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.

Drawing Conclusions

A few drawings from a few of us. Eden draws in her room quite a bit, but I'm not brave enough to venture up there very often. Tracy can draw what she sees really well... A skill I so do not have. She won't do it much though. Her art these days is baking. Tonight, a four layer lemon cake.

Another illustration that turned out a bit different than intended. Was going to be an Asian warlord wizard guy... turned out to be a pimp. Don't know that I love it, but I had to stop somewhere. Mostly messing around with grain textures and stuff. One day I will draw someone smiling... honestly I will.

Here's a robot guy that Evan made in Photoshop. He's not like me. When he sets out to draw a robot, he stays on task.

Here's the original sketch of Hailey's Fashion Stroll dress. She gets a touch annoyed with me when I swipe her drawings and post them without... you know... permission. Still, I thought it was cool. Love the spatters too.

Ephemera

A writer friend in Atlanta once gave me a whole tub of old magazines... some dating back to the early 1900s. As I was flipping through them, I found this raffle ticket tucked inside an old issue of LIFE. What did the second place winner get, two tons of coal?

The Best Things

Naps...

Tracy not looking a day older...

A brief tour of Millcreek Canyon...


Tracy's obsession with making the perfect mousse...

Evan's obsession with Tracy's obsession

Getting this close...

Occasionally being referred to as "dashing"...

Shrimp Po' Boy Sandwiches...

Father's Day presents...

Father's Day Gifts...

Not pictured:
- Eden pulling Rickshaws for YMAD...
- Finally learning how to adjust our sprinklers...
- Running with Tracy and Nike+...
- Mazza with the Southwicks...
- Riding my scooter to work...
- Banbury Cross Maple Bars...
- Barbara's Visit...
- The time when I told a room full of people at church that Tracy's birthday was on Tuesday. (It was on Wednesday)

Just a few moments from a really decent week. I promise I'll try to write something more soon. Maybe a poem? I don't think I've ever written a poem.

Fashion Stroll: A Family Affair

In spite of her blood-oath to the contrary, Hailey signed for yet another fashion show; this one a competition sponsored by VitaminWater.

To one degree or another, everyone got involved:
Hailey meticulously designed and sewed the dress.
Eden nervously agreed to be her model.
Mom proudly led the cheering section.
I barely took the photos.
Evan... Well he played Minecraft in the basement.

Hailey did an amazing job. The dress was beautiful, the construction flawless. She has come so far, so fast. She didn't win this time around, but felt justifiably good about her showing. We were proud parents.





The event also gave me an opportunity to play fashion photographer. For the same reason no one should hire me to photograph their wedding, no one should hire me to do this. Why? There's no shortage of reasons, but I'll give you two for comfort. 1) I can only intermittently operate my camera. 2) I am easily distracted. If the primary objective is one thing, I will almost certainly accomplish another. Use the photos below as an example... When a full body photo would best serve to show the designers work, I might inexplicably create a portrait. Meh...










Also, this happened....

Reverence

Sunday at church...
Father's Day...
No, you probably shouldn't take photos during Sacrament Meeting...
I've done worse...
Evan listening intently to the hymns...
Or at least the hymn book...
The couple behind us... fast asleep...