Bliss 2010

I have been absent for awhile. I was in vacation heaven for 10 days and I've spent the last 7 trying to crawl out of the funk that set in upon return. The sun for some reason has decided to leave Southern California well alone this summer. It makes no sense. No sense at all. But moving on... McCall was a dream.

It started off with 2 days at the Callister Family Reunion. The Callister Family is massive and has loads of great people, many of whom I hadn't seen for years. Cousins from my youth who now like myself have husbands and kids and lives of their own. It was great to see so many of them. The Callister's have a standing tradition of a family talent show. Or un-talent show.

Don't ask.

The rest of the week we committed ourselves to vacation like activities. Water skiing, bike rides, and scooter rides, playing at the beach, hiking at Brundage, naps, treasure hunts, tube pulls and trips to Ice Cream Alley.

On Monday some pirates left a message on the front porch saying they wanted Cooper, Senny, Bex and Tess to watch over their treasure until they could get back to pick it up. They left some clues to a treasure map and then more clues to the treasure.

There's a reason some of us in this family have a propensity to use certain 4 letter words from time to time. I believe it originated with the fact we jump in the lake at 7:30-8 in the morning for a ski.

What can we say, it's the price you pay for smooth and boat less water (very few people are willing to do the same thing)

Oh Dad. Still showing us who's boss. Upright or not...

The rest of us are still just trying to get there...

When the water's not smooth enough for a ski, we head to Ice Cream Alley for the next best thing.

Or My Father's Place.

Or we'd take the kids tubing. A first for T. She dug it.

Apparently, so did I.

Or we'd play on the shore. I heard, "I buid a sand castle." dozens of times. I could hear it dozens more.

You can't see from the back, but that's my dad and he has a six pack. He's practically 60. I feel like this should mean I have good genes.

Catching minnows.

And last but not least, we went hiking in Brundage one day. Something about being in the mountains...

This seemed out of place...

We found an excavator and a bu-dozer on the trail. May have been the trip highlight...

Tuckered out.

Minus the missionary.

See? Bliss.

Here are some of my favorite things about McCall. Most date all the way back to my childhood...

-Perhaps that's one of my favorite things. It's such a part of the summers of my childhood. And being able to return to the place of your childhood over and over again. Well, it's a gift.

-People go on bike rides McCall. Not because they've somewhere to go, or they're exercising or training. They're just going for a bike ride.

-The speed limit is 25 miles an hour. This could drive me crazy in my normal life. But in McCall? It just forces everyone to slow. down. In every aspect. What's the blasted hurry?

-Ice Cream Alley. Need I say more?

-Early morning ski's. I broach an anxiety attack EVERY SINGLE TIME it's my turn to jump in the water. Yet it is worth it and I smile broadly EVERY SINGLE TIME.

-Riding the Salmon or Payette River in a ducky. I mean, there are few things in this world that are more fun than that.

-Movies and games at night.

-Wasting the sun of the afternoon away on the shore. Laying about, napping, building sandcastles.

-Swimming to the buoys.

McCall's demise?

-Mosquito's.

Pretty good odds.