The rest of the story, and it's a long one!

Our counselors have a lot of work to do, including getting lifeguard certified, camp cleanup, training for day camps, etc. It is necessary to have fun and do teambuilding, although in a more rough and tumble way...
whoever tags the guy in the center of the group gets to be the next "leader"...
Karen got some really great photos of everyone "teambuilding"!

 

D-money can't hold back the "Griz" from tagging Flame,
while Tyler and Flicker watch



Erin could hardly hang on to Noah
while his dad and Tristan watch





Tango and Bubbles have the spirit



Iceman holding me back and Boromir is working Sprouts




Tonks sure seems to be have a grand time holding back Tristan



Swizzle and Erin wrestling



Coach manhandling one of Tyler's other boys...Ethan



Tyler and Griz getting serious about who's in charge here!

 

 Spending time at the camp was fun, but we were pretty productive as well. One of our last projects we worked on was the remodel of one of the Retreat Center bunk rooms. Tyler, Griz, brothers Josh and John, Karen and I spent some long days working on it...and it was still unfinished by the time we had to leave the camp. I've been seeing some progress on it since we've left. We are excited to see what has been done in our absence.



1st comes the removal of the ductwork and ceilings....

...and the frame-up of the built-in bunk beds....

...and then we take time out for fun...
Griz and Karen, threatening a paint war!

Here's some other fun stuff of the summer, not mentioned before:

Our annual wedding anniversary get-together with Gregg and Cyndi,
at a wonderful restaurant in Boise. After dinner we saw the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas Program! REALLY nice evening, but still haven't gotten over the long-hair flipping of the band. I thought that all went away with the 80's.

Earlier in the summer, we spent time in Mesquite and a visit with Karen's parents, Les and Sandy...

Hawaiian/Polynesian dancers put on a dandy show at the Del Webb
Sun City Mesquite community center 

Mom and Dad Brown with Karen...all festive for the day!

Later in the summer, we traveled to California to visit friends and family...



Colleen joined us in a visit to Sean and Yasmeen's home for dinner...
The girls were school chums. What a nice evening! Sean and Yasmeen
are the perfect hosts!

Pam, Colleen, Yasmeen, Annie and Karen at the Night School for
Future Pole Dancers in Las Vegas.
These ladies have been friends for over 35 years and they all
celebrated their 50th Birthday this year!
I'm happy that Karen was able to share some of her pole dancing
moves with all of her friends. (she get's lots of experience on a sailboat)
 

Brother Jim drew a special archery hunting tag this year...for a bull elk in Washington. I believe the tag was one of only three for the hunting unit in 2013.
Now, think about the difficulty of drawing such an exceptional hunting tag, then scouting for the elk and, on the last day of his hunt, getting close enough to take a shot, with a bow, and making it count! You'd be excited, also!

I wasn't able to make Jim's hunt, but I did make the one with Jerry. I traveled all the way to Central Oregon for a Bighorn Sheep Hunt with my brothers and Dad. Brother Jerry drew a once-in-a-lifetime sheep tag...and only one of two that were awarded for the year in the unit he was to hunt in. Very special!!
As you can see, Jerry was successful in his sheep hunt...largely due to the pre-hunt scouting of Jerry and brother Jeff and friend Brian. As an interesting side-note:
Brian met Jerry and Jeff at the Fish and Game pre-hunt briefing, where he had shown a number of photos he had taken over the years of some of the sheep in Jerry's hunting unit. One of the photos was of a ram with a large chunk missing on his RH horn. Brian had nicknamed the ram "Chip"

Brian took the pre-hunt photo of the family...
Jeff, Jerry, Tyler, Jim, Dad and me



Brian and Jerry with "Chip"



Us old guys needed a break.
We are half way up the hill, looking back into the valley

When we had a chance to check out the chunk of horn missing on "Chip", we discovered he had been shot, previously, with a rifle (probably .223cal size). This had weakened the horn in that spot, causing the chunk to break out. Part of the bullet was still in the horn.

 

We headed to California from our visit in Oregon with Dad and family...spending a few nights at brother Ken and sister Susan's home. Their boys were in and out, but had a great time visiting with all of them. Before we left for Nevada we all stopped in Hemet, to visit Grandma Ramsey, Uncle Carl and Aunt Diane



5 Generations....Hadley is held by Cody...being held by Karen...
being held by Sandra...being held by Irene.

What's not being said is that there is a grandma, great grandma and a great-great grandma shown!

Ken and Karen with their Grandma Ramsey

Uncle Carl and Aunt Diane came over to visit with us in
Grandma Ramsey's room.

And last but not the least of the fun in the sun....

 

We get to introduce you to our newest grandbaby...
Hadley

Grandma Karen visited Dad Cody, Mom Jureen and Hadley in Virginia Beach

 That makes 8 grandkids....

and I've been recently told that there are

two more in the oven and on the way!

First part of our Idaho summer

Welcome to North Idaho,

and Twinlow Camp and Retreat Center

 

We loved our time and work at the camp. Tyler Wagner, the camp's director, invited us to work there for this summer. We were hired as part-time employees, but you could've doubted that by the hours we put in. When you have something you enjoy and have the freedom to do it in your own time frame, it no longer feels like work and more like playtime.

 

And we like playtime!

 

I was in charge of the maintenance of the camp (everything from replacing lawnmower blades to light bulbs) and Karen was responsible for bringing in new revenue guests, spreading the love to the current ones and just being Karen. As you can see, Tyler saw right off where our talents were best used! We joined the team of Tyler, "Griz" (the program director), Heather/Roxanne/Erin (the fantastic chefs) and 20 college-aged counselors.

