Monday, June 26, 2017

Shaver Lake 2017

The annual Shaver Lake vacation with my extended family occurred last week and into the weekend.  We have been vacationing there since since Camille was an infant -- so, 23 years.  She was three weeks old the first time we went.  I remember racing down the steps from the deck to the waters edge while she napped under the watchful eye of my mother.  On that same trip, Kyle fell down the stairs and split his chin.  He was an early walker and an active child, but never a cautious one.

Originally, the group included my parents, my sister and her family (three kids) and me and my family.  Over the years, the composition has stayed pretty constant, and we stayed at a small cabin within walking distance (if you don't mind a long steep road) to the lake.  We were only at that first, lakeside cabin, for one year.  Eventually, my younger brother and his daughter started joining us.
Taylor (my brother's daughter), Nick (my sister's oldest), Camille, Justin (my sister's middle child), and Kyle.
I lost my mom to a progressive lung disease (with a name a mile long and no cure), and, as it became more difficult for her to breathe, we switched to lower elevation locations.  But, we never stopped going.  The kids never stopped sleeping outside on the deck; all their sleeping bags lined up in a row; talking late into the night about the stars and satellites.
The candid version: Taylor is smiling sweetly; Nick is checking out Camille's belly button ring; Justin is standing like a stud; and Kyle has been told to get rid of his stick for the picture (probably by Camille).

The kids are now adults, with the exception of my youngest niece who is 14.  The rest of the"kids" range from Camille (23) to Nick (29).  My sister had kids first, closely followed by me, and much later by my brother.  Kyle's girlfriend, Ana, has joined us the last two years.
Kyle and Ana
It was warmer than usual this year but the lake was full and we liked the cabin (the one we used to use wasn't available this year).  We ate too much food and drank wine in the evening on the deck.  We played games.  We went for long walks, swatting the mosquitoes that buzzed around our heads and feasted on our arms and legs.

It was a good trip.  And it is very good to be back home.  Brett took care of the ranch and even installed some more sprinklers in my garden while I was gone.  I love my family but I can only take so much happy, crowded chaos.  I am an introvert, after all.  So it was good to walk through my garden and admire the sprinklers, to stand quietly with Tex, and to drink in the quiet of the night.

5 comments:

  1. An American in TokyoJune 26, 2017 at 7:21 PM

    How nice to have time with your family!

    Was Tex perky when you came back?! I can just imagine the look on his face -- "Where have you been?!?!" ha ha!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a lovely tradition. We have started something similar with our kids, an annual trip to the lake with boat and waverunners. Last weekend was only our 2nd and we went to Lake Roosevelt. I don't know what it is, but being together like that really bonds you. And, as a mom there is no joy greater tan being with my kids. I hope we keep this up as long as you have. It's hard for everyone to coordinate busy schedules, so we'll see.

    ReplyDelete
  3. By the way, I LOVE the picture of you with your kids. You're beaming. I know the feeling very well. <3

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a beautiful location and wonderful tradition! Sleeping on the deck, staying up all hours of the night, sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing the photos. I love seeing everyone's smiling faces.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love, love, love this post! It's wonderful that you keep up this tradition, the young people in your family will look back on this time a smile.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for commenting!