Bear Lake Adventure!

A perfect day for a walk around Bear Lake.  Talena, Angie, Laurie and I met at the lake around 10 AM.  The sun was shining and there was a chill in the air.  It was a beautiful fall day, although it felt more like winter.  Off we go!   

Lots of joy here.  I am thankful that I get to hang out with these ladies.  

Taking gloves off to take pictures wasn't the best idea in the beginning but I did it anyway.  I couldn't resist. The scenery was just too special.  God's creation at its finest.  

I just pointed the camera on my phone toward the sun and took the picture.  I really didn't know how it would turn out.  Love the colors on the clouds.

A sun blob!!!  Reflection pictures are the best.  The sun is reflected on the frozen lake. Glorious!

How do I get my phone camera off of live?  I tried to help but it didn't work.  I know how to do it on my phone.  It was a good effort. 

A pause in the action for a photo.  

This is us trying to figure out how to get all 4 of us in a selfie.  

Better! Laurie had a brilliant idea.  Put the camera in position and then get our faces in the camera.  

Good idea!  

Along the way we threw rocks on the lake to get an idea of how frozen the lake was.  Could we crack the ice? We couldn't crack it with the small rocks we were using.  And up went Laurie, on a mission to get a bigger rock. 

Up, up and away! 

You know that feeling when your children do something dangerous and your heart jumps up out of your chest.  Well, I experienced that feeling at this moment. I turned around after taking a picture of Laurie and there is Talena testing out the depth of the ice.  Will it crack if I set on it?

Of course I recovered enough to snap a couple of pictures. I am really glad I didn't get a picture of her cracking the ice.  

Laurie rolled the rock down the hill. 

The rock!

I really thought I was brilliant! I captured Angie throwing the rock into the lake and the rock cracking a hole in the lake and it sinking below the ice.  Not so!  This is all I got.  I have no idea what I did.  Click to see a one second video of a rock flying.

I did get a picture of the hole and the air under the ice.  Talena was hoping to see a penguin come up out of the hole.  That didn't happen! I like the colors of the frozen lake.  You don't really see those colors just looking at the lake.  They show up in the picture. 

There was some talk about this being a man-made lake as we walked around the lake.  Nope, it was made by bears! That's why it is called Bear Lake.  Perfectly logical.   I will end right there except to say the fellowship is a blessing from God and we had that today.  

Christmas Decorations 2020

I take pictures every year of my Christmas decorations so I remember how I decorated for the next years decorations.  

 

Thanksgiving 2020

I was pretty excited for this Thanksgiving. The Lathrops joined us.  A family Thanksgiving is the best!!! 

Chef Gleason at work getting the turkey ready. Can you tell he is in his happy place?  

A masterpiece!

And here they are!!!  Lucy on the left and Layne on the right.  Love these girls and I am so proud of them.  They have great parents for sure!  

Lucy loves animals!

The Thanksgiving feast!

There was a little competition around who had the most food on their plate.  The real competition should have been who could actually eat all the food on their plate.  

Lucy was right up there with Mike and Justin as far as the quantity on her plate.  

Such a great picture and I am glad Justin didn't tilt that plate too much!  

Lots of laughter and fun and thankfulness here!

Game time.  Mike cheated last time we played this game.  Hard to believe but he did.  He told me later he looked in our mirror to see what he was on the card on his head.  Naughty.  Needless to say we kept a close eye on him.  

Next game, Apples to Apples.  It is so fun to play games together!  No TV, no football games just laughter and togetherness. It was a night to remember.  We all go so busy it is nice to slow down and enjoy each other.  It was a beautiful evening and I couldn't be more proud of this family.  

 

Hiking to Heaven?

There is hiking and there is HIKING.  I was invited to join Laurie, Talena and Angie for a hike.  5.5 miles.  Typical hike for me!  Just the right length. Boy, was I wrong.  The uphill was difficult as it always is.  A little steeper and the rocks, especially the loose ones, presented a challenge!  

The views, oh the views!  God's creation at its finest.  

Still smiling here! 

This nice road didn't last long!

Angie was really good at this hiking thing.  She moved faster than me and had time to create some art.  Actually, I think Laurie and Talena could have kept up with her but they were kind enough to hang out with me. 

Worth the struggle, the hard part is over and the view was worth every step.  This is Lake Coeur d Alene in Idaho.  If you look in the bottom right corner you can see a man that carried a baby with him on this hike.  

So beautiful!  Now downhill, the easier part.  NOT.  It was more difficult (for me) than the uphill.  I would have taken some pictures of the decline but I needed my hands to steady me.  Several comments were made by someone about going down and how people fall forward, most fall/accidents happen on the downhill. It was so encouraging!  I did have three slight falls, nothing serious.  The journey down was filled with loose rocks and very steep spots.  Lots of sideways walking.  My friends would find the best path for me to follow.  The path of least resistance.  My legs never got the downhill rest. I was thankful that my buddies were patient with me!  I was the oldest of the bunch.  Can I use that as an excuse?  This hike was classified as difficult.  I think I will stick to moderate hikes!  I did it and I survived.  It always feels good to accomplish something difficult.