American River Guard Station Vacation

Two weeks ago we got the chance to got o Mt Rainier and rent a USFS abandoned guard station so we grabbed it.  In all honesty we have had this scheduled for a few moths, but we were glad to get away for three nights in the middle of nowhere without any semblance of cell coverage.

Immediately it was time for climbing and outdoor fun.  A tree had fallen at the cabin a  few weeks before(according to the visitors register) and that made a perfect place for the kiddos to climb on.

This picture must have been taken on the first day since Matthew is clean.  The cabin did have electricity, but there was no running water so there were no baths for the few days.

Bear with me since this post is going to be very heavy on the kiddo pictures, but it had bee so long since I have had a bunch of days together with the kids away from work that I did take a ton of pictures.

We did bring the bikes and the kids did ride down the drive to the campground that was just down the way.  There was only two campers at the campground, so it was a nice quiet place to tootle around

James is a master at riding off road and that of course means that he gets flat tires.  This was his first flat, so I did not have any patch kit with us which meant the bike riding was not possible for the last day or so.

The cabin had a great classic screen door.  It was so nice to sit and read my magazine and listen to the screen door open and slam shut and the kiddos went in and out of the cabin.  The slam of that door reminded me of summers at grandmas house and there was something so refreshing about that.  The sliding screen door at home just does not cut it.

Here is a quick pic of the cabin.  Kind of rustic, but very clean and fun.

The first day we headed to Sunrise to get a great view of Rainier.  The smoke was minimal up there due to a wind shift so it was nice to get out of Spokane.  As you may be aware, Washington is really on fire and the air quality in Spokane is the worst air quality ever recorded.

The kids and wife were troopers on the mile or so hike up to the ridge to get a great view of the mountain and the mountains to the north.

Such a nice view.

Later that day we went to hike a cave.  It was pretty mild as far as caves go and really short which is perfect for kids.  They were pretty scarred, but since it was so short, they only were worried for a little bit.

The next day we went to Paradise for yet another view of Mt Rainier.  It was crystal clear this day and apparently there was a mom and cubs hanging around the lodge right before we got there.  We did not see it and decided to go on a hike and then when we got back, we found out the trail was closed since the bears were on it....and we still did not get to see them.

Cool view from up there

On our short hike the kids thought they could stand up like the marmot in the background.

Then it was back to the cabin for another game of connect four.  James is still learning it.  He understands four in a row up and down, but is really confused about the diagonal.

Dirty brothers loving it.

On the way home the kids were getting a bit restless for the last 40 minutes so we opted for the old "lets try and make truckers honk".  Matthew was adorable and got a ton of honks.  Since James was on the wrong side of the car he was not very happy, but I honked my horn to try and appease him.

Races, Baseball, skateboards, forts...this is summer folks and it is good.

Monthly update per usual.  Not sure why I have gotten away from posting on this blog more regularly, and for that matter, why I continue to keep going on this blog, but I guess it is kind of out of habit at this time.  I have been posting and updating this blog for about 8 or so years and it is kind of nice to take a look back and see what has happened.  It also serves as a reminder to me of what I have done.  I have such a poor memory that this is the best way I have found to track what was going on when. 

 

Two weeks ago I took the family to Wednesday night havoc at the raceway.  What a great way tobreak up a long week and the kids sure did like to see the races (and watch the rednecks).  James and I went one time and there were 8-14 year old racing in mini cars that would do about 60.  He must have asked about 20 times when those kids were going to come back out.  I had to explain to him how lucky he was to be out on a school night and how good he has it since he does not have to go to school or have a job.  I don't think he got it though.

These kids love to wear earmuffs.  They wanted them on as soon as we got out of the car in the parking lot.

Last week we headed out for a Sunday night Spokane Indians game.  The seats were cheap and the fun was fun.  Summertime is the best.

 

I picked up an old folding kitchen stool/chair at a flea market a while ago and finally got around to refinishing it.  Matthew really likes it, but since I had already made two other stools for the kitchen, so mom has put this on the front porch as more of a decoration.

