Family Reunion-July 7-10, 2011

The next portion of our trip was spent at a Family Reunion for Randy's Mom's side of the family. Grandpa Clarence is in the center of the picture above and this was 'some' of the family that attended the reunion. People came and went, so it was impossible to get everyone but this may have been the majority.

Below is pictures of our family. Everyone made it!


Auntie Aleta and Melita...
It was SO fun to be with Russ and Andrea and family and finally meet little Trevin...

It was such a special time to be together with so many that we don't see very often. Here are some more random pictures of the days...






















We also enjoyed time at the waterslide/pool, seeing Uncle Don's bees and gold panning machine, playing Foosball and ping-pong, singing and listening to beautiful music, fireworks and pit fires, good food and visits, and wonderful studies and fellowship together. Saturday evening also included birthday cake for our 9 year old! Pictures to come.

We had such a restful, enriching time together. We left on Sunday feeling like our trip was complete and we could just as well head home, but then we remembered we still had a week to go!

Where to next?
Alison

The Gates of the Mountains

On July 6th, 2011, over 200 years later, we are in the area Meriwether Lewis and his Corps of Discovery encountered so long ago. Instead of canoe's we are getting ready to board a tour boat. The boat is behind Randy and the kids to the right...
Here are the kids and I on the boat, pulling out from the docks...
...and headed into the 'gates'. Our tour guide/captain Kyle, is silhouetted in the bottom left of this picture. He was super informative and a great story-teller!
We saw many interesting limestone formations...
A naturally occurring 'monster face' ...
And a 'bridge'...
This is the place (below) where some believe Lewis and his men spent the night after entering the gates that evening of July 19th. The campground that is here now is named after John Colter, one of the members of the Corp of Discovery with Lewis and Clark. He was the first known white man to set foot in Yellowstone Park and not many in those days believed his tales of what he saw there. We were surprised to see this sign spell his name 'Coulter' as all of history records his name as 'Colter'. Maybe someone didn't use spell check!?
How neat to see Indian pictographs as we went by these rocks...
The cauliflower looking flora that we saw on these cliffs in the canyon are actually part of the rose family and they bloom with a tiny purple rose in the early spring. There is only 2 other places on the earth that they are known to grow...

We also learned about the Mann Gulch fire that occurred here in 1949. To read about this most tragic event go here. It forever changed the way fire fighters were trained to survive in a fire...
Looking back on the 'open gates'...
...and watching the gates close.

A lot has changed in 200 years. I try and imagine what Mr. Lewis and his men would have felt as they came to this part in their journey along the Missouri River. Maybe Steven Ambrose says it best in his book about the expedition, Undaunted Courage. On page 253 he writes...

Lewis led the canoes up the river. It was hard going, whether using the cord, the setting poles, or the paddles. Whenever the mountains broke back to give a view, there was to their right the disheartening sight of lofty summits all covered with snow, standing between the expedition and it's goal.

Alison

Holter Lake!

The next two nights on our trip were spent at Holter Lake, a place were Randy remembers coming when he was younger, to camp with family. He also remembers time spent fishing there with his uncle in his high-school days. It was fun to finally see it and spend some time there after hearing so much about it over the years. The days were very warm and we were lucky enough to get a site right near the swimming area!

Here is our little bathing beauty blowing bubbles (say that fast 10 times)...
A lovely swimming area...
...but the little 'bathing beauty' decided the water was much too cold! She didn't even want her feet in it. lol!
So the next day she and I stayed in the trailer in air-conditioned comfort while the rest of the crew swam.

Sleeping sweetie...

And I scrap-booked on my computer! What's not to love!
The evening was beautiful for fishing...
I can almost see his Daddy fishing here 30-some years ago. Not so much has changed...

While we camped here we also got to do something we've (Randy and I) been wanting to do for years-see The Gates of the Mountains! Coming up next...

Have a great weekend!
Alison

Bread Sticks!

We interrupt our family trip posts to bring you these...


Here's another great bread idea for my favorite bread recipe. The bread recipe it here. The bread stick directions are here. And in case you forgot, Country Kitchen Recipes is here.

Enjoy these with your soup or spaghetti like we do,
Alison

The Sleeping Giant

A few days before we left on our long awaited summer vacation trip, the kids and I headed to the library in town to check out some books and some Hank the Cow Dog CD's. One of the books we checked out was a cute story called Carolinda Clatter about a little girl named Carolinda who loved noise. One day she made too much noise and stirs a sleeping giant and she is sent to put him back to sleep. She soothes him by singing him lullabies...

This sleeping giant had been sleeping for hundreds of years. Grass grew all over him and his eyes became two ponds, his beard and the hair on his head became forests and all kinds of animals came to live in them. People came to live on him too and they said "This mountain looks just like a sleeping giant. We must be quiet and careful not to wake him." They were very careful to be quiet... but then Carolinda Clatter came along...

It was a fun, picture filled book to read.

