School!

First day of school!!! WOOHOO!

 

Handomse all of them!  I had a great summer with them and we did many things but the last few wweeks of summer we more than any of us could take...we were at each other's throats.  It was time for school to start and for them to get on with the learning part of it!

 

Ian

 

                                                          
                                                                 Dru

                                                          
                                                                Lee

                                                    Eli...unsure of all that is going on because now it's just mom and him...he'd like to know where all his boys are going?

All in all...everyone had a good day and everyone likes their teachers.  Eli waiting with abated breath for his boys...all was right when they got home!  Whew!

Salmon Fishing

This year was the big year for Lee.  This year he got to go out on the boat and go fishing with his dad and uncles and grandpa!  He was so excited and SO nervous about doing it.  I'm so glad they were able to go after such a long anticipation for it and it almost didn't happen!  The weather was so bad that the boat almost didn't and the captain was sick...thankfully they still went.  Can you imagine the let down of two 8 year olds and a bunch of grown men not getting their salmon for the year?  HA! At least we were set from the salmon Frank and I had caught the year before...we don't eat our fish quickly...everyone else had the fish gone pretty much by the end of October.

 

Well, everyone came back in one piece and safe even though it was stormy at sea...glad it wasn't me this year...pretty sure I would have been throwing up over the side of the boat...oh wait the boys did! HA!  The funny part was they both told Frank/Uncle Frank that they couldn't tell me or Grandma...funny boys!

 

Frank and Lee with Lee's fish he caught.  Lee looks a bit ragged doesn't he?

 

 Jason and his son...they were only able to catch one fish...but it was a catch nonetheless!

 The whole stinky group of them ;)  Ted, Grandpa Lee, Frank, Lee, Jason and Austin...all tired to boot.  As a matter of fact I believe one of them took a nap and asked a Grandma to watch them so he could...and so he could drive home later that day. 

 Grandpa Lee with his catch..I think Ted had the biggest catches again this year

We aren't sure who is going in the kid group next year but Ian has high hopes it will be him...you have to be 8 and there are no more 8 year olds that haven't gone yet so it starts back at the beginning.  I think an adult female should go but mind you that's one person's opinion...as always though one of my nieces gets first right to go or refuse before any of this happens...as it stands we'll see...sleep is really important but she also informed us she wanted to go next time.  So we'll see!

Food Challenge

So camping this year at Ilwaco, Frank and I went to Long Beach, a town not too far from where we were.  A very touristy town and lots of things to do.  Of course what is a tourist stop with out a few candy shops right?  Well we decided we'd be brave and try some new and fun stuff and take it back home and share with everyone.  Like our own survival challenge!  Well it just ended up being with the kids because most of the adults were doing Lord knows what and drinking who the heck knows.  A few participated, like Grandma and Grandpa and towards the end others decided to venture out of the their campers, but the fun stuff was mostly done. 

 Anyway! 

 Here is what we bought:

Chocolate covered Jalapeno

 

                               An orange crème covered Twinkies and a chocolate covered Twinkies

                                             2 milk chocolate covered pieces of bacon

 

Not pictured are: chocolate covered larva, grasshoppers, and Bertie Bots of a few different flavors...

 

We had so much fun doing this!  The pepper was hot and a few liked it!  The Twinkies were the all around favorite.  Last but not least pictured is the chocolate covered bacon...Chocolate does NOT make everything better...or vice versa!  GAG!  A few liked it...like Lee *eye rolling*.  Now on to the more fun one we did.  The Bertie Bots are like jelly beans with a million flavors...we played it Russian roulette style sorta...The flavors were out there and a few gagged on them...not naming names...Frank!  Sadly my camera died so I couldn't catch it with pictures :(  Here are a few of the flavors peopled tried: baby wipes, dog food, boogers (do we want to know?)...those are what I can remember for now but think along those lines and that's the flavorful box ;)

 

I would like to do this again next time...try some new things and some old! I even came across the candy cigarettes I grew up eating/pretending with!!! Haven't seen those in FOREVER! So much fun!

Beach Forts

When we came to the beach after dinner to watch the sunrise many families and couples were still here and I loved seeing this.  This beach was busy during the day before we all got there!  So many forts were or had been built during the day and probably during the week.  I know you can't really tell but from this view the forts went all the way down as far as I could see...pretty cool!

 

 And of course Charlie had his own fort he claimed for himself...FAR! FAR! Away from the water!  I wish he liked the water better but he really doesn't...I'm literally dragging and choking him to at least get his paws wet by the waves...and if a wave gets him all the way wet so much the better.  Which seems like a good idea at the time to get him used to the water so to speak...until we have to take him home and he smells like a wet dog...then not so good!

I am looking forward to going again and finding more new fun things to do with my family and to make memories with the extended family...and maybe it will be my turn to get a tattoo next time around! But more to follow on that one!

 

Shipwrecked!

Hey Ya'll!

Every year we go to Ilwaco, WA and camp and fish and of course sight see.  Last year we walked around the light house and walked the trails and took lots of pictures...and let me just say it was magnificent!  This year however we went to see the shipwreck in Oregon.  Ft. Stevens is only like 10miles at the most from where we were camping at, so Frank and I and the boys took a little trek on down there to see it.  I don't know really why I like this so much but I do...I don't even know if I could come up with a word to describe it but it speaks to me,

 

So here is the shipwreck...I really don't know anything more other than it's there and it's been here awhile...and some of it is missing...as you can gather.

 

 

                                      
            Here are the boys...it was a tad chilly when the wind blew and a lot of mist from the water

On our way to the car I wanted a different view before we left...It definitely had a story somewhere there...wonder what it was?