WE ARE IN LAKE TAHOE!!

This year for our family reunion its with just our kids, no grandkids! We are really sad that Chad and Luann and Reed and Natatili couldn't come, mainly because of the Covid-19 stuff going on. When we planned this months ago, we had it all set up with a really great house we found on VRBO, but then we ended up canceling that because of everything being shut down because of the virus. When things opened back up again, we rescheduled again, but couldn't get the same house. Everyone had the time off and we couldn't think of a better place to go and see and play. Places are still requiring masks, but we are dealing. We had to wear them on the plane to Reno. So 3 couples, us, Tami and Ryne and Lisa and Barry came on the early flight.

 We landed at 10am and went shopping. LaVerl needed some good hiking shoes and we had fun at Famous Footwear and all bought shoes! The lady there recommended a great place for breakfast!

The rest of our gang, Bret & Suzy, Kari and Kirk and just Mark flew in around 4:30. Holly is flying in tonight. 


We got to our really nice house a little early, but we had to unload before we could go grocery shopping, which we spent $500 buying lots of good, healthy food for just our breakfast and lunch stuff and snacks.

Later some of the kids got in the hot tub!

 Thursday we got up early to hit the Tallac Trailhead, a nine mile hike. We packed our lunches and had our 'camelback' packs with our water in. It was beautiful trail, but HARD!

 Once we got up high enough we could see the lakes!

 This was where we were hiking to. The top of Tallac mountain, about 10,000 feet high.

 The trail started out pretty easy. This was just one of the little lakes we passed. My kids are all in really great shape!

 Then the trail started to get harder, or else I was just getting tireder! Suzy took my backpack and that helped!

 

 

 It was another mile and a half up to this little lake called Cascade Lake. Only Tami swam, but we rested a little here.

 Then we got up into the rocks! It was terrible, steep and so rocky! And HOT!

 This is the worst part, the trail was brutal! By now all the kids were way ahead of us, but I was determined to make it to the top!

 This was the top and I was proud of myself for making it. By now my legs were cramping and I couldn't go further after 4 and half miles! The kids went another 2 miles to the very top and said it was really rough!

 We ate lunch and rested here for awhile. We shared our lunch with a really cute chipmunk!

 We headed back down that rocky mountain and waited about an hour for the kids to come back down, at Cascade Lake.

Here's pictures they took up on the very top of Tallac Mtn.

It was faster going down, but still hard and slow for us. The kids were a lot faster. Mark and Bret swam, the rest cooled their feet. Lisa's ankle was really hurting her coming down!

 Barry was hurting pretty bad too. He took 4 ibuprofen at this point. Lisa took some too. That got them down the mountain!

And LaVerl took a selfie. It doesn't show his sunburned head!!

 I thinks its really good to know that "we can do hard things' and feel really good for doing them. I may not be able to walk tomorrow, but it was fun spending time with our kids and glad we are still able to do things with them!

Still Playing AND the treehouse is almost done!

The 4th of July was on a Saturday this year, so the kids got to stay through Sunday. The zipline is a hit for sure, we were just disappointed that the spiral stair and slide weren't here yet. Bret & Suzy left Sunday after dinner, so did Barry. Kari and boys stayed through Tuesday, Tami and Ryne went home on Thursday. They didn't get off until 4pm, which is 5pm Utah time. Then they had a flat tire in Winslow and didn't get home until after 2:30! That's brutal! They always stay with his folks because my house is pretty full! Lisa stayed until Friday, hoping to stay in Eagar where its cooler than the valley, but its been HOT here too and we have no air conditioning!! I was glad to have lots of help with all the cherries! Pitting them is the 'pits'!

 These 3 little ones are up pretty early, so they get cold cereal!

Their Mom would never feed them this junk, only at Gma's house!

 The spiral slide finally came! We ordered it May 8th!!

 

 Lisa and I had to help two guys get it upright. Its heavy!!

 

 It doesn't land where I thought it would. We are going to have to move our wood pile! (again)

The kids love it!

 AND the spiral stair came, well the pole came 4 days after the stairs! Its going UP!!

Aunt J'net came over and we took some cute pictures of 

Lisa's 3 littles!

 

The 4th of JULY!

The 4th of July is when our kids like to come home and enjoy the traditions they grew up with. The parade, the fireworks, the rodeo and the dances. This year was Bret's 20 year class reunion so he and his family came,  Lisa and fam, Kari and her boys and Tami's family. We had a crowd but we survived!

We had a unique parade this year, meaning I think our little town was maybe the only one who continued to have activities because of the corona virus. Everything has been shut down, mandated by Gov. Ducey. Our mayor, Bryce Hamblin, (my best friends oldest son) wrote a letter that hit social media and was highly controversial because it said that people have a right to choose what they want to do, that the government shouldn't be able to tell us that we can't have a local parade if we want to and that he will always "err on the side of freedom!"

 The parade was super long because Show Low Car Club entered all their really cool cars. They passed out over 10,000 of these flags to everyone! As long as there is candy, the grandkids think its the BEST parade ever!!

 Adlee was so cute to watch!

 Kari brought tie-dye and everyone made their own shirts!

 Lilly has learned how to 'pose' for pictures!

 It was Bret's 20 year class reunion and he loaded a whole huge ice chest full of water balloons! It took him all morning! They got had a ball getting spectators wet, but they got soaked too! We had a small ice chest full that the kids got to throw back, it was great!

This was about the only float in the parade. It had 3 trailers, the 1st on said, "Err on the side of freedom", the middle one was our 2nd amendment right and a statement from the Town of Eagar, and the 3rd one was a quote from Elder David A. Bednar about our religious freedoms.

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Later that afternoon we started picking cherries. Our pie cherry tree is always ready on the 4th of July!

Kingston and Leo hung in there for the longest, while all the other kids left to play. They got to go to the "Pop Shop" as their reward!

My three beautiful girls!

 

It was a great day, a day to remember our freedoms and all who gave their lives so that we could enjoy those freedoms, to be with family and enjoy the outdoors and our harvest.  We also played on the zipline most the day, its super fun!!