Willow Lake.

I had plans of being a marathon blogger this week but it just didn't pan out the way I had intended.  In fact, this is going to be the only post I get in this whole week, so I'm making it a big one.

We rented a cabin up at Willow Lake the weekend before last.  We got up there kind of late in the afternoon with just enough time to put in the boat...

And to tie up the boat near our cabin...

 Unpack and eat some dinner.

Seriously, dinner wasn't that bad (hotdogs, pasta salad with spinach & tomatoes and corn on the cobb) so I'm not sure what the scoop was with all those unhappy faces.

That's Josh Down's finger pointing towards the cherry tomato that Annie didn't want to eat.

And after dinner there was just enough light left to play in the lake for awhile.

And to fish.  (On Josh's behalf, I have to point out that there's a fish on his line in this picture...however small it may have been.)

Thankfully, smores are best in the dark.

That's Annie counting how many smores she was planning on eating.  (Actually, she just likes the marshmallows.)

And then they all read the new books they picked out before the trip.  (A Junie B. Jones book for Courtney Lee, Biscuit Goes on a Walk for Annie and the first Harry Potter book for Coley.)

Annie kept interrupting everyone's reading time by jumping on them.

That's Josh saying prayers with Coley.

We were up bright & early the next morning because we had to head into town to get enough cash for paddle boats.  (Turns out they don't take debit cards at Willow Lake.)

The kids and I ended up at the park across the street from the grocery store in Butte Falls where Josh was getting cash.

And then it was time to go.

Josh was patient enough to wait in the truck while I tried to get a couple pictures of the girls together, which proved to be nothing more than a reminder of why I rarely try to get posed pictures of my kids...

While she was holding my camera, Courtney Lee snagged this shot of me putting sunblock on Coley.

And this picture of a spider.

And then I got this one of her.

And then we waited for our paddle boat.

Coley ended up swimming alongside the paddle boat most of the time.

Our destination was a little island we noticed out towards the docks.  Turned out to be nothing more than an enormous mound of duck poop though.

In fact, that's Josh washing duck poop off of his shoes right before we left Duck Poop Island.

This also happens to be the last photo I took before I slid and fell on the slippery poop shores, covering myself and my camera in duck droppings. 

Thankfully my camera landed just a couple inches shy of the lake and after a thorough cleaning with baby wipes and Q-tips, I was able to remove most of the duck poop from the cracks and crevices and buttons on my camera.

And then we took Josh's boat out.

Courtney's first time on the tube.  Thankfully (for her), the 1975 Bayliner doesn't go fast enough to be scary.

She's not a big fan of the water so she ended up taking a nap instead.

Our safety flag is an OSU Beavers flag.

And then Josh decided we should walk up the creek looking for crawdads just like he used to do with his Dad when he was a kid.  He said the creek was perfect for crawdad hunting...

Turns out the creek was a lot bigger in Josh's memory so we skipped crawdad hunting...

And walked back to camp so we could take the kids swimming instead.  (That's Annie spraying Courtney Lee from a drinking fountain.)

Some of our family outings are successful.  Others are simply stressful. 

Willow Lake was a success. 

Our trip a few days later to Bonneville Dam was not so successful but I'll have to wait to share those pictures until sometime next week because right now...I'm heading out of town for a girls weekend with my sister and some of our friends up in Portland.

Comments

[Deneen]

Have a fun safe girls trip! Love all your family outting pictures always makes me want to go on vacation LOL.

[Jacqui]

Looks like you and your family had a great time at Willow lake! Thanks for sharing it with us. Enjoy your girls weekend!!!

[Susy]

Your family will have to take more holidays just so you can share the gorgeous photos with us :-)

[Jayne]

Very precious! Have a great girls weekend!

[Jennifer L]

Your photos are just beautiful. I cannot wait to take your class! These are the kinds of photos I take when we go up north but do not turn out nearly as good as yours so I am really interested in your settings, especially the night time ones around the campfire.

[{vicki}]

Looks like a great time was had by all!

My favorite photo was of Coley diving into the water and all you see is LEGS

[Abigayl]

Oh my goodness... looks like your family had a great time! Fabulous pictures, as usual!!

[Helen Walsh]

Great shots Karen, i've missed you posting.

I can't wait to take your course too!

[EBPitcher]

Oh, I've missed your posts! I so love the snaphot of your life and your beautiful photos.

One quick question: I'm sure most of your shots are SOOC, but do you put a vignette on any of them? It seems so subtle and lovely if you do and really makes them sing. Inquiring minds want to know!
-EBP-

[Jennifer M.]

What fun! It looks and sounds like you had a great time, with the pictures to prove it!

[Tracy]

Love the pictures and recount of your vacation with the kiddos and Josh! I'm like the other posters and am SO HAPPY you're back to share with us more of your family life! :o) Enjoy the weekend with the girls!

Hugs, Trac~ :o)

[janel]

What a treat to see your family fun. Looks like just what summer memories are all about. Enjoy your weekend with the girls, and savor these days!

[Brenda W]

Just thought I would stop by and say Hi. I read your blog all the time. I was in Medford last weekend doing some scrapbook store shopping and seeing how you love Bella Union so much I made sure to make it a stop for lunch. It was delicious just as you say it is. Thanks for all your great pictures and for making photography so much fun to learn.

[Alison]

Looks like a lot of fun. Also looks like you had the lake to yourselves. Awesome! I especially like the shot of Josh Downs' finger pointing at Annie and her lone tomato. It just looks like something from my house (just with a different kid).

[Kelli]

Beautiful photos!

[Dina]

Love the photos as always! Glad the camera is okay. ;) Have a great time in Portland!

[Melanie C.]

Great shots Karen. I wanted to thank you for your last comment. We just got back from a vacation that wasn't a huge success, I'd say we spent 75% of it bickering with each other. It's nice to know that other families have the hits and misses too. Thanks for being so candid & sharing all your great pictures. I miss "talking" to you in class! Enjoy your girls weekend!

[kate]

i think these are some of your best shots....have fun in portland...there is alot of photo eye candy on mississippi st.

[Jennifer S]

I cant believe you and your camera fell!!!! SO glad you wer both OK, especially the camera!
My favorite shot is Annie at the table nto eating her tomato!!! Have a fabulous weekend!

[Erica Hettwer]

Great pictures!!! I can't believe I never thought of using and OSU flag as a safety flag! Going to get one for my dad for his b-day now.

Have fun in P-town and honk my way when you drive past Silverton! :D

[christina cole]

so sorry about the duck pooh island! but i'm glad your camera is ok after the fall into the duck droppings....and gorgeous photos.....kind of reminds me of my family's cabin out on shuswap lake in british columbia that we've had since i was five...just love it out there in the pine trees and swimming all day...

[Karen A]

Wonderful Pics!! I really love the ones in the dark that turned out so well! Care to share any secrets on how to get good night photos?!?! Have fun on your girls weekend!!

[Melissa Mann]

beautiful photos!!!

[anne]

Oh my gosh, these pictures are amazing! You have perfectly captured everything that represents "summer" in my mind. Wow!! I love the one of Cole in mid-air, your husband diving, and Cole again upside down splashing into the water. And your youngest's yellow polka dot bikini?? ADORABLE. Thanks for sharing all your family fun. (P.S. Are there no mosquitos in Oregon? Because if you tried that nighttime campfire scene here in MN- wearing pajamas- you'd get eaten alive!!)

[Debbie]

The Duck Poop Island story had me laughing out loud...so glad both you and your camera were okay. Love your sense of humor and the photos!