Methow Valley Washington

Mary and I headed out to her friend's cabin in the Methow Valley - about 4.5 hours NW of Seattle. The cabin is about 9 miles off the road in the hills above Carlton, WA - a truly beautiful spot!! We headed north up to Mazama and hiked up to Goat Peak Fire Lookout - only about 5 miles roundtrip - but about 1,600 feet of vertical. It was a truly beautiful hike - and the view from the fire lookout was amazing...Also saw a bear and a small herd of deer...Big Fun!!

View from the fire lookout

Breakfast!

The cabin

Another view

Lake Roosevelt 2009

On August 1, the kids and I made the 18 hour drive up to Fort Spokane along the Spokane River in the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. A truly beautiful area if you haven't been there. We were invited to come up to join Mary and her family and friends (over 30 of us all together) to spend the week relaxing by the lake, reading, eating good food, swimming, tubing and water skiing. Great fun was had by all - as seen in these photos...

Grant and Elly getting ready for some tubing

Elly outside the wake on the Spokane River

Grant - fishing 24/7

Boat rides! Happy Kids!

Me cooking up one of the bass Grant caught

Axel and Grant dueling it out on the tubes

Axel and Grant yakking on the Spokane

Elly and Little Girl chillaxing on the hammock

Hiking in Mt. Rainier NP

I had the pleasure of doing a little hiking around the Paradise Visitor's Center last weekend - it was an absolutely perfect day - a little haze off to the south toward Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens - but other than that - an amazing day. Thanks Mary!!


Here's some shots:

Heading into the park

Scenic overlook

Nisqually Glacier Valley

That mountain...what's it called?

Heading back down after a 2 mile hike up

Random Pictures...

It's been awhile since I've posted anything...so here's some random shots from the last several weeks...

Grant playing the drums at JAM

Me trying to stay in tune...

Elly's depiction of Princess Diana's last moments...a school project. The body guard looks bad-ass...

Chaperoning Elly's class trip to Coor's Field (Elly, Mary, Me) Rockies Won!!!

Faceplant 2009!

On Friday February 20st, Elly, Grant and I headed up to Fraser, Colorado with the middle school youth group from Centennial Covenant Church for Faceplant 2009. There were about 450 kids there at the Crooked Creek Ranch Young Life Camp from all around the Denver Metro and two groups from Kansas and Nebraska. It was an awesome weekend!

Dad gettin some air

Grant and I at Sol Vista Basin in Granby, Colorado

Outside our lodge - the whole group

A little sunny...

Elly and Dad - both a little under the weather...

BAM BAM Bingo Night

Four times a year, the BAM BAM (Be a Man, Be a Mentor) of the Roxborough Parent Teacher Involvement Committee holds a bingo night to raise money for books and other needed items in the school. This was our event in early October. With help from Kohl's generous donation, we raised over $1,500.00 that night!

The crowd

Grant daubered

Grant's buddy Brian

Hangin out

Pizza Night!!!

The kids and I had a pizza night last night - as they begged me for stories about my pizza-making days at Happy Joes in Peru, IL. They each got to make their own - Grant tried his hand at a Lou Malnatti style - with most of the cheese on the bottom in a deep dish pan. Elly did too - but chose to make her's perfectly shaped on a cookie sheet. All were delicious!!!

Grant's pie

Elly's creation hot out of the oven

Trying my best...

YUM