28 August 2011

We went almost-backpacking this weekend. Our intention was to hike up a trail in the Red Buttes Wilderness area of Northern California and spend the night. After driving over the same 6-7 miles of dirt road looking for the trailhead for over an hour, and with fading daylight, we decided to pull into one of several primitive campsites along the Applegate River and pitch our tents. The river was truly beautiful. The eroded gneiss riverbank was a comfortable spot for breakfast.

After breakfast, we went hiking through an old growth forest. The Red Buttes Wilderness area is known for its diversity of flora-- we recognized pines, cedars, madrone, azaleas and plenty of poison oak-- and we aren't even botanists.

 

Forest rangers had removed a section from a tree that had fallen across the trail. Brandan counted the tree rings and got past 150 before the tree rings mixed in with the bark. Helen was feeling chilly so she hiked in her pajamas. 

Gibson enjoyed playing with a handheld radio on the hike. He can be a reluctant hiker, but the radio was a perfect diversion. 

This photo illustrates why you should always pack a swimsuit when you leave home. We spent most of Saturday afternoon playing in a gorgeous pool on the Applegate River. The river is fed from snow melting off the Red Buttes and the icy water was perfect on a hot afternoon. At dusk, we watched humming-bird sized bats skim along this same pool, looking for bugs. This is a pretty magical place we can't wait to return to.

 

21 August 2011

Helen is a whiz with scissors, paper and markers. Here she is making 2 paper dolls, Mary and Sarah. She also made the dolls pajamas, a bed, a sleeping bag, blankets, a bowl of kettle corn and a TV to watch a movie on.

Abe got to race his boat at the Raingutter Regata this week. The boys were surprised to learn they provided the power for the boats. They thought the boats would move down the track by themselves. Here's a photo of Abe blowing on his sail which has spun sideways on the mast.

 

Here's a photo of Abe and Helen after the races. Notice the tiny railing on the deck of Abe's boat.

 

We celebrated Gibson's lack of food allergies prematurely. He broke out in hives head to toe this week after eating pine nuts, followed by throwing up. He had a pretty miserable evening. He's been much more cautious about eating new foods ever since. On the bright side, it should be pretty easy for him to avoid pine nuts.

 

Sofi and her friend from the show, Mindy, took over the kitchen Saturday morning to make cupcakes for the cast and crew of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The rest of us had places to be Saturday morning and left the girls to bake alone. It was a wise decision judging by the amount of chocolate and technicolor frosting spread around by the time they finished making 5 dozen cupcakes.

 

Here we are congratulating Sofi after the show. Not enough superlatives in a thesaurus to describe how awesome the show was. The performers had great energy and sounded and looked fantastic. The lighting and sound were professional quality. The costumes looked amazing. The show played up the humor in the story of Joseph-- perfect for a teenage cast-- while still staying true to the Biblical story of redemption and forgiveness. We're sure we weren't the only ones feeling teary when Joseph reunited with his brothers.

 

Here's a photo of the kids with the actor who played Joseph. His coat got its own round of applause.

 

Pharaoh is in the building! We loved the Elvis impersonator who played Pharoah-- he nailed Elvis' style and swagger.

 

Checking in on the kids before we went to bed, we saw Helen had gone to sleep with her playbill. We're all a little sad the show is over (Sofi is a lot sad), but happy to be part of the experience.

 

14 August 2011

We're all looking forward to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Joseph's coat-of-many-colors is a work of art. We like to check on its progress when we stop by the costume shop to pick up new projects. The show opens on Thursday.

Abe and Helen have severe food allergies and have had unpleasant and frightening reactions to food. Because of their reactions we have limited Gibson to the same foods they can eat. Gibson is starting preschool in the fall and we decided to test him to see what he can eat. So far, he's eating everything just fine-- eggs, milk, wheat, nuts. It's a bit of an adjustment-- but a good one. We went to a barbeque on Saturday and Gibson enjoyed trying lots of food for the first time-- potato salad with eggs, Cheetos, chocolate chip cookies. At home his diet will be pretty much the same as it was before, but it's definitely become simpler when he's eating away from home.

 

Abe and his buddy, Colton, made a mini volcano this week. Helen's teapot was perfect for pouring vinegar into the volcano. 

Abe has been getting his boat ready for the upcoming Raingutter Regatta. In the photo he's using a chisel to hollow out the deck.

 

Brandan's cousins stopped over Saturday night on their way home from the Oregon coast. It was delightful to see their family. Tim and Marlene have 4 beautiful daughters. We were neighbors 10 years ago and it was neat to see how nice they have grown up to be. In the photo are Marlene, Rachel, Brandan, Sofi, Rachel, Lauren, Tim and Alisha. Abe, Helen and Gibson are in front. Abe said Saturday night, "There are twice as many girls in this house as there are boys!"

 

7 August 2011

It's been a Darwinian summer for our yard-- that is to say survival of the fittest. We spent some time this week catching up on some neglected chores. The thyme on our patio had overgrown several pavers and Helen helped cut it back.

We found a pumpkin vine growing in the gravel between our garbage cans and the air conditioner. It's hard to believe anything is growing here-- there's no water and little sun. It reminded us of the book Too Many Pumpkins where a woman accidently plants hundreds of pumpkins.

 

Brandan took the kids to a car show. Gibson liked this custom motorcycle.

 

Sofi spent 3 days at girls' camp this week. Helen planned a surprise tea party for her return. Helen made fancy place mats and planned the menu. We ate the food with colored toothpicks. Dressing up for the tea party was optional. 

Helen and Sofi extend their pinkies as they sip their Italian sodas. Sofi had a great time at girls' camp. Her favorite activities were a food fight and extra time for boating and swimming.