Summer Vacation

Some people take big trips during the summer but we contain it to four days . . . and two of those are driving days!

We decided to be adventurous and drive across the 50. . .

Pretty it was . . . and empty it was . . .  it was so lonely that there were bike riders in the middle of nowhere!

It was so boring that I fell asleep for most of it.  We had a “county adventure” planned in Eureka county and stopped for lunch there.

We had another county adventure planned after that . . . in some county that we might have enjoyed if I was awake so I could let Paul know when to stop!  Oops!

Since I was no good at helping the driver (aka Paul) stay awake, I depended on Harry Potter to do that job.

I was awake once we crossed into Utah and we opted to do a spur of the moment county adventure and stop at a park (which was perfect for stretching our legs . . . sleeping is hard work, dontcha know?

But we weren’t at our final destination yet . . . not even the one before that. .  there was more lonely road to drive (but boy, was it pretty!)

We “had” to stop for dinner and you’d never guess where that was (which was our second to last destination.)  Yummo!

And then we arrived at our destination . . . our private hotel!

The next day, we were able to hook up with David for breakfast.  (darn that crazy work schedule)

I was able to convert more followers to THE best shave ice around . . .

and we went to the movies!

Our lives seem to revolve around food . . . we were treated to a super good Brazilian restaurant . .. and I forgot to document any of it until dessert time . . .

The next day found us boating . . .

Our nephew knows what he is doing!

It’s nice being out on the boat because we get to leave everything else behind . .. no phone calls, no emails, etc. . .

Scott is kind enough to chauffeur us . . .

he even gave Paul some lessons on how to get UP which hadn’t happened yet . . .

and it paid off!

It’s fun hanging out with this bunch . . .

After boating is wiping everything down . . . no wonder the boat always looks so sharp. . . .

It was a wonderful day!

The next day we headed home . . .

We were thankful to John Grisham for keeping us both awake (okay, mostly Paul.)

Since we were still on vacation, we tossed in another county adventure and stopped at a museum along the way. . . .

and a spot to bird watch . . .

It was a great get-a-way for us

and the next day we had to turn the rental car in. 

A Boating We Will Go!

We were invited to go boating with Paul’s brother’s family.  David and Allie weren’t able to make it.  Paul had left the day before (camping along the way) and would meet us there.
I had never been boating before so I had no clue what to expect. . . .
We (the Kellars and I) met up with the other Bowens at the lake.  It was obvious they had done a lot of preparations for our outing.
Once we were at the state park, the rest of the work that we got to see began.
The boat needed to be put in the water.  I have no clue what details had to be watched for, but it’s not as easy as they made it seem.


We had to wait a little while for Paul, but it gave us time to get situated, complete with life jackets for all . . . even a little tiny one for Leah.

The sweet little girl was not a huge fan of having something so confining and warm on . . .so once Paul arrived, he went to work on charming her (or was it the other way around?)


It seemed that we sat around while Paul’s brother worked and worked

Once we got out far enough, it was time for tubing. .
My cute nieces went first while our hosts took photos and drove the boat.

Jennifer and Samuel went next. . . Jennifer laughed and giggled a lot, but we aren’t as certain that Samuel loved it as much.

Paul was up next and had to find a willing volunteer to join him.
They appeared to be having a good time.  I believe that it was this point in time when Paul may or may not have said that it was too slow. . .

What is it about brothers?  These two went airborne more than once!
We had a handy (and CUTE) flagger when they were ready to come back in. . .

For some reason, I was hesitant to try it out at all, but my sister-in-law persuaded me and we enjoyed a leisurely tour about the lake.  This IS the way to do it, if you ask me

Paul got a turn driving the boat so his brother could have some fun.

Someone knew what they were doing. . .

It was a great trip.  We enjoyed the adventure and wished our other kids were able to make it. 
But we also learned that owning a boat and taking it out are not only expensive but a whole bunch of work. 
We were sure lucky to get to go and appreciated the other Bowen’s for inviting us out.