Grandchildren and Summertime

One of the nicest things about summer is we get to see our grandchildren a lot more. 

We live on a small private late that would be totally pristine if it weren't for us.  There are hundreds of bullfrog polliwogs and Stickleback fish around the shore and we buy Dollar Store nets so the kids can catch them.  We allow them to catch and put them in a five gallon bucket while they are on the job.  Once we all get done swimming and playing in the water, we release everything they have caught back into the lake.

Leeches are a sign of a healthy lake - We like to catch and release leeches also - they're creepy but fun too!

We have an assortment of life jackets, and they all understand that they don't go on the dock or near the water without a life jacket until they can demonstrate good swimming skills.

My daughter and her husband own a house on the other side of the lake, and it's a right of passage for the grandchildren to "swim across the lake with Grandma".  We are always happy when they are able to swim well enough to do that.

Learning to dive is the next step!

Boating - and learning to row a boat are part of the fun.

So is learning to paddleboard with Aunty Amy,

Learning to fish with Uncle Tony,

And there's the Bulldog.  

Family Camping

For the first time in many years, we had a family gathering where all of our kids we able to come to visit.  We ended up with an RV, a tent trailer, and two tents, 15 adults, 16 children, and 2 dogs.

We started out with a sand mountain, that by the end of the weekend was a sand molehill.

Ron stayed busy ferrying kids around the forest and back and forth to the lake.

I made several trips across the lake with kiddos who wanted to do a distance swim.

Great day to take the puppy for a boat ride,

or to teach the grandkids to row a boat,

or for a fisherman uncle to teach a child how to actually catch fish,

or engage in marathon horseshoe games.

The 3rd Annual Treasure Hunt in the Maze

In spite of a miserable weather report, we decided to go ahead with our treasure hunt.  Ron and I salted the mazes with treasures we had been gathering all year on Friday afternoon in the sunshine, hoping the sun would be some miracle last through Saturday.  Since we were expecting 20 children and 10 adults, we really needed a break with the weather.  Nature stood by us, and the day that started out with rain suddenly cleared up and gave us sunshine.

While Ron and I were out in the maze, we ran across a beautiful patch of Chantrelle mushrooms.  Several of our guests were familiar with them, so we fried them in butter and added them to our meal after the hunt.

I carried my camera all around the maze and realized when we got back that I hadn't taken a single picture.  The kids all had a great time, and Kyler even found a treasure left over from last year's hunt.  When we got back, we ate and then the kids all headed for the lake and the hot tub.  

Since it was the day before I drained the hot tub for the winter, we decided to make it into a bubble bath.

Then we all jumped into the lake to rinse off and have one last swim.

Today, fall is here, but we all were happy to have one last day of summer!

Cinco De Mayo at Swartz Lake

These are the days we live for in the Pacific Northwest, but they usually come in July!

So we were very blessed to have an 80 degree day on a Sunday in early May.

It took a brave 6-year old to convince me it really was time to start swimming.  Sadie is definitely the bravest, but six of us finally went for a swim.

All girls, I might add.....

We all went up to the garden to plant some seedlings.

Kyrie and Joseph put the painted strawberry rocks into the strawberry patch to hopefully fool the birds.

The grandkids are working with me on a children's book I'm writing, "Grandma Rosie's Garden"

Everybody helped.  Even if it was only to watch or supervise.

Then they rushed back to the lake

and the hot tub.

A fun day for everyone - even Tillie, once she got out of her PJ's.

My Folks Arrive in Florida

Out of cold snowy Alaska into Florida - time to stock up on Vitamin D, K, whatever you get from sun!

The pool was a bit cool but we all went swimming anyway, because the air temperature was really nice.

When Ron swims you know the pool isn't too cold.

Dick had to think about it for awhile, but ended up swimming a bunch of laps.  It really was perfect for lap swimming!

Sunday at Swartz Lake

Suddenly summer is upon us!  Time to head to the lake!

The instructions for our new "Relaxation Station" say "inflate slowly".  Believe me when I say, there is no other way to inflate this monster.  Even with a commercial compressor, it took over a half hour.  Well worth the effort, though!

Bart and Dan tried it out first and brought it back for a bit more air.

A side benefit:  it is like having a kiddie pool on the lake.  Kids can play safely on the mesh bottom and still leave plenty of room for adults to lounge.

Sadie in the sandbox

Sadie and Jonah make the car into a double-decker bus.

Moshe and Karen introduced us to a fun new Scrabble game

Visitors from Abroad

My sister has been a resident of Switzerland for over 30 years now and all of her children grew up speaking German.  Although my nephew, Gabriel, speaks excellent English, his wife, Wanda, and daughter, Anouk, speak very little English.  It seems odd to have close family members who speak a different language, and it has been interesting to follow Gabriel's blog as they travel in the U.S.  His impressions of our country are very interesting and insightful.  His blog is http://rootscheck.blogspot.com

After a pretty bad summer weather wise, he arrived here in Washington on a really pretty afternoon.

That is me swimming in the distance.  Wanda and Anouk went swimming with me even though the lake is pretty cold still.

We all took a soak in the hot tub after our swim.

Wanda, Anouk, and Gabriel

July Birthday Party

July is a big birthday month in our family.  We celebrated three grandkids' birthdays this weekend.  Cupcakes are the in thing these days, so we had cupcakes rather than cake.

Adelyn turns 7

Colt turns 3

Daphne turns 1

Charlize

Cash

Joseph

Laura

Ty and Joseph

A Rubik's cube type puzzle is probably not the best choice for a child turning one, but it did say "Juvenile" on the cover.  Even the older kids were having a hard time figuring it out.  Daphne licked it and thought it was great though. 

A good time was had by all on a perfect day in the Pacific Northwest.  We all swam in the lake but mostly in the hot tub as the lake is still a bit cold for the kids when they have the option of the warm tub.