This this was a real pain in the but to take apart and get back together, but with James's close oversight and direction, I was able to figure it out.

 

The garden is in full swing and the two sunflower plants I have this year are really getting big.  The tall one is about 11-12' and is just now getting a head on it.  I cant wait to see the size of the flower on this one and hope it is bigger than last years.

My giant pumpkin is also growing more and more each day.  I bought seeds this year from a guy in Canada and have high hopes for this giant.  The summer here has been perfect weather for them so there is no excuse not to have a huge one.

 

When I was at the flea market a while ago I bought a box of skateboard parts and wheels.  I got them for another project and had some parts left over so James had big ideas for building a skateboard.  Mom pulled out a piece of wood and James spent all day drawing it out on the wood and then when I got home, I got a 45 minute download on how the skateboard was going to be built and how it needs to be put together.  James is very mechanically minded and has a great imagination.  He plans out everything in his mind in detail...even if the details wont work with the laws of physics.

Matthew also had an idea for the skateboard and his was a bit more realistic. 

I finally put the trucks on apiece of wood though and this was as good as it was going to get with my limited tools and skills(and time).  Nothing like putting your fingers right next to the wheels and pushing yourself around.  Oh, and throwing in a pair of scissors on the front of the board for an added amount of risk and danger.

 

Matthew loves to play catch.  he is pretty brave, but starts to cry pretty easily as well....not a good combination, but a lot of it is drama.  I don't do drama.

 

Mom picked up a book from the library the other day and in the back it had a craft idea for building a house out of an old box..

Once again, I got home and had a lecture on how it was supposed to be done.  I think James and Matthew have taken the tiny house movement a little to far here though.  I have a sneaking suspicion the tiny house movement is really a government conspiracy, but cant prove it yet.

 

For Brenda and Izumi's birthday last year they got a caller and we had a square dance at the house.  This year it did not work out to have the party on or near there birthdays, but they still wanted a party so who am I to say no.

Once again we got a caller and had a dance.  I think there was about 40 people there including kids and we had a blast.

It was a perfect night with the weather and the smoke clearing.  It is really great to sit out on the back porch and hang out on evenings like this.

 

Just so no one gets the wrong impression, it is not always unicorns and rainbows.  Below is a common sight at the De Jong house.  Typically it plays out that one kid gets in trouble and then the other kid pesters the one on timeout....then the other kid also gets timeout and all of the tears and whining come out in full force.

I am absent of any feelings or caring so it is easy for me to laugh it off and not worry about it, but sometimes I slip and do care a little bit.  If you are taking my comments seriously or think I really am devoid of emotions, you probably should stop reading my blog because you obviously don't get sarcasm.

 

This past weekend I got a Sunday afternoon to go out and play on the bike a bit.

mmmmmmm...BMW....m...mmmmm

The scenery is also not so bad.  The area I drove in just got shut down to all recreational use this week due to fires and fire danger.  I was lucky to get out there and enjoy some dirt roads through the Coeur d'Alene NF.

 

Banff and Birthday

Brenda and I had a chance to go with Jim and Sandra up to Canada and about 108 other model T's a couple of weeks ago and we had a blast.  We dropped the kiddos off with my parents in MT and were off for a week without the kids.  

Day one we headed to Banff from Cochorane.  Jim's T had some fuel problems so he had to ride on the trailer for some of the day, but the speedster was running great so Brenda and I continued to Lake Louise and had a 200 mile day.  You  may think to yourself "how fast can a 90 year old car actually go?".  We got the speedster up to 63, but it certainly could have gone faster than that.

The views on this day were amazing

This speedster was driven to the tour all thee way from San Jose CA.  The couple that drove it were very interesting and they have owned the car for 40 years.  This thing had a overhead valve setup and was rumored to go over 100mph.  Not bad for an engine and car that stock had 20hp and would go about 45 downhill with a strong tailwind.