 

Some of the challenges we all faced were tough, but I can honestly say that we enjoyed our time together...we even found reasons to joke when I had to replace a toilet or two that were sabotaged by teenagers dropping their sunglasses in for the fun of it. (it didn't seem so funny at the time, though)

 

 

Here are some of the guest-group ladies, quilting in Selkirk Lodge

One of the best "perks" of the job was our friends and family were invited to join us at the camp, to use the facilities and enjoy the meals and campfires!

We sure made use of that!! 

 

 

Granddaughter Destiny waiting for the boating activities to begin



Daughter Alysia and another granddaughter Andresa,
looking lovely at the waterfront

Luke and his dad, Steve, lighting fire crackers
to drop in the water...they actually work most of the time,
exploding underwater! Tyler's wife, Lizzie, in the background.



Chris, getting sandwiched between her boys



Captain Tyler and his crew, heading out for an evening
of 4th of July fireworks at the lake

 

Some of the tasks I needed to get done were actually accomplished by volunteers, including some visiting NOMADs...Sharon/Gary and Evelyn/Tom.

 

This year's volunteers were involved in painting, installing new windows, working on docks, finishing decks on cabins, landscape maintenance, fixing broken mowers and a whole host of things that made my job so much easier.



Sharon and Gary, NOMAD's that helped at the camp. Not pictured
are the other NOMADs Tom and Evelyn

 

 We took a timely break from our work and traveled to Kalispell, MT for a visit with our friends Charles and Carol. You may recall previous blog entries with them and their boat "Montana Sky."

 

Wonderful food, a visit to the Bigfork Summer Playhouse, a venture out onto Flathead Lake in the their smaller sailboat and a ride through the woods on their horses. Can you call it a vacation, when you are already retired?

 

As this is being typed, they have left this morning from Wilmington, NC on "Montana Sky" for Antigua. Yes folks, across the blue waters of the North Atlantic...10 days with nothing but water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink...and ground to step on...and at the mercy of whatever the weather and seas can throw at them...by themselves. Seriously, folks...I sure would've liked to have joined them!!

 

Please join us in our prayers for their safe passage!



Carol, on the foredeck of their Montana sailboat



Charles getting the royal treatment to prevent rain from
getting in his hair



Charles and Carol, at the trailhead near Big Mountain Ski Resort



Carol and Tully




Charles and me on our "knotheads" 

Another couple that joined us for fun at Twinlow were Gregg and Cyndi Pruett. So fun to play Phase 10 with them, although there's always "discussion" on who's the real winner, winner of the chicken dinner. (I think it's Gregg and me, since we are better eaters than cooks) 

Gregg is photo bombing the girls

 The largest group we hosted for the summer was the Northwest Youth Camp...about 250 folks, (mostly teens) that we provided food (eating in shifts,) operating toilets, life guards to keep them safe on the waterfront and a whole lot of beds.

 

Northwest Youth Camp, with most inside the 100'x50' tent

Tristin (one of Tyler's and Lizzie's) trying out his "horse-bite" technique
on the master.

Sunset over Lower Twin Lake

I will be sharing more of the summer next time, but here's a small teaser...

Karen is holding a lion rug blanket she made for a little someone special!

 
 

 

 

Below the waterline, with Cyndi and Gregg and Karen

Sitting near the Chimney

For some of our last dives of the season, Cyndi and Gregg provided me with ample opportunity to get some "bottom time." I believe we went on at least 6 dives during their stay with us, mostly to places we had never been to. It's always exciting to see some new sights, although the fun of being together is the most special.

 

One place we did visit again this year was the Chimney. It is becoming on of the more popular dives in the BVI and this year proved to be a challenge to find a place to "park" the boat...no sooner than we had the boat tied to the mooring (the only one available of the four) and a commercial dive boat came over and asked us to vacate the commercial mooring. Dang...if we only could've been in the water already and we wouldn't have had to move. Anyway, we attempted anchoring in a sandy area with little luck due to lack of swing room. Fortunately, we were able to grab another mooring after some folks left. Down into the water we went and had the time of our life...we even spent more time at the Chimney area than ever before. Below are some more of the photos of the dive.

 

corals and sponges



nice blue coral



brain coral



pencil gorgonian



black coral



feather duster tube worm



donkey dung sea cucumber

 

 One of the other dives was at Diamond Reef. The site gets visited so often, that it appears the fish are used to being fed...sure was a lot of them following us around.



me, swimming normal



Gregg, doing a handstand
(turn computer sideways for effect)



nice formation of fire coral growing on an
ancient elkhorn coral



nice formation of sponge and algae on our rudder
(turn computer sideways for correct alignment)



another fine feather duster tube worm



clear bell tunicates on a gorgonian



blue bell tunicates sharing space with colorful sponges and coral

 

 

Cyndi and Gregg were singing..."so long, farewell, we
bid you adieu to you and you and you"

 

Karen and I spent some quality time below the boat...in Christmas Cove. I'm constantly reminded how fun it is to dive with her. She sees so much more than I do, usually because I'm swimming too fast. When I slow down to her speed, I get to see a lot of things that are unique:

 

a rarely seen, colorful sea slug
about 3/4" long...



...spotted in the sea grass under our boat...



...by sharp-eyed Karen

 

See ya next season!