City of Rocks

We visited City of Rocks with Sam and Cara in mid-October.  It was a beautiful fall weekend.  Chris and Sam climbed while Lindsey, Cara, and I went for a hike.  It was a fabulous way to wind down the summer.

Sweet all purpose outfit.  

Hike time!

A break with Cara and Bentley

Gorgeous fall aspens.

Peaking through a rock tunnel.

Elsinore Korol

From Lindsey's perspective, the weekend was all about Elsinore Josephine Korol.  From Abbie and I's perspective it was about camping with the girls and celebrating Abbie's 40th birthday.  We talked about a backpack trip and settled on taking the tent trailer to Ponderosa State Park in McCall.  The girls rode bikes, slept in the trailer, learned about Sharlie the Payette Lake monster, build a scarecrow, and really got aquainted.  Abbie and I agreed this is a must do for next year and Team Larosa/Howell and Wallace are required participants to our trailer/camper party.

Hiding in the tent trailer

Bike ride

Sharlie demonstration.  Lindsey and Elsi are the last two kids in the line.

The girls hunted for scarecrow ingredients while Abbie and I tag-teamed a mountain bike ride.

Visit to the Big Hole

After visiting Stanley and Missoula, we turned around the next week and drove to visit Papa Jim and Grandma Sandee at their rebuilt cabin on the Big Hole.  We hung out with Ted, Lisa, JP, Sarah, Kauffler, Bandon, Riley, and Zip.  There are almost as many dogs as people which suited Lindsey quite nicely.  One of the things we worked on while in Montana was riding the Trail-A-Bike.  Over the past couple of months Lindsey has mastered it and we go on family mountain bike rides on the trails behind our house on the weekends.  We fished, Chris and I mountain biked on the Continental Divide Trail, and enjoyed some great family time.  One of the memories we still talk about is the Super Moon and extraordinary electrical storm that passed through while we were there.

Papa Jim, Lindsey, and one of the Big Dogs

Trai-a-bike off road.  Glad we have our rain boots on!

The menangerie:  Zip, Riley, Kauffler, and Bandon (who doesn't know how to play with other dogs)...

Beautiful portion of the Continental Divide Trail - world class mountain biking for sure.

Parent time!

Mom knows now to catch fish.

Puzzles are awesome

Lindsey has several puzzles, she's gotten quite good at them.  Proud smile from the little muffin!

Jungle and Fire Truck!

Early August in Stanley

We kept with the vacation theme into August.  A cousin of mine was married in Missoula and we drove through Stanley and stayed a night enroute.  We could not resist a visit to the country's most scenic playground and stayed the night at the Stanley Hotel.

The Stanley Hotel is awesome.  They have some little cabins in the back and we stayed in one of them.  There was a bouldering wall outside of our hotel room.  Very fun and cool!

Stop Dad, I am having way too much fun!

Protege...

Happy parents

One of our more recent "favorite" family photos

The most scenic playground in the country.  Lucky kids.

Lower Salmon - Late July

We had already scheduled several long vacations during the summer.  I received a text from our new friends from the Grande Ronde Trip asking if we wanted to join a multi-day adventure on the Lower Salmon River.  We pulled it together in 2 weeks and borrowed a raft from our neighbors.  The entire family went, including Sparky.  It was a great family vacation and adventure.  I feel like this past summer was a big turning point for our family in that Lindsey can now participate in the activities that brought Chris and I together.  Its really fun to look back on the pictures a few months afterwards.  It really was a memorable trip and a great time. 

Lindsey and Dad taking it in.

River Girls (including Sparky!)

Bliss

Family time

Probably one of my favorite pictures of Linds.

Bo and Lila Wilmer

Time for a lunch tme swim with Lindsey and Lila

The armada - this lunch spot was notable because poor Sparky was stung by a bee on her nose!

Early morning before Day 4 launch.

The group!

If you are going to learn to swim rapids you have to start somewhere!

Campsite, Day 3.

Buddies and an exhausted and nose-swollen Sparky!  It only got better from here!

Thank goodness Bunniken made the cut!

I don't remember the dog's name but Lindsey never has trouble making friends wiith four-legged buddies.

Glad we will have someone to man the oars when we are over 55!

We live in a beautiful State!

4th of July in Bend

Lindsey and I drove to Bend for the 4th of July to spend time with Uncle Ted, Aunt Lisa, Bandon, and Audrey and Amelia (the wedding girls).  A year had past since Ted and Lisa's wedding.  Audrey and Amelia are Ted and Lisa's nieces on Lisa's side of the family.  Audrey is a fire cracker and likes things her way.  She's been quietly nicknamed "the dragon" which is hilarious since she looks so cute and sweet in the picture below.  Lindsey and Amelia spent lots of time swimming in the pool while Amelia napped in her dragon cave.  We all went to the Bend "Pet Parade".  The girls indulged in cotton candy and watched a flying dog.

Uncle Ted's shoulders, watching the flying dog carried by inflated balloons.

Lindsey and Audrey enjoying some cotton candy.

Aunt Lisa and her nieces Audrey, Amelia, and Lindsey on the golf course.

Lindsey, Audrey, and Amelia