Grand Canyon Outing

Rich and I took off for a little get-away. I have never seen the Grand Canyon and so we took off just the two of us.One of my favorite moments during our visit was sitting on the edge of the canyon waiting for the sun to set.
It was breath taking and quiet. There were many people walking by and watching. They were all speaking different languages but they were all speaking so quiet.
It was almost like we were there all alone. It was really a beautiful memory for me.
I also loved to walk along the edge of the grand canyon. I could not believe how huge and vast this place actually is.
We had a wonderful time together, Thanks Rich for taking me here. Love you!

Stream Jumping - Pine Valley

Why do we jump streams .... because we can ! As little kids we ran up and down the stream getting muddy and wet. The little stream runs all year and many little fish (brook trout) inhabit the stream. Check out these active young people.

Jimmy gets the most air out of all the contestants. The B52 arm form gives him balance and lift.

Rachel clicks her heals for joy because she is soooo happy to be married to Jimmy and that they were able to be in Pine Valley together.

Heather is just glad she made it over the river without a face plant.

Corey is using his Olympic long jump form to get a few more inches. The tongue movements also get him a little more distance.

Richie jumps here for the mighty M.V Bruins. Arms are not held as good as Jimmy. Could have experienced more lift if he would have followed his example. Nice yell though !

I had to put one more of Jimmy to show his Orthopteran-like abilities.

Stream Dip Pine Valley

Every year we attend Pine Valley, almost everyone takes a dip into the frigid stream. I am highlighting Richie, Jimmy, Rachel and Heather even though many of the observers in the background of these images did the same. I hope that Jamie and Lisa post some of their water images. The goal was to stay under the water for a few seconds. Yes it was very cold.

Let the razzing begin. Needless to say there were many words of encouragement.
OK get your head and toes under the water !!!

Yea !!! All the way into the freezing water !!!

Everyone who came out of the water had interesting facial expressions.

Accompanying the facial expressions were loud vocal noises.
I love the way the water is falling off his head and arm. You can click on the images to get an enlarged image.
Quick movement by his left hand kept him from falling back into the water. The shock of freezing water causes the body to fling every which way....while scrambling towards warm dry ground.

Look closely at Richie spitting protista and various water organisms (gardia, paramecium, amoeba etc.). Hey next time don't drink the water.

After a quick shake of the head he made a quick escape to the shore.

Yea ......... I'm done !!

Jimmy you get "the back smack" award. This backwards belly flop is not only skillful but daring. Beautiful splash !
Now you see me!
Now you don't !
It took about 20 minutes to get Heather in the water.
After the chanting and razing they are about ready to enter the water.
Heather keep your shorts on......there are people behind you!
Just as we were ready to give up Rachel pulled her into the water (look at her Kung Fu grip on Heather). Help Mommy, please save me from the freezing water. Daddy is so mean for making me go in the water. Mommy !!
Rachel is all the way under the water and Heather made a valiant effort. Thanks you guys it was very entertaining.
Flee... quick..... watch out for the leeches !

Cooking in Pine Valley

Here are a few images of people preparing and tasting the camp cuisine. There were many good meals and thank you to all who prepared and cleaned up. My favorite meal was Grandma G's slow cooked pork. Great stuff !

We are getting ready to prepare dinner. Rachel has the cutting board and Corey is looking for food. He was are official taster !

Some of us did some dirty work ...... cleaning the fish. Conner was a good sport and cleaned all these fish by himself. Brandon also cleaned a lot of fish.

Father and son cook breakfast "IRON CHIEF" style. Bacon, eggs, and pancakes...YES!

What would camp be without pancakes..... well according to Lynne it would not be a camp breakfast.

Luke was Lynne's big helper.
Keep on stirring little man!

Fishing Pine Valley Reunion

I cannot remember a time we did not catch fish at Pine Valley. The fishing was good with velveeta cheese, power bait and castmaster lures (gold, silver, and Jimmy's Special). Everyone who wanted to catch a fish hooked into a rainbow or brook trout.

Heather caught the biggest planter (rainbow) I have seen at Pine Valley.
Of course Corey and Richie wanted to be seen with the proud angler.

Momma G waiting patiently for a fishy to bite her cheese.

Not all fished, but most came down to support. Here Gina and crew are waiting their turn with David (Daddy).

Jimmy is not only an angler but an engineer of fine fishing gear. Jimmy and Rachel modified a castmaster lure (proprietary information sorry I cannot tell you what he did) and caught fish when others were just wetting a line.
Rachel enjoyed fishing, but I think she enjoyed watching Jim more!

Jacob kept Dan and Jessica very busy but both had time to catch some fish. I think Jessica out fished Daniel if you take into account the number of fish caught per cast. Good job Jessica.... sorry Dan.
Jacob is off and running to explore the natural world. He really enjoyed all the people and the newness of the whole experience.

David and Josh enjoy some fishing time. David and crew had a very good cast to catch ratio.

Richie and I walked over the stream to the south side of the reservoir to make a few casts. We caught two fish but the heat was getting to me so we called it a day and went back to camp. The campground is surrounded by big ponderosa pine trees so one can always find some shade.
Big Daddy also known as Jim is helping the Hammer ('my hands are like ice picks' Sink) remove a trebble hook deep from the bowels of this fish. Hammer is very careful around hooks since his incident. For more information see the Sink family blog. It will be well worth your time. It was fun to spend time with the Sink clan. They have all grown so much !

Badminton - Pine Valley Style

For those of you who don't know Pine Valley is located just north of St. George Utah. It was nice to have our family reunion in a loved location. All of Grandma and Grandpa's kids and many extended family members participated. It was one of my fondest Pine Valley trips. I plan on posting a few of the activities we enjoyed. I have many images but will only post a few.
First up is Badminton !!! When we were young kids, grandma and grandpa took us to Pine Valley and games were a big part of our daily activities. Most family members played and if they did not played they officiated or cheered. It was great fun.

Jimmy teaches everyone what a birdie is.

Mine.... Mine....OOPS !!! Corey its yours !!

Hey where is the birdie? Jamie and Tyler made an excellent team.

Nice hit Tyler.... right in the sweet spot.

Jamie showing off her skills. Nice balance !!

Richie looks on as Brandon plays a deep shot.

Daniel goes for the winning shot..... go big or go home !!