OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER

We enjoyed having Melissa's family come for General Conference. We celebrated Emma's 1st birthday! We gave her a pumpkin costume for her birthday. Miriam packed her ballet clothes, so that she could show Grandma and Grandpa her "dance moves"! Melissa emailed us a picture of Andrea's and her goblins before going out to "trick or treat"! Caiden is the super hero. 

Jack was a cowboy for Halloween...he looks like he is ready to draw his gun out and shoot 'em up! Rocky did not go out "trick or treating", but he got "into" the spirit of the holiday!

 It began to snow the end of October. It snowed off and on all of November...Chuck was feeling it! The week before Thanksgiving, Megan, Rocky and Tony came to visit. Rocky had changed since the family reunion! We just don't get to see enough of these babies...they are all growing up so fast! We had a big Turkey Dinner to celebrate our time with Tony's family.

The next week, we celebrated Thanksgiving by cutting down our Christmas tree. We found our very own "sacred grove" of Noble Firs! Chuck is such a good sport!  We had to carry the tree quite a ways...forged a stream and everything on our way back to the camp truck! Chuck is very proud of our special tree...an answer to prayer! Isn't she a beauty!? One would have to pay a pretty penny for this gem of a tree in the city! Santa went straight to work stringing the lights! 

We love being snowbound...it is very romantic! We had to dig out the snow by the windows to get the light of day!

 

 

  







SEPTEMBER--FALL CLEANING

September is a good time for Eagle Projects.  The weather is always more predictably warm and dry.  A family and friends group came during the cleanup project...they were busy Friday and most of Saturday building stairs between the lodge and the wood storage area...a Great Eagle Project! Chuck charged around from one project to another to offer help where needed...all day long!

A group of men and boys gave the Amphitheater a fresh coat of paint. During Girls' Camp, the girls had sanded the stage and benches. Finishing the job, by doing the painting, has made a big difference.  It looks so great!

Steve Sainsbury built two additional rows of benches at the top...Kennewick has 300 girls, so they will really appreciated his service project!

The shed that stores the snow blowers and numerous other things such as shovels has needed paint since we arrived.  It was good to see it blend in with the other buildings!

Under the eaves of the cabins was awkward and required a ladder...this finish work made such a difference! 

 The men love to feed the chipper.  The boys like to hunt branches around camp and then watch the transformation of wood into chips...to cover bare spots on the trails around camp.

Carol loves to see the hot hose water disinfecting the bathrooms after they have been scrubbed! Everyone appreciates the lunch that is provided for the workers at the end of four hours 

of hard work!

We were not able to cut wood during the Fall Clean-up Project because of the burn ban.  There were several forest fires in the Cascade Mountains...one within a few miles away from Camp Zarahemla! Chuck took a picture of the helicopter with a bucket, that keeps coming to Clear Lake to refill its bucket with water, and then fly off to empty its contents on the fire.

The end of September, some sweet people, Elaine and Clark Rice, came with family and friends to Camp "Z".  Their last day, they came into the house and visited with us for hours!  We just love them.  We have since stayed the night with them in Bellevue where they live...the night before a Camp Missionary Conference. They are lifetime friends!

 

AUGUST--FAMILY REUNION

When everyone arrived, and before the children all got their clothes dirty, we took pictures. Carol's sister, Kathy, and her daughter Suzanne, with four children, came for the first two days. We loved having them with us. It was fun to see them interact with their second cousins. 

The Reunion was a blast...there were canoe races and paddle boat tours, while the baby-sitters relaxed on the shore...ignoring the babies who were eating rocks! Some rode bikes, while others held and kissed babies, and still others went for icy plunges into the lake!

One day we took little ones over to the sand bar to play in the sand and water. 

The food was GREAT! Working in the kitchen is always more fun with those you love!

We played "Minute-to-Win-It", colored pictures, built marshmallow shooters, played water games and had a Talent Show on the stage of our outdoor Amphitheater...we even had background music! 

One morning, we hiked the trail in the "Grove of the Patriarchs", Mt. Rainier National Park, and had a picnic lunch. Chuck and I are "tree huggers"...Haha!

The last day we celebrated Chuck's birthday, had a finale bonfire, and testimony meeting that night! 

Anna and Melissa stayed an extra night out in the cabins. Anna and her girls stayed an extra few days with us, and then visited Melissa's family for their last "hurrah" before flying back to Florida. 

The end of August, Chuck and Carol went back to Mt. Rainier to Paradise Inn and hiked the beautiful trails.  The meadows were alive with color!  The wild flowers were amazing!