Well, our vacation is just about over. Unfortunately, we didn't have internet access at our beach house, and we didn't get to a place long enough to post. We arrived late Thursday in Susanville (actually Friday at 12:00 am), and for some reason I'm not able to download my pictures. I'll get those up later. Here's a little of what I wrote during our stay at the beach house:

We’ve arrived in Oregon! We could not ask for better weather. We left Saturday morning, around 10:30. Our destination the first night was to Jacksonville, Near Medford. We have a friend who lives there and we stayed the night at his house. Of course, we did some geocaching on the way - and actually found a couple of them! That night we ate in Medford, and took Cody along with us for dinner. We were back on the road again the next morning by 9:00 am, headed for the coast! We took I-5 up to Sutherlin, then cut across to Reedsport. Again, there were a few more geocaches to find. From Reedsport we took Hwy. 101 up the coast. On this trip, I want to just enjoy the trip, and be able to stop when I or the kids want to stop. For some, that means stopping at Fred Meyer. Yes, Fred Meyer. This is a favorite store to a six year old. Of course, that means the toy aisle. I must admit I am really sick of the toy aisle. But, we are on vacation so I am holding my tongue. We tried stopping at the Happy Kamper Yarn Barn in Florence, but it was closed (Sunday).
We checked into the South Beach Campground just south of Newport. I had originally planned to pack a tent, but because you can never be sure of the weather at the coast, we decided to reserve a yurt. This was our first time in a yurt, and we really liked it. We also really enjoyed this campground. Close to the beach with trails, showers (some hot, some not), and clean bathrooms.

Adventure in Oregon

We're getting ready for another trip to Oregon. Just the kids and I. We'll meet up with a friend of mine on the coast. I can't wait! Today we're driving to Medford - hope to be leaving in about 45 minutes. Plan to do some geocaching on the way. We'll keep our blog updated and try to post pictures.

Camping and Valhalla Renaissance Faire

We've had a busy May! Last weekend we went camping in northern Washoe County. Did some fishing, hiking, geocaching and catching up on sleep. Even watched a movie while there was a thunderstorm nearby. We camped with some friends of ours and as usual, had a wonderful time, even with the thunderstorms, rain and hail. Hey, at least we didn't get snow!

Fishing at Boulder. They recently stocked this reservoir so most of the fish we caught were small. Make sure to have a fishing license with you when you fish here. We've had the Fish and Game check on us several times at this remote place.

Who says the Nevada desert isn't beautiful?

Sunset - I can never capture the full beauty of this on camera

Part of a preserved petrified tree - near the George W. Lund memorial. Was supposed to be a cache here but we didn't find it.

Found this old shack by accident while we were geocaching

Found a cache on the way home.

A webcam geocache in Gerlach, Nevada

Today we went to the Valhalla Renaissance Faire at Camp Richardson, Lake Tahoe. Another fun time. Again, best explained with pictures:

The whole clan!

Actually got a target today!

I just had to have her arrested and punished! Worth the $3 I spent

One of the jousters from the Knights of Avalon

The man on the right would sit in the middle of the path and pose as a wounded man, while the man on the left would hide, covering himself with that tree branch, then come out and scare passersby. This was fun to watch.

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The Bubble Fairy. This was a new act for us and a great show

Yep, finally got myself a costume!

And They Shall Be Gathered

Tonight I watched Syd perform in the play, And They Shall Be Gathered, put on by the young men and women in our church. The kids have worked really hard for the past several months, and they did an outstanding job. Kudos goes to the adults that helped them with this. After hearing about the practices I wasn't sure what to expect. I really enjoyed it (can you tell?) The play runs about 70 minutes and tells of a young couple and the choices they have to make after joining the church in the Armenia in the late 1800's. Didn't get many pictures tonight, but I'll have more tomorrow.

