picture, i had NEVER seen lyla raise her hands on a ride.  she usually has the white knuckle grip of death, yay her!

a new  swing they had this year, it was pretty fun

my sweet lady and me…

put your hands up!!!!

there was a new water ride this year.  the kiddos loved it, which means we went on it about 15 times.

notice the hip bend so she can keep as far away from them as possible while still enjoying the experience.  love this girl.