Holiday Recap

Year four at Bear Lake... I think. Second year sans camping. Best idea ever. For those of you that think sleeping on the ground is fun... let's agree to disagree. Have we talked about this already? The cabin we stay in isn't exactly fancy... first impressions say "hillbilly hideout"... and yet, it's perfect. A kitchen, a bathroom, bunk beds and a big open room out front where you can watch Nicolas Cage movies before bed. The place wasn't quite big enough for everyone, so a condo was rented too. The cabin dwellers had many things, but a pool wasn't one of them.

The water at the lake was ridiculously high this year... a once-in-50-years kind of high. We worried about that. We worried for nothing. The only thing we missed: A long walk to the water and a choice opportunity to be mauled by eight species of biting insects. The beach was gone, but 10 minutes in, no one seemed to mind. The lake, usually a color likely called azure, lapped a retaining wall 25 feet from the cabin door. The dock was right there too. The water seemed coldest on the first day, ever more inviting after that.

Nineteen people. Four days. Just about the perfect amount of time. Almost the perfect number of people. Hailey wasn't there... A few of the Schoenfelds were missing. Maybe next time. There was something for everyone. At any given time someone was certain to be:

Spear-chucking...
Card-tricking...
Ka-bobbing...
Flu-shaking...
Snake-nabbing...
Star-shooting...
Cave-dwelling...
Boat-renting...
Thumbs-upping...
Tube-flipping...
Minnow-netting...
Brain-freezing...
Tot-scarfing...
Raft-floating...
Book-reading...
Sun-tanning...
Queso-horking...
Fart-smelling...
Worm-hooking...
Fun was had by all... You get the idea.

Now for some photo overload:






























Also, contrary to the Higher Power's premonitions... no one drowned.

Bear Lake 2010

It's late July already... the time when summer seems to peak for us. It's actually just panic setting in. We've blown through June and can sense fall stepping forward. There have been things... I could tell you about the Ragnar Relay I ran, or the tooth I had removed... Or the concert... Or the campout... Or the anniversary that never happened. All in due time.

While it's fresh on my mind... Bear Lake. And because it's so painful for me to string together transitional sentences... a list.

THE 2010 BEAR LAKE TOP FIVE

Trading camping for cabins
Question the judgment of anyone who says they love to camp. Now don't get me wrong... I don't hate it. It's not terrible. I would just invariably choose to sleep well. And contrary to what many believe, there is no law against enjoying the outdoors during the day and actually resting at night. The last two years at Bear Lake were spent camping. This year we rented a cabin. Cabin=better.

Milkshakes
Besides waffles, burritos and curry, maybe the best thing ever. And while some may disagree with me on this (everyone did) I think berry-centric shakes are the only way to go during the summer at the lake. Mint Oreo? Mocha Fudge? Last time I checked, this is America.

Funny Family
Cousins. Sisters. Brother-in-laws that are more the former than the latter. There's nothing quite like family. If you have a job or go to church, "just being yourself" is probably not always a good idea. Last week it was all okay.

Dutch Oven Redemption
To be honest, I've felt for some time that dutch oven cooking doesn't deserve the reverence it enjoys. I know so many people who speak in hushed tones when describing undercooked chicken and overcooked carrots. So it was with some trepidation that I approached Barb's all dutch oven dinner. Hold on... Super thin potatoes, near molten barbecue chicken and dutch oven rolls... I officially stand corrected.

Private Beaches.
For just a day, we had the beach, the dock and what felt like the whole lake to ourselves. It was brief but perfect. It may have been the polarized glasses, but the water and sky couldn't have been a more benevolent shade of blue.

Bear Lake 2010 Bottom Three (I couldn't come up with five)
Missing Family... not everyone could be there.
Scaring Kids... sorry River and Evan.
Scaring Moms ... sorry Tracy and Annie.

A few photos below. A lot more here.

Bear Lake on Flickr

A few more photos from the trip.