Visits with Friends

We were so happy to get a visit from Orion and Michelle this month, who now live in Guam. Brad, Tiff and baby Flo joined us for a BBQ in our backyard. Gretel and Orion hit it off famously, as usual.

At a recent dinner at the Herberts, Gretel got to take a bubble bath with the boys outside after dark! The kids all enjoyed themselves tremendously, and it may have been the longest bath Gretel has ever taken!

And here's Gretel, climbing in the unfinished buffet with her friends Wednesday and Oscar.

Casey Brings Home the Bacon! (or rather, filets!)

Casey has been fishing since he was a little boy, but this summer, thanks to his new drift boat and some friends with similar interests, he's learned how to catch the big guys. We're talking about steelhead and salmon. Above is the 25lb Chinook Salmon (same size as Gretel) he caught fishing in Coos Bay with Liesl and Larry a few weeks ago. The fish broke his rod and everything, but he managed to land it just the same. There have been several similar successes over the summer and so we've been eating a lot of delicious fish lately.

Casey has also become very good at smoking fish. Below is a portion of the Chinook that was smoked on our barbeque. Gretel and I are loving this new hobby - keep up the good work Pops!

The Oval Lakes 2011

Day One after the hike.

The campsite.

Casey fishing. Below: Fish on!

Cooking kale from our garden for supper: trout, couscous and kale!

Dayhike to Middle Oval. The wildflowers were out with a vengeance!

Up at the pass. Trail to Tuckaway lake in background.

The view from the pass looking North, back down towards the Twisp River Valley. Canada is in the distance.

Wildflowers!

Supper: Trout (cooked in Larry's special sauce), kale, and rice pilaf.

Birthday girl on the hike out. We spent the night in Leavenworth on the way home.