We ended up in canoes first, but then Emma really wanted to try out a paddle boat. In fact, after we got one, she and Austin insisted on trying to paddle. Perhaps needless to say...we didn't go very far.
After that we had dinner and played bingo. The bingo prizes consisted of lots of things Grandma had purchased and never used or given out as gifts as she probably intended to. There were many strange items to choose from...for example Austin ended up with a battery operated skateboarding troll...
Later on, my dad set up his telescope and we got to look at some planets like Jupiter. We also got to get a nice close-up view of the moon. There was a game of Wits and Wagers with my brother, and then went to bed ourselves.
After breakfast the next morning, my dad took us on a nature walk. My dad loves learning about plants and their various properties and uses, so he was the perfect person to lead such a walk.
Then we went hiking.
After that, we ate lunch, cleaned up camp, and headed home.
But not for long...we were back in the area by Monday evening to spend some time at The Homestead.
First however, we stopped by a pool party to hang out with some good friends and former roommates. We weren't planning on having time to eat dinner there originally, but as things turned out, we were able to stay longer than expected.
In fact, when we arrived at The Homestead, the rest of my family was still not back from going out to dinner. So, we used the extra time to walk around and visit The Crater.
After they did return, we had some birthday cake and presents to celebrate my dad's birthday!
The next morning, most of my family wanted to play golf. The rest of us though went for a short hike/walk to the historic Huber Grove. It took us awhile to get started as Emma started having some issues beforehand. Meanwhile though, Austin and his younger cousin Abbie played on a playground and talked to a man who was digging stuff out of the nearby pond. He showed Austin how to pick up the crayfish that had come from the pond.
After Emma calmed down, we were able to go on our hike. Mostly, it followed the road to the grove. But the grove itself was very pleasant with lots of old apple trees in the orchards, a couple historic buildings, some picnic tables to eat our snacks at, and Snake Creek running nearby.
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| The historic house |
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| The Creamery |
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| My brother and his family on the bridge across Snake Creek |
After returning to The Homestead and eating lunch, we tried to get the kids to take a nap. We knew they were tired after going to bed so late and waking up early, which inevitably leads to lots of grumpy moodiness. Unfortunately, our attempts at getting them to sleep proved futile, so we gave up and all went bowling.
Nate decided to try to mimic the pose of the bowler on the sign at the bowling alley.
So, of course the kids had to give that a try too!
After bowling, we naturally had to go swimming. We had great fun playing with taking video underwater.
We also spent some time hanging out in the pool with mineral water from The Crater.
After swimming and showering, we had dinner. This was followed by cheesecake to celebrate Gram and Gramp's birthdays. (The Homestead trip was their birthday gift.) After kids were in bed (once again, late), we played a game before heading to bed ourselves.
The next day after breakfast everyone except our family headed to Cascade Springs. We had just gone with Nate's family early this summer, so we decided to do something different. Actually, I wasn't feeling the best, so I tried to take a nap while Nate, Emma, and Austin played a game and played on the playground. After waking up, I was feeling better, so we headed to the activity center where the kids colored and watched a movie while Nate and I played pool. After everyone else returned from the springs, we ate lunch and headed out.
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