end of the summer

The boys and Amelia had a fabulous summer together.  They got to visit a fire station in Monmouth and sit in the fire truck.  She took them to Albany on the paddle boats.  She got the boys to swim lessons, Owen to golf lessons and Ben to karate classes.  And they had lots of other adventures to keep them busy and happy.

Labor Day weekend we made our final summer trip to the coast and spend the night at the Salishan.  We got very lucky and had a warm sunny day on the water- Ben and Richard actually got wet, and the boys played in the sand.

Back to Corvallis and back to school at the end of a fun and busy summer!

crater lake

We are now official Oregonians!  After 7 years of residency, we finally made it to Crater Lake, thus securing citizenship in this fine state.

Our weird weather continued, with rain and cold following us to Crater Lake- a blessing really since the rain put out the fires in the area- the weekend before we arrived the smoke and fog was so thick that you couldn't see the lake from the hotel.

We stayed at the beautiful Crater Lake Lodge, and enjoyed the cozy fireplaces and warm food in the lobby.

We scheduled the boat tour of the lake, and somewhat dreaded the hike into the crater- it is steep and dusty and neither of us wanted to carry Ben.  Both boys were troopers and hiked down the many switchbacks with minimal complaints and no spills.  The boat ride was really amazing- until for the first time in park history- the boat had to turn around because of eminent thunder storms and hail!  So we made a u-turn in the middle of the lake, and headed back to shore.  We encouraged the kids back up the crater wall- we very much didn't want to hike up in the rain on slippery dusty rocks.  We made it back to the hotel without incident, and happy for the part of the tour we did get to experience.

Owen and Richard made an additional hike up to the top of a lookout tower, with a guide who explained more about the trees and local environment.  They watched the sun set over the rim of the crater.  Ben and I stayed by the fire and did puzzles.  Another benefit of the weather- we saw a rainbow over the lake.

The final day we took the park's guided trolley around the crater rim loop.  We enjoyed learning more about how the crater formed, and both of us enjoyed not trying to drive and look at the same time.  This also was Richard's birthday, which we celebrated with a nice breakfast at the lodge, and with cake and presents after we got home later that afternoon.

diamond lake

In August, we took our final summer vacation to Diamond Lake and then Crater Lake.  We camped at Diamond Lake last year and had a wonderful time.  We picked out a camp site and a boat to rent for this years trip.  The big difference a year made was the weather- we set up the tent in pouring rain, and it stayed chilly for the remainder of the trip.  Regardless, we again had a blast at the camp site.

Richard and the boys are now experienced campers and we have some pretty tasty meals we enjoy, know how to make campfires, and have learned some not-too-scary stories to share at night.  We rented a pontoon (patio) boat this year for a day of fishing.  We were more determined this year to catch something, but no fish were interested.  We did enjoy a day of floating on the water and reading.

We brought the bikes and the four of us biked around Diamond Lake- Owen and Mom both making it up all the hills.  The sun even came out at the end of our trip, and dried up all the gear.

superboys

owen turns eight

We celebrated Owen's actual 8th birthday quietly at home.  Owen and I were both very sick this year over his birthday- it was like strep without a positive strep test.  Whatever it was, we were both in rough shape, and we had to postpone his party for a week.

Owen's big gift this year was Lego Mindstorms- a programmable robot.  He and Richard have spent many hours programing and rebuilding the robot this year- it really is an amazing toy.

Owen wanted a fishing theme for his birthday party.  Most of his class was able to come, plus Laurel, Maggie and Valerie.  We made two critical errors- first we had way too long of a party, second I fed the kids candy at the beginning.  Chaos reined for a few hours- we found some kids camped out in every corner of the house and others sliding down the stairs on couch cushions.   Everyone left full of pizza and candy, and everyone left in one piece.  Let's call it a success!

summer in oregon

Back to Oregon for July, where the boys spent most weekdays with their sitter Amelia.  The three of them had great adventures around Corvallis.

Owen and Richard spent a week at Cub Scout camp, where Richard led the compass and maps course.  Owen  had a great time trying all the activities, including a ropes course, bb guns, and archery (where Owen got a bulls eye!).  He built a bird house, learned about bugs, and had fun with his friends.

Owen and Richard also got to go camping out at the Corvallis Knights baseball field.  They watched a game, then pitched their tent and watched a movie on the jumbo-tron and ran the bases.

The boys enjoyed time with Laurel, and we all had fun at Corvallis' annual Di Vinci Days.