We're thinking about buying a different lens for my camera. I have a Canon Rebel and love it, but one drawback I have is that I am not able to take good pictures of the kids when they are performing at school functions, or much anywhere at some distance with fluorescent lights. We had heard it is a good idea to get a lens with an image stabilizer, but those come with a big price tag. A friend of ours let us borrow a 75-300 lens that that does not have an IS. I have been playing around with it tonight and so far really like it. I'm more of a point and shoot person, so a lot of this camera talk really goes over my head. I want to be able to take pictures like a pro without having to actually sit down and take the time to read that darn manual. Don't we all! I'm taking it out when we go camping this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to get some beautiful sunset pictures.

Reno Feis

This weekend was the Reno Feis. Syd did a couple of dances yesterday, and most were held today. I attended an all day scrapbook crop yesterday, and got home around 12:30 this morning, and didn't land up getting to bed until around 1:30, then woke up around 5:45 am. Today at the feis I was sooooo tired. I tried reading a book while I was waiting for Syd's dance number, and I couldn't even see straight. Wow, haven't been like that for a long time. She did great, although she was hard on herself because, like all of us, she wanted to do better. She did get to move up in one dance - she got first places out of twelve. The solo dresses these girls wear are absolutely gorgeous, but they come with a huge price tag. New dresses cost around $1200 and higher. She has an idea for making one, but I see how intricate the designs on these dresses are and I am honestly not sure I could do it with my limited experience of sewing. We came home after the feis and everyone took a nap. Of course now I am burning the midnight oil, knowing I need to go to bed because I have to work tomorrow.

Sea Monkeys - yep, we have 'em

Remember sea monkeys as a kid? I remember the advertisement in the back of the comic books, and even ordered some. As I recall, they never lasted long. Last Christmas Adam received Sea Monkeys as a gift. I think I was more excited than he was. So, at the beginning of January, our baby sea monkeys were born. Adam fed them for a while, but quickly lost interest, and the job of caring for them was passed on to me.

I always thought sea monkeys were just brine shrimp. I am almost embarrassed to say, I am really enjoying them. Sometimes I swear they are watching me just as I watch them. They flip around and do somersaults, which I find amusing - they're either having a great time in that murky water, or are on their last breaths. We now have a "pregnant" sea monkey. Seems like she's been pregnant forever, and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of our bundles of joy. I have been aerating the water every few days, and have even quit cleaning the bottom of their tank for fear of sucking up the babies before I realize they have hatched. I tried taking a picture of the mommy-to-be, but it is a little blurry. Can you see the egg sacks on her back?

Earlier this month I went to an all day crop with some friends of mine. This time it was held at a church hall we rented out. It's so nice to be able to scrapbook with friends, with plenty of room to spread out and even wear your slippers! I finished up 20 pages. Another crop coming up next weekend I need to prepare for.

Adam's school held an egg toss. A couple of the teachers threw - and I mean threw - the eggs off of the roof of the school. Adam wrapped his egg in lots of paper towels, then put it in a box filled with popped popcorn. His egg didn't crack!

This weekend is another busy one. Tonight Syd went to her play practice, then went to attend a friend's baptism. tomorrow she has more play practice. Saturday I'm taking Adam to a karate class in the a.m., then bowling in the afternoon. Tomorrow evening Syd and I are going to see the play, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, held at UNR. We are going with a group from a book club I meet with occasionally. Wish I could meet more often, but life always seems to get in the way.

Tonight a friend of mine is coming over and we are going to watch the new Moonlight episode. We have been waiting since the writer's strike for this, so we made a big deal out of it. We're having snacks and drinks, and will make a proper toast to Mick, since he's really the reason we watch the show!

Adam's first Pinewood Derby was on Saturday. Since it was his first, all we really wanted was for his car to make it to the finish line. Since Clay had worked with him on it, I came in to work for him while he took Adam and the girls to the derby. He calls me after a while to tell me that Adam's car made it, in fact he took first place in his division - the Tiger Cubs! That meant they had to wait for the finals. He got to race for the championship, and he landed up getting third. He was pretty excited about two trophies that day! We had a family party to go to that evening and he was sure to bring the trophies and his car to show everyone. Ahh, to be that young and carefree again....