Summertime glimpses...

Summertime seemed to flash by so quickly this summer - reminiscent of my childhood when school first got out in June it seemed like forever until September and then suddenly being thrown back into days of sitting in hard, uncomfortable desks and nights of studying had come back all too soon.  (Seeing friends again was of course a huge plus!)

  

                                                         

Kids being kids!

                                                   

Hiking with family and friends in Grand Teton National Park

Hiking in the Tetons

June 3 was my father's 99th birthday!  My sisters and I and some of the grandkids made the trek to warm and sunny and wonderful San Diego to celebrate.  Cathy's trip was suddenly cut short when Gerry fell and broke his hip and her presence was definetly missed.  We all enjoyed spending time with Dad and he kept saying how much he just enjoyed listening to his family enjoy each other.

Dad's 99th Birthday party in San Diego on the harbor.

Spending a week in Jackson with Colleen, Erik and the girls, Amy and her little ones and Ryan and Emily,  sharing in our long time friends son's wedding celebration gave our summer the perfect beginning.

This summer we were blessed to have wonderful visits - both short and long with family and friends and a few new faces:)  The summer weather arrived later than it should have but still cooperated enough to share our little edge of the Willamette river.  Wakeboarding and skiing proved to be a favorite activity and "Grace" did her part by running well throughout the summer - providing hours of parading passengers and boarders up and down the river.  Some would like her to be glitzed up with a tower but watching Ryan sail over the water hasn't convinced me we really need one:)  Though they all keep trying!

Lots of breakfasts on the patio and barbeques sandwiched our days - giving us all time to connect and enjoy each other.  Laughter and song filled the house.

Little ones ready for a ride on "Grace"

Somehow in between, we managed to complete the retaining wall - well I helped unload blocks and shovel gravel - and Ryan built the wall and stairs.  Michelle and I picked 17 pounds of strawberries and made jam or froze them - to be enjoyed at a later date!  Early morning boat rides with just the three of us - Ryan and Michelle perfecting their wakeboarding tricks and trying some new ones (bare footing - pretty funny!)  helped round out our days.  (Ryan's new job and my weekends at the flower shoppe kept us grounded.)

One Tuesday evening we enjoyed sailing on the Columbia River with a couple who had donated an afternoon through a fund raiser Michelle and I had attended.  Lucky for us, Tuesdays are designated sailing regatta days and the warm sun and breezes brought many colorful boats out to play.

Sailing on the Columbia River

As summer waned the evenings on the river quieted and  I often found myself trying to capture the sunsets from the bow of our kayak.  It was quiet and majestic - God painting pictures of solitude and glory.  Time for quiet reflection and prayer and finishing off with a sprint back to the dock before it was completely dark.

Usually I look forward to fall and the warm days and cooler nights that create the myriad of orange and red colors but this year I still long for summer - at least a few more Indian summer days.  There is always hope for tomorrow....

So summer did fly by but we managed to squeeze a lot of fun and memories in.

Spending time with two of my favorite people!

So yes I did start this post in October and because loading pictures was taking nearly an eternity (my internet is working better these days) I have not finished it until now (December 30th!)...Thanksgiving and Christmas also were celebrated in between:)