So who ever heard of having a family reunion in Crescent City, California? Do you know where that is? It is at the very Northern tip of California on the coast. The only ways to get there include very windy roads. There are no airports within 2 hours. There are no train stops. It takes between 5 and 8 hours to get there from Salem where I live, depending on how many potty breaks you make. Once you get there you find a small community, not too small - they have a Walmart that's considering becoming a super walmart. It doesn't get much over 75 all year long. I had to wear a jacket most days because it wasn't even close to that even in July. It isn't even warm enough to grow tomatoes! It was quite nice though because I missed one of the heat waves Salem has had this summer.
We pulled out some beads. Some people made necklaces, others key chains, I made a hot pad (not with beads, but at the same time as eveyone else was playing with beads, it was fun.
I think I'll make another one someday).
This is the Shefchik kids, the Durkees, Audrey, and Addy sitting on a Redwood tree. You can't even see the end of this tree to the left. These things are awesome!
Well, we had a family reunion there because it just so happened that it was the most convenient place for our family to gather this year. My brother James drove up from Oxnard, California with his family, my brother Byron and family were gathering with Amber's family on the Oregon coast, Sarah and Mom flew in from Utah, I was within driving range, and oh yeah, Lynn lives there with her family. It was great because Lynn is renting a very large house. With the exception of Byron and family we all had a place to sleep and that's with no one sleeping in the living room or the library! Byron and Amber stayed on the Oregon Coast, they were invited, but didn't want to drive all the way to Crescent City. We met them at a state park in Oregon on the coast where they had some redwoods. We went on hikes, played in the river, had lunch, made necklaces, saw Redwood Trees and enjoyed each other. Thanks everyone for coming!
This clan wasn't up for a 3 mile uphill hike. Amber and I also stayed behind to
watch our little ones.
This is all of the cousins who came in a hollowed out Redwood Tree. These things are huge!
The kids loved wading in the water. I didn't think it would be warm enough to swim, so I left the swimming suit behind. She ended up "swimming" in her clothes. They dried in the sun before it was time to go back to Lynn's house.
Addy loves to eat cooked broccoli. She and I eat it like popcorn together. I only say that because when it's late in the evening and I feel like eating something like ice cream or chips, I pull out the broccoli and steam it. Addy and I then pop it in our mouths as we watch a movie.
These are the yellow squash and zucchini chips I made a few weeks ago. They turned out really good. I sliced them using Myrna's (Jordan's mom) electric slicer. I was able to slice them really thin. I wanted to salt and season them, but I wanted them to be evenly salted and not have too much on them. I did what I normally do in these situations, I asked Jordan what his ideas were. He is very analytical, mechanical and creative. He can usually think of the most efficient way to do something. He suggested putting the salt and seasonings in water and stirring it up, then dipping the squash slices into the mixture and placing them on the dehydrator. It worked like a charm! They were perfectly coated. They were yummy!
Addy had two pigtails in. She asked me to put more hair things in her hair. This was the only thing I could come up with. I thought for sure she'd yank them out, but she didn't. She liked looking in the mirror and shaking her head back and forth and watching, and I'm sure feeling, them swish back and forth.
We pulled out some beads. Some people made necklaces, others key chains, I made a hot pad (not with beads, but at the same time as eveyone else was playing with beads, it was fun.
This is the Shefchik kids, the Durkees, Audrey, and Addy sitting on a Redwood tree. You can't even see the end of this tree to the left. These things are awesome!
This clan wasn't up for a 3 mile uphill hike. Amber and I also stayed behind to
This is all of the cousins who came in a hollowed out Redwood Tree. These things are huge!
The kids loved wading in the water. I didn't think it would be warm enough to swim, so I left the swimming suit behind. She ended up "swimming" in her clothes. They dried in the sun before it was time to go back to Lynn's house.
Buddy also enjoyed the water table. He got to get out of his stroller for this, so he was very excited. If he isn't strapped into his stroller, he disappears very quickly, but not when he had the water to entertain him. Buddy is just a few months younger than Addy, but he's definitely not smaller. He is shorter, but heavier and bigger. He is the only kid Addy's age that doesn't fall over when she hugs him. This is one solid kid!
