Summer Was Awesome

 I have missed blogging but have no good excuse for not logging in nightly. This summer has been one adventure after another with one summer duty or need after another leaving absolutely no spare moment that has not left me exhausted and deciding I really need to get some sleep. Yes, this night-owl has been to bed before 10:00 p.m. many nights the past month ( August ), so maybe that is my excuse ! I needed to get some sleep. We did some camping last month with our daughter & her family, and my husband's brother and his wife. ( Above is our little Jayco trailer , our home away from home when we're camping. )

 We camped at Iron Creek Campground near Randall, Washington. I am the gray-haired lady in the picture with my husband and 4 of our grandchildren. This campground is so beautiful with ancient trees, fast moving rivers, hiking trails, berry picking, fishing... just an amazing place to camp with family and friends. A place that is so beautiful and magnificent there are not adequate words to describe it. "Awesome" comes close, if you're using the intended definition of the over-used word.

 We've spent quite a bit of time at our home over the mountains too. Our youngest son and his wife  who live near-by this home are expecting their first baby after 13 years of marriage and this little long-hoped-for miracle is due any day now ! My husband & oldest grandson are shown here after checking out the woods and pond and discussing what needs to be done for next year's hay crop.

 Our oldest grandson is a very hard working young man and has his heart set on raising Galloway cattle. He and his mom ( our daughter ) discovered there was a couple who raise Galloway cattle near our home on the other side of the mountains and our grandson has worked hard to earn the money to buy a calf from these lovely people. We visited them and their herd a second time, where our grandson saw his calf. She isn't ready to leave her momma yet, but in a few weeks ...

 One of the perks of our trip over the mountains is the time to hang out with these characters . Yes, along with our oldest grandson who traveled with us are his 6 cousins ( or 6 more of our grandchildren ) . You just know you're going to be amused and entertained when you sit down with this group. If you make sure you have a lot of Cheetos and chocolate pudding to share you're in for an even better time !

 My husband & I also began a bedroom / bathroom re-model late this spring, and are finally finishing up. I use the "we" generously , because my husband really did almost all of the work himself after the plumber re-fitted the plumbing for our new spa bathtub. This is the old master bedroom as we began to clear away and move things for the work to be done. The room is now repainted, the tub and sink have lovely tile my husband cut & fitted perfectly , and after this month I'll have the carpet shampooed, new curtains, bedspread... oh, lots of things.

 We can't escape gardening around here either. With all that we have going on my husband also raised a bumper crop of beans and cucumbers. I promised him I would process and preserve all his hard -earned harvest . This is the number 1 reason I have had no spare time or energy. We here in the Pacific Northwest have had a record number of days over 80 degrees in July & August. We do not have central air-conditioning and I have been over-heating myself as I have been canning in our kitchen with the temperatures indoors at about 80 to 90 degrees daily. Believe me when I tell you I wilt at 72 degrees. Yes, this wilted blogger was very happy to go to bed before 10:00 p.m. for many a night lately. I must confess, we have a teeny tiny air-conditioner in our bedroom , so it wasn't hard to choose going to bed over blogging !

 The reward for all that hot and hard work was worth it though.

Summer is almost over, and although it is my least favorite season, it was a summer well spent. My youngest grandson shown above with our dog Whimsy  is soon to be the 2nd to youngest grandchild and grandson. My dog Whimsy is over 1 year old now and she has proven to be very good dog, wonderful camper, and all around excellent companion to our family. The year has gone by so quickly and soon my favorite season will bring with it the weather I love . As I look over my blog from its' beginning, a beginning that started as our family eagerly awaited the birth of the grandson shown above with my Whimsy, I see how quickly things can change in a life, how what seems an insurmountable life situation can in a few short years turn into something quite amazingly different. Not what was expected , but every bit as "awesome" and blessed.