A few days later on our trip, IMAGINE our surprise when we were driving en-route between Helena and Great Falls and Randy says, "There's the sleeping giant!" as he pointed out the window in front of us. We all looked in total disbelief out the window and this is what we saw...

We really never imagined we would see the sleeping giant on our trip! The big scary, sad giant that Carolinda had encountered so long ago!

We certainly didn't want to wake the sleeping giant so we tried to be very quiet and careful! We saw him for a few days and we traveled through and around the area and he continued to sleep on and on, happily dreaming that he's dancing with the moon...

So if you're ever heading through Montana on I-15, look up and see the Giant. Hopefully he will continue to sleep on as he has done for hundreds and hundreds of years! It is said that even Lewis and Clark looked for him as a landmark on their exploration trip across the country after hearing about him from Indian tribes further east.

If you doubt this post is true, check out this story Carolinda Clatter! by Mordicai Gerstein
and this Wikopedia information on The Sleeping Giant near Helena, Montana.

I 'nose' I've said it before but... I love it when life happens this way,
Alison

July 4th 2011

Lita laying on my lap while Randy fishes and the kids swim

On Monday July 4th, we finished packing up our trailer and headed down the road for a family summer vacation. We had done just enough RV traveling in the past to know that we really enjoyed it. We spent our first night at Holland Lake in the Swan Valley. It is a place I remember going to once as a little girl. It was a beautiful setting for the evening...
We did have some unwanted visitors... the mosquitoes! Luckily I remembered the citronella spray and that helped a lot.
After supper, we took a little walk along the lake. Then we spent the rest of our evening together around the campfire...
The next morning we packed up and headed on down the road. We really hope to go back to this beautiful lake someday though.

To be continued...

Alison

Away

I've been away for a while.

We've all been away for a while.

In fact, this is the longest outing we've ever taken since we've been a family.

It's been wonderful. It's been rich. It's been epic.

It's been all of the above.

Tonight I find myself struggling with the fact that tomorrow we will return to r.e.a.l. life.

I'm going to miss every minute and every mile, every special place, and every special face we've left behind us,

I'm going to miss the adventures each new day brought,

I'm going to miss the map in one hand because the GPS didn't always know the way; and I'm going to miss the camera in my other hand.

But most of all I'm going to miss the 24/7 time spent with my family, all 5/6th's of them.

Many pictures and posts to come...

Tours Yruly,
Alison

June Days!

*thanks for this sling that you made for us Auntie Melinda! It makes me really happy!*

"HELLO" from Montana! Hope you're not blinded by our white skin but it has only recently turned warmer here. We are still keeping our jackets nearby but... have enjoyed a few days of short sleeves too! The snow still lays heavy in the mountains and the rivers and streams are running high. But other than that, all is well here in the North county and we are having a wonderful "summer"! Here is a little of what we've been up to these days...

The day school got out we headed out of town in our trailer for our annual fellowship convention. They were special days. We were able to take a few pictures while there but mostly remember the days, not by pictures, but by what was written on our hearts. I hope I will always remember these special things and can recall them to mind as my year unfolds.

Here are some robin eggs found by the wood pile. A black bear and a momma deer and fawn were also spotted but no picture to prove it...

It was so fun to see some cousins and have a little time together. Lane, Morgan and Logan are so much fun!

Troy and Colter! We are excited to go to Troy's house later this summer!..

After convention, cousin Elaine came home with us for the night! It was so fun to hear her play her Sarangi from Napal. What a beautiful, full sound it made...

Popcorn and visit together around the table before we all headed to bed. We were all SO tired...

For the next week and a half, our days fell into routine of laundry, cleaning, popsicles, chores, learning, library, riding bikes, jumping, and sleeping...lots of sleeping-for Lita anyway. Here is Lita sleeping in her bassinet one morning. I wonder how much longer she will be able to fit in it...

She looks like she just wants to climb right out of that Bumbo and help her brother!

Using the swing, the one that I thought I would never use again! This swing has been such a great thing to have around...
Lucky us! We got to head to another Convention! Here we are in our "home away from home" at an RV park near the great divide on our way east. Grandma and Grandpa stayed right next to us too...


How tranquil to see elk grazing in the meadow nearby...
Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures from our days but we enjoyed them very much and we got to see lots more cousins including Tyler, Boyd and Monte. It was also special to see Grandpa Clarence too. Our days were full of good things!

Back at home our routines continued. Weeding the garden was added to the chore list and I'm happy to say that the entire garden got weeded this week! What a beautiful site, and the kids are a few dollars richer too...

More playing and the majority of it takes place on the trampoline these days! Maya and Kyla...

and Abby (neighbors grand-daughter) and Colter...

The peonies are finally blooming. Don't you love how they tickle your nose when you bury your face in their lush, scented, pink petals?..

This is a quick update and pictures seem to say it best.
Hope you all have a wonderful July!

All for now,
Alison