Outdoor Summer Fun

As you can probably tell, we took advantage of almost every free moment to go and explore. I like being home, but I also like going on adventures. I heard on a ChooseFi podcast that one of the hosts-Brad-had gone here with his family, so we checked out the hike.  A few of our kids don't like hikes but we drag them along anyway.  I'm hoping they are like Maria Von Trapp.  She hated it when her dad took her on trips and on hikes.  But when she was a teenager and young adult she loved traveling and hiking.

We had a little lunch on top of the humpback rocks.  Fun view too, plus lots of people!

An interesting tree. 

After the hike we stopped for some yummy popcorn and headed home.  More work was done to Clark's car!

One night for mine and Lee's date we rented Bird Scooters in Harrisonburg then went out to a restaurant for dessert and french fries.  They had rooftop patio seating. I think we ate at the Capital Ale House?

We stopped by the Lincoln dealership to check out the Lincoln Aviator.  It was dark out.  While we were looking through the windows Lee tried the door handle and it opened!!! I was kind of freaked out wondering if an alarm would go off.  A car drove up--the guy knew the owner of the dealership and called and asked him if he left his cars unlocked at night. It was a fluke it was unlocked.  The guy came out and looked at the vehicle with us and we locked it up. Pretty sweet!  The back is very squishy though.  When Shanna and Haley head to college in 4 1/2 years I want to have a smaller vehicle that is still an SUV and will still hold 7 people.  But not the Suburban.

Some scripture warrior fun for Family Home Evening. 

We made a few trips up to Maryland this summer!  The Heits found out that Cuba canceled on them so now they are headed to Georgia with the Navy.

Shanna put together some little back-to-school-hope-you-had-a-great-summer goodies for the young women in her age group at church. 

When my kids see an orange car or truck or motorcycle, they think of Lee. Orange is his favorite color!

Cal and Elden went with the Heits on a ward camping trip to Assateague State Park in Maryland.  They had a great time and loved finding crabs at night.  Horses visited them as well. 

Bubbles, bubbles!

Haley sketched this horse.  I love seeing what she creates. 

We stopped at a new local store that sells out door sporting goods.  Lee bought this topographic map of our area and hung it in his office.  Pretty cool!

Darrell and Lois and families joined us down here for a fun afternoon at Riven Rock Park, and then hanging out at home. 

The river had LOTS more water than it did last time we were there!

Haley's up to something, haha. 

And....more boating pictures!  We went boating again the middle of August with the Weilers and the Petersons. We weren't sure about the weather.  It wasn't perfect, but it held out enough for us to have a great time. 

The kids played king of the mountain several times and got the Bishop in on it too. 

Very exhausted. 

That night after boating we drove about a half hour and camped, intending to go on a 40 mile bike ride the next day.  We had a fun time, but sadly got rained out.  It was pretty disappointing that Lee had loaded up all of our bikes and then we never used them.  And that we came home with wet tents and a shade canopy and had to dry everything out.  But again, it will still fun to camp even if the fire never really burned that great or that people smoked in the bathrooms at the campsite.  (Never camping there again!) We'll get that 40 mile bike ride in sometime.