MIA and this is why

Our daughter in law remarried last week.  We are happy for her and pray this is a wonderful addition to her life.  Doesn't mean it didn't hurt and wasn't hard and there were a few tears shed. 

 It was a beautiful wedding.  Our grandmunchkins stood out as beautiful and handsome and well behaved.

 All the grandmunchkins were in attendance.  Even the littlest and he already knows to be on his best behavior at a wedding.

 Perhaps he was a little underdressed?  But at his age, his baby feet are cuter than any shoes.  Yes, I snapped a picture of his tiny toes.  I have a baby foot fettish I'm told.

 I finally got some modeled shots of the dress I made several months ago.  Fantastic pattern I found on pininterest that was for sale on Craftsy.  It was worth the money because I can see me making lots of these.  Not to mention it won a blue ribbon at the fair.

 And the little princess loved it because it has such a twirly skirt.

 After the wedding, while the couple honeymooned, we took the children for the annual family campout at Ft. Stevens.  7 days in camping nirvana.  Biking, swimming, the ocean, perfect weather, camp fires.  It just gets better and better.  Our family numbers were down a bit this year due to a new little one and other circumstances.  Fingers crossed they'll all be back next year.
Before we went this year, we made one of our best purchases ever!  A trike for our daughter so she could actually go biking with us.  She does not have the sense of balance that most do and no way of riding a regular bike but she can ride this.

 We took full advantage of the Jr. Ranger Program while we were there.  It was bird week so all the activities had to do with birds.  There were bird feeders to make, bird watching 101 classes, bird bingo, making bird bookmarks, just to name a few.

 Even the grandfathers got in on the activities.

 There were dirty faces to wash.  Again and again.

 There were water fights at the lake.

 There was engineering of sand creations at the lake.

 There was bike riding.  Lots of it.  And I have the sore behind to testify to it.

 There were creatures to feed.  Which we really shouldn't have because this little guy would not go away!

 There were Jr Ranger Badges to earn.

 There were bridges to play "pooh sticks" at.  Which brought lots of smiles.

 There were batteries to explore and pose for silly pictures at.

 The battery had great cubby holes to sit in.  If I'd only had some bars......

And there was the beautiful ocean and beautiful sky.  It was a great camping trip with great new memories.  I shed a few tears for the memories we have at this special place.  Memories of our children growing up and exploring the same way our grandmunchins did.  Those children grew too fast but I'm thankful for the memories we made while we could.  It's those memories that make our children now want to come here every year and bring their children.  If the Lord wills, there will be lots of memories for them of their children.

Warning! Picture intensive!

We went camping!

We're back! From a week camping with the family and it was one of the best camping trips ever since our kids were little. We camped at Ft Stevens, an old Fort, built for the Civil War and retired after WWII. This is one of the batteries, perfect for climbing, exploring, playing hide and seek, and reading it's history. It actually was fired on by a Japanese sub in WWII and returned the fire.

There was squirrel feeding... There were 3 generations...although the youngest generation shook her head, "no" whenever the first generation held out his arms to hold her.

Food aplenty and lots of family meal times....

There were marshmellows, smores, and dirty children that got showers every night which prompted the quote: "Is this water sanitary? It looks questionable to me!"

There were WWII displays at the Fort. This jeep had been completely rebuilt by this man and he was kind enough to let the little ones sit in it and honk the horn. He had an authentic WWII uniform on.

There were bubbles....

There was the all time best camp food ever...according to my daughter...peanuts in the shell.

Games on the picnic table....

There were opportunities to explore an old ship wreck, the Peter Iredale, dubbed the "pirate ship" by the grandmunchkins.

There were opportunities to cook dinner, or part of it, over the fire. A friend calls this "snake on a stick" and we've adopted it. Biscuits roasted over the fire and then coated with butter and cinnamon and sugar.

Fireside times....

There was another fort to explore, Ft. Clatsop. There were period clothes to try on.....

Even one year olds found the fort fun to explore.

There was the Astoria Column to climb....

And, oh my, there were bike trails galore to explore! Or just ride around the loop over and over.

There was the beach! But it didn't last long because as is typical of Oregon, if the valley is warm and hot, the beach is cold and windy.

And a vacation for my husband is not complete if there isn't fishing involved! He went out and brought back a salmon for dinner! It was wonderful!

And we started out our camping adventure with....WORK! The garden is producing and there were fresh green beans for dinner. After being snapped by these 3 energetic campers.

What didn't get done? Knitting! Crocheting! A little reading but that was it!

taking off.....

the first time in the new trailer!

After such a beautiful weekend last week, we waited until this weekend to try out the new trailer for the first time. Forecast? Wind, rain, clouds, more rain, maybe some clearing. Yes, timing is everything and apparently we don't have everything. That said, it was a good weekend to test drive the amenities. And amenities they are in comparison to the camping we did years ago with three little ones. A shower, in the trailer, as compared to using the utility sink next to the bathrooms to bathe those same three little ones. And a microwave...camping? And staying dry and Warm! I remember a camping trip huddled under tarps and bundled up trying to keep my teeth from chattering while those more fortunate in our group were playing cards in their trailers. Camping has come a looooong way for us!We camped in our old stompin' grounds: Ft Stevens on the north Oregon coast. We camped there every summer with our church family for years. Ft. Stevens is just that. An fort established to protect the coast and entrance to the Columbia during the Civil War. Yes, the Civil War. The fort actually fired on a Japanese sub during WWII. It was in service for 84 years. The batteries and fort are still in place and open to explore and play in. Our youth saw many games of hide and seek and capture the flag in Battery Russell. There are biking trails, hiking, a lake to fish or swim in, and of course, the beach with an old ship wreck. The ship was the Peter Iredale and sunk back in 1906.

This picture of what is left of the Peter Iredale and the beach doesn't tell the whole story. It was after a night of wind and rain and the wind is still blowing hard. The tide was in and we didn't even get to walk on the beach this day. This is the farthest we've ever seen the tide in on the beach here.

My husband will use any place or excuse to fish. And he is usually successful. He brought a nice fat trout home after this little fishing excursion. Which I ate for breakfast. Mighty tasty.

While Mr. Fisherman was fishing, Miss S and I hiked around Coffenbury Lake. I hadn't done that since I was in youth group and I remember getting ate alive by mosquitos. No bugs this time, just quiet, except for Miss S "purring". The winds had flown off to parts east and left a quiet serene lake with reflections in the water. I love reflections and taking pictures of them so

I enjoyed the hike for more than the hike itself. Although it was a good trip, lots of quiet, reading, and knitting, there was a lot of time for memories and heartache ensued. Much time for reflection and tears and missing. Like the tide, life marches on but I couldn't help but wish for a "do over" and live those memories again.