September...now that it's 2/3 of the way over....

Happy birthday Fern! Fern turned 3 on Sept. 5th. She loved her birthday as well as figuring out how to get her thumb and pinkie down on her hand to make 3 fingers.As per her request, she had pizza and "pop-pop" for dinner and a pink flower cake.
Henry is quite the biker. He loves to ride up and down the street, as well as racing down driveways. In general he is a timid person, but put him on a bike and he starts doing tricks! Caleb: I took Henry mtn Biking for the first time. Even on steep and rocky trails he did great. He is a natural biker.

We went camping last weekend to Jack Pass and found the ideal camping spot on the river. It was a beautiful weekend. The weather was perfect (80's) and there was hardly anyone around, so it was very peaceful. (the advantage of going the week after Labor Day)

We went on a drive and found a really pretty waterfall/stream and Caleb and Henry hiked down to get a better look at it. Caleb: It flowed back and forth from one pool to the other. There were cantilevered rocks and everything looked like something that you would see at a fancy resort, except that we were out in a remote area of the Cascade mtn range. The water was so clear and free of any debris that it looked like a swimming pool. Nothing makes me want to swim more than beautiful water.

This is the view from our campsite, right on the river. Caleb: We played in the river, built dams and explored the area. It was very fun. I enjoyed napping in the sun. I think that mtn sand is better than beach sand. Going to the coast is kind of boring compared to the beauty of the mtns.
Caleb: I must have taken 5 naps each day, I was so tired from a summer of hard work, and the spot was so tranquil that I felt completely at peace, hence many naps!
OK, so this year I have been having fun canning. I canned 21 quarts of peaches last week with the help of Henry and Fern--yes, their HELP. Henry dipped the peaches in the boiling water and then ladled them out after we were finished counting up to 30 (math practice for the day). I slipped the skins off and cut out any bruises, etc and then Fern cut them and put them in the bottles (as well as in her mouth). Henry also assisted in cutting, but wasn't too much of a fan of handling the slimy skinless peaches, so Fern put them in the bottles.
After the first 9 bottles, they were pretty much done with the cutting part, but at least those went quickly! I also canned some tomatoes--so far we've got 32+ lbs from our little garden. I'm so glad that we have had such nice warm weather this summer--I don't think we have ever had such big tomatoes that actually turn red!
Caleb: Henry and I went backpacking this weekend. We went on a trail that is rated as "challenging" in the guide book. It was only 3.1 miles but with a climb of nearly 2000 feet! To make it more difficult we got a late start and didn't get to the trailhead until after 7pm. The first hr we hiked in the dusk until we could no longer se. Then we turned on our headlamps and cuntinued until 10:10 when we reached the peak. The last 100yds is pure mtn climbing, hand over hand, scambling up boulders. At the last point there is even a ladder to get up into the lookout. I am the proudest father knowing that Henry did the entire ordeal unassisted! Along with being a great biker, he is a ntaural hiker/climber. The college kids that shared the lookout with us were so impress they could hardly speak. A 5yr old! Here is a pic after we cooked up dinnerAnd in the morning during the fierce storm that blew in in the middle of the night.We had to hike down in the rain for the 1st hr. Then it broke up a little. We found that it was peak Blueberry season and I spent 40mins having my fill of the most seet berries I truly have ever tasted. AS we where near the end of the hike, Henry turns and says to me "Dad, this is fun". I had a great time too. I hope that this is an adventure that will stick in his memory forever, and that he can always feel close to me because of it, and many more in the future.