Uncle Pete's 95th birthday weekend!!

Uncle Pete turned 95. The man is amazing! He walks everywhere and keeps active, drives his own car and lives in his own apartment in downtown Eugene, Oregon. His daughter Ann (aka Doodie) lives nearby and they visit often. She organized a big party weekend for this landmark birthday. Paige and Dave flew in from Minnesota, Pete's son Jamie drove cross country and many other family members joined the celebration. CD had been working in Seattle, so he flew his plane down while I drove up from Eureka.

We hung out on the beautiful patio at Ann and Ann's while waiting for all the guests to arrive.
Pete and Dave:



Doodie and Paige:



Once all the guests arrived, we headed to King Estate Winery, one of Pete's favorite spots. Easy to understand why! It was a beautiful place in Eugene's nearby hills with an amazing panorama and tasty wines.



The proprietor (Pete's friend) opens the first of many bottles. The Pinot Gris was fabulous!



The food was also delicious. CD and I shared some crab cakes and a beet salad:





Ann (Doodie) and Ann:



Dave protecting his noggin from the sun:





4 generations:



Jamie, Pete, Paige and Doodie:



CD and I with that amazing view



Back at Ann+Ann, a couple of group shots:





Pete opening his presents:



Jamie and cousin Ted:



Paige and Doodie (Ann):



Pete gets ready to blow out the candles on his cake:



The following day, Doodie invited another friend of Pete's over to sing some old-timey songs on the piano. He enjoyed that tremendously and he knew most of the lyrics to the songs. It was great fun!

Ruby Mountains

A couple of summers ago we joined with our dear friends Eunice and Maz and did a great backpacking trip in the Sawtooth mountains in central Idaho. We wanted to do another trip and decided to meet in the middle: near Elko, Nevada. This is were the Ruby mountains are; they are part of the Humboldt Wilderness Area. What with a name like Humboldt, how could we not belong there? Plus, their nickname is Nevada's Swiss alps, so we knew it would be amazing and impressive.



We decided to fly the little airplane and then E+M would pick us up at the airport. The morning we were scheduled to leave, the forecast across promised thunderstorms and we quickly had to change our plan and get in the car for a long drive through our state, into Nevada and on to the Northeastern side of the state. As can be expected in summer time, we encountered lots of construction which slowed us a bit, but our excitement was growing: we both love road trips!
It was great to meet up with our friends and that very night we forged a plan for our hike in. The most accessible point was Lamoille canyon, where a few trails lead into the heart of the Ruby mountains. It was only a few miles to reach Lamoille lake, our base camp, but it was grueling for me. Coming from sea level, the 9,000+ft elevation really wore me down and I was thankful for the group's patience at my snail crawl. We also got caught in a brief rain shower which was a nice break before the final push to the lake.
Lower Dollar lake, on the trail:



We found a fairly secluded campsite, a rarity considering the popularity of the area. There were lots of people around, even though the lake was still pretty frozen (in mid July!!)
The next morning, without our packs we felt much more agile and easily conquered Liberty pass and obtained the majestic view of Liberty lake. Really felt on top of the world. It was a beautiful hike and there were lots of wildflowers to admire along the trail.

Taking a break at the pass:



The boys enjoyed some fishing and the ladies hung out by the lakeside, although it was too cold to sunbathe or anything like that.
Alpenglow, a beautiful sunset:



It was still a great opportunity to chill out and catch up on our adventures. The Idahoans had been on an exciting rafting/camping trip with friends that sounded like great fun!

Redheads sharing stories:



The time passed way too quickly, but hopefully we can do it again next summer!

More PICTURES here!

4th of July

Our friend Jason came to visit for the 4th of July weekend and we had a blast!
He arrived Friday night and invented a new yummy treat: coconut wafer cookie with raspberry on top and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Awesome delicious!



A new red, white and blue classic?



On Saturday we explored a new sweet sweet swimming spot called the Devil's elbow. You can never know too many great swimming holes!



the water feels nice:



That evening we ventured out for Arts Alive Eureka (which as many of you know happens every first Saturday). We enjoyed some Bellinis before hitting the galleries:



For the 4th of July, we decided to barbecue and invite some friends over for grub and fireworks. So much fun!!

Corn on the cob!!



Jason smoking fireworks:



Maggie:



Nathan and Jamie:



neighbors Carl and Michele:



CD:



The weekend blew through and then Jason had to go back to Seattle. Always glad when he visits because we make delicious food and relax to the max!