Whose idea was the smoothies?

Certainly not mine! But mmm....they were yummy!

The Mother of all Rivers

What else can I say about the Illinois River? This is our favorite swimming hole - complete with current to ride floaties on, a deep swimming hole, and jumping cliffs. And let's not forget that this is one of the warmest rivers ever. It's like bathwater!

We headed out with a whole bunch of us for some fun!

Tyler made so many leaps and strides in his swimming abilities this year. I am bursting with pride for him. He was so cute in his goggles!

Gabe

Hannah

Picnicking on and off is a good idea! There's Ashley and her little sister Molly, too.

How the Oregon Coast is different from the East Coast

Reason #1: ROCKS
Reason #2: MOUNTAINS Reason #3: Much COLDER - much WINDIER

Reason #4: DRIFTWOOD

The seagulls have feasted on crabs today.

Among Giants

Who can resist as stop at the California Redwoods when you're on your way to the beach at Crescent City?

Sean's interpretation of "Tremors"

Amazing waterfall hikes

It was really difficult to get good pictures of the waterfalls on these hikes, but I hope that you can see what a beautiful blue the water is. You can see all the way to the bottom.

The Rainy Campground

Aaron has a passion for his Swiss Army Knife. It was all I could do to talk him out of flying to Oregon with his walking stick he carved in North Carolina. So he set about carving one in the campground, and spent a lot of time on it.

Walking sticks are all finished.