Meanwhile back in Montana, our kids were up to no good.

Here we are at the lake

And here we are with the car in front of the Banff Springs Hotel.  It was pretty cool to drive through Banff and have everyone snapping pictures off you and pointing.

Meanwhile, James and Matthew were out with Grandpa fishing and having some fun.  I think Matthew lasted about 5 minutes and then went to the playground, but James stuck  it through and caught two fish.

Here is another speedster with a overhead valve setup.

We went to this one house that had a bunch of cool stuff in it and then right at the end....I saw this.  Most of you will not appreciate how rare this bike is, but if you ever do see one, immediately commence drooling.

Meanwhile, Matthew and James went to the fair and had a pony ride.

It rained a couple of days on the T Tour, so Brenda and I went in a modern car for the long day.  We jumped in this car only after trying to brave the rain and 45 degree temperatures for 14 miles and had the carburetor freeze up.  All in all, we had a great time and really love riding/driving the speedster.

This weekend I took Saturday off of work since Brenda turned 35.  For her birthday she wanted to go mini golfing and go karting, so off to the links we headed.

James and Matthew had a blast riding ass passengers, but they were kind of afraid at first.

After James got a hole in 1 on the first hole, mom had to play from behind.

On the way home we happened on a car show and saw my favorite classic car...a Dodge Charger General Lee.  For all you wacko liberals please turn your eyes...it still had a confederate flag on it.  That is the only way this car should ever be.

Here are the boys and the Birthday girl.

And last but not least is just the beginnings of the Blackberries.  We are on the verge of the harvest and in about a week we are going to have them coming out of our ears.

Flag day and Family Fun

A couple of weeks ago Brenda and I had a chance to get away while some friends took our kids to the coast camping.  This meant we had about 4 nights child free on our hands and that is all I needed to turn the key on the BMW and head out of town.  We decided we should go to Joseph OR.

The weather was perfect while we were there.  The view of Wallowas was also something to behold.

Brenda and I also got to eat a great little pub and grill.  The view was something else.

I usually do not get to be in any of the pictures, so this is just proof that I was actually here.  May I also say that the BMW does look great as well.

There was a flag day parade a couple of weeks ago and I had the kiddos all to myself in the morning so we headed out and I had to check it out.  The boys had the prime spot right in front of some older people who did not run out and get the candy that was thrown, so James and Matthew go tot take a huge bag that must have weighed about 15lbs home.  They were troopers and had a great time as well.

Go America.

The other day Matthew was messing around int he front yard before I got home and got hit in the head with the swing right before I got home.  It kind of looks like the kid is growing  horn, but it went away in a hour or two.  What a trooper.

This past weekend we had Paula, Kevin and the kids in town along with Jim and Sandi.  It has been sweltering in Spokane for the past 2-3 weeks with temperatures over 90 being the norm and a couple of days it was  well over 100.  Without AC in the house and all those guests it was a bit hot, so we took the opportunity to hit up a few of the local lakes.  A benefit of the hot temps is that the lakes have warmed up far faster then ever before and thee water temps were perfect.

Brenda and Lindsey enjoying all that Coeur d'Alene Lake has to offer.

The fast we don't have a boat did not deter this redneck yacht club from forming.

Matthew and Colin had a good time on the beach as well.  I did manage to get a  sunburn, but was thankful that it was just me and not the kiddos.  I can imagine what it is like to have a toddler with a bad sunburn...but I bet it stinks.

Matthew generally wakes up very happy and in a good mood, but does not always have such good hair.

One of the fun things I really enjoy doing with friends or family when they are in town is heading to downtown Spokane and hitting up the carousel.  A fun time was had by all riding it twice.

The fact that Matthew does not know how to write or read did not deter him from playing "Words with Friends".  Why should it stop him, it does not stop me.

 We had a chance to snap a family pic at Manito Park and it turned out quite nice.  We had a blast with all of the family in town and I was just glad to get a few days off of work.