Crescent City Views! (6/09)

My favorite views from the California coastline around Crescent City!

I love the mist in the pictures above and below.

So very beautiful...........

I love these sights.........

I will always remember this as the location where I bruised my shin, knee, thigh, and hip. I was focused on taking this picture and not where I was walking. There was a space between the boards as wide as my thigh. I stepped right into that space and fell through as far as my leg would go. My foot was in the water. My shoe was soaked. My pants were wet up to my knee and the bruises were up to my hip. I had a scrape on my shin that was bruised and scabbed over. It was more than two weeks before the bruising and soreness went away. It sure did hurt for a long time!

I loved the clover and it reminded me of being a little girl on the farm and hunting for 4 leaf clovers during the summers. When I found one, I'd keep it in a book.

I loved this picture taken from the bottom of the redwood tree and looking to the sky above.

The beautiful ocean..........

Charity strolling down to the ocean........... So relaxing..........

This is a field with lots of elk! I think it was Nate that found this spot. The elk waited patiently for us to take pictures then ran away! You can see the ocean in the background below the sky!
What a sight!

To see the views from the rental home we stayed in - see the pictures at this website: http://www.vrbo.com/193825
The house had spectacular views - no other people or houses in sight. (The driveway was a killer to go up! Wow! I wouldn't have rented the house if I had known how steep the driveway was and long too!) The views of the redwoods and the ocean from the house were awesome! If you're ever looking for a great place to stay in Crescent City, I recommend this location!

Casey, Jenna & Weston (June 2009)

This was a close-up of saying good-bye before the men's hike/camping trip!
Jenna has such a beautiful smile.

The family by the redwood tree..........

Jenna and Weston at the ocean...........

Casey was like a mountain goat climbing up the rocks on the side of this hill. It was really high and he was really quick. I had to really zoom in or you couldn't even see him so the bottom was a long ways down from what this picture shows! Casey has lots of courage!

Jason, Ashley & Paisley (June 2009)

Paisley loves to see what's happening!

I love this picture with Jason and Paisley with the ocean behind them.

The family in the redwoods!

Two photographers in the family! Fun family time together!

The family by the redwood tree.........

Jason and Ashley together!

This is the exact spot where Jason announced that another baby was on the way! Jason was sitting in the same chair and Ashley was standing to his right. Jason just casually mentioned they wouldn't be able to come home for Christmas this year because of the baby! We were all surprised. I remember looking at Ashley and her stomach was flat! We are excited for the next baby - especially since we won't know the gender until he/she arrives. I think it's going to be a boy. The baby will arrive in November.
This will be my 6th grandchild! I am such a lucky grandmother!

Ashley has so much patience with cute little Princess Paisley!
Isn't the pink raincoat from Aunt Charity adorable also?

The photographer in action! If I see him taking a picture, I know I'm missing a great sight if I don't take a picture also! It's great to be taking pictures with Jason around!

Nate, Misty, Adalei & Brielle (June 2009)

One happy dad with his two girls! Misty was in the car because it was windy and chilly.

Above, Adalei and Brielle are so cute together! I just love this picture of them!

The whole family in the Redwoods!

This picture is the inside of a huge redwood tree. The girls were having so much fun!

Walking on the beach at Crescent City........

Tide Pools & Paul Bunyan (6/09)

There are two starfish in the picture above - a smaller, purplish one is just above the orange one that is easy to see.

Everyone had a great time in the tide pools and Jason was able to get some awesome shots! Little Weston wasn't very far behind!

This is a crab, right?

I intended for the picture above and the one below to be at the end. Oh, well! I'm not as good at blogging as the rest of you. This picture above is of Paul Bunyan's blue ox.

Can you believe how huge this Paul Bunyan is? Look at Casey by his shoe to get an idea. The kids were a little intimidated because Paul Bunyan spoke loud and waved his hand. You could talk to him and he would answer you. I was a little intimidated myself but it didn't stop me from asking him a couple of questions!

Adalei was following the crab she found.........

Exploring on the beach above - Misty holding Brielle, Paisley and Weston in front.....

Look at princess Paisley holding this starfish! This girl is brave or very obedient to her father or maybe both! This starfish was even alive. It was a fun activity for the day!

Camping & Cookies (June 5, 2009)

Jason, Nate, and Casey decided to go on a hike and camp overnight. I can't remember how far they hiked but I know they crossed Hwy.101 so it was more than 6 miles one way. Maybe they were at the Demartin area as they had me take a picture of this sign upon their return.

Little Weston was so cute - without any coaching he figured out that there was water in the tube. The hikers took 5 gallons of water and still had some left when they got back. So Weston had fun drinking from it before and after their hike. We were just amazed that he figured it out by himself.

Ashley made some delicious cookies and they looked so nice I just had to take a picture! They were as good as they look. The cookies disappeared fast. I'm not sure the campers even got to take any with them. Ashley did great!

Adalei was enjoying her cookie...........

While the men were hiking and camping, we decided that the ladies would have a special activity. Casey had Weston try out the bubbles foot bath. We liked it better than he did.

Look at those heavy back packs!

Saying good-bye to the men before they left for their special activity. There were bears in the area so I was a little bit concerned........

Well, I picked up our hiker/campers on Hwy. 101 and took them back to the car. I think they said they ran out of time to hike back to the car. It was kind of hard to find them as I wasn't clear on exactly where they would be. Jason seemed happy to see us arrive!

Oh, this is the other picture from the ladies night activity - we did manicures and pedicures while watching the DVD, Mama Mia! It's my favorite - I just love the music.
I had a great time and hope Charity, Jenna, Ashley and Misty did also.

This is a picture of before the men left - Weston had been drinking out of the water container so when Casey put it on his back to see how heavy it was, Weston was trying to get more water. I think Casey had the heaviest load to carry since he had the water!

We all had a great time hearing about the men's experiences hiking/camping and look forward to the men's activity each reunion. I'm sure we'll be laughing about some of the stories for years to come! (Jason has more details on his blog.)

Casey's 27th Birthday Party! (2009)

All the gifts.................

The awesome birthday cake! Impressive and delicious!

Jenna sure knew what would make Casey happy for his birthday! He was very pleased! He always loves tools also. Jenna prepared an awesome dinner for him too - all his favorites! The rest of us were so glad to be there and enjoy the celebration!

My #1 Daughter! (June 2009)

I was so excited to look at my family reunion pictures and find so many of them with Charity smiling! It can be difficult to get a picture of her! Doesn't she look great? I am so grateful that I have her for my daughter!

Charity just loves to spend time with Paisley and Weston! She is the best aunt. I think she makes sure she sees them every week. They all look so happy together. I think I got Weston these cute pajamas for his first birthday.

Charity was a big help in the kitchen. Since I was still recovering from my surgery, I wasn't up to a lot of work yet. This is an amazing kitchen with a flat screen TV on the wall.

Charity spent a lot of time in this bunk bed - reading and resting!

This is Charity in her car - she shares it with her brothers. She's a great sister too.

Walking on the beach!

I even look pretty good in this picture above! Me and my darling daughter! I am so happy!

Charity in the lead - coming back from a little hike to the ocean! Actually Casey, Jenna & Weston had already made it to the car and, just like the pioneers, Casey went back to help those that were following!