June 2012 Archives

Kopczynski Reunion 2012

We spent the last week with our Kopczynski relatives in McCall. Zeke and Ann Marie were kind enough to let us invade their beautiful lake cabin, and the weather couldn't've been better!

We fished from Dale's boat, and the dock, but had nary a nibble, although Colin did reel in a squawfish caught by Dale. Paul and Garry took me fly fishing for the first time. I think I did okay, but again, no fish to be had.

There were numerous canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards. Colin had the best time on the large blue paddleboard. It's better than a canoe because there is no sidewall to get in the paddle's way. On the third day he finally tried it standing up, with much success! Even dear ol' dad gave it a try.

The cabin had a good sized yard, and a great beach. I stopped at the local gem store and paid perhaps too much money for a bag of polished rocks. They were then scattered in the sand to be found as buried treasure. I thought it would keep the youngsters busy for an hour or so, but it was more like 10 minutes. Until the older kids came, and then there was renewed interest! Lawn darts (no longer for sale in this country?) was a big hit as well. Bocce ball was more of a challenge. The ground could've been flatter and the shiny balls attracted kids.

I spent a lot of time with the camera. On our second night the conditions were perfect for photographing the stars. The skies were clear and dark, and the moon was elsewhere. Unfortunately, it was also the summer solstice, which meant I had to stay up quite late waiting for the stars to shine. A couple of mornings I got up early and went in search of waterfalls and other interesting sights.

Thanks to everyone who came and made it a great time!

sunset
Payette Lake sunset.
fishing
Fishing on Dale's boat. He looks like he's ready to take on some protesters.
untangling
Thanks for untangling the line, Uncle Paul!
pond
Hiking to the secret pond.
tubing
Faster!
foxes
A couple of hungry foxes had to hunt for their breakfast.
lawn darts
Lawn darts was a big hit. And nobody died.
relaxo
Rancho Relaxo.
paddleboard
Colin spent a lot of time sitting on this paddleboard. He was very good about staying within the boundaries.
paddleboard
Even spent some time standing on it!
digging
Digging for treasure.
river
North Fork Payette River, just above Pearl Creek.
milky way
Mikly Way over the lake.

Father's Day 2012

It was a great Father's Day this year. Grandpa Roy came to visit, which made it extra special. Saturday we all went golfing at the local putt-putt and driving range. It was Grandpa's third golf game that day. He was a good sport about it.

On Sunday the O'Shaughnessy's took us for a trip down memory lane on Dworshak Reservoir. As kids and teenagers our family spent many weekends there. It was always a bit of a race to get up to the lake to reserve the best campsite, 10.9!

Some things haven't changed, such as the blustery weather and dangerous driftwood debris. But a few changes were obvious, such as the floating outhouses and "destination docks." Even though there was a threat of rain, the weather was quite nice. Some of us fished, some of us jumped in the water, and we all enjoyed the little picnic on the dock.

Thanks John and Karen for taking us out on your boat!

Getting ready
Preparing to hit the links.
Water hazard
Grandpa found the water hazard.
Boat launch
Launching the boat at Big Eddy.
Three navigators
It takes three to navigate this reservior.
Maybe rain
The forecast called for rain.
Familiar
These be familiar waters!
Waterfall
Little waterfall at Dick's Creek.
family photo
Family photo.
nap time
Perfect time and place for an afternoon nap.
splash happy
Happy to be splashed by the waves and wind.

At the Driving Range

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Sampling at Jamms

Jamms is one of our favorite places to go for a treat. They have yummy frozen yogurt, toppings, cool decor, and a board of customer doodles. But here's an important pro-tip: pay close attention to the labels!

The sign here reads:

Sample -- Verb -- to take a sample or samples of; to test or judge. Please limit samples to those you need to test or judge for purchase!

And below the sign you see the container labeled "Sample Cup." And if you're not paying attention, you might not see that this label continues around the container....

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where it says "...Trash."

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Now I would certainly forgive you if you thought that these contained the fresh sample cups and you grabbed one and used it. I mean, its possible that an unused cup was crushed just a little because somebody took one too many and they squeezed it just a little to hard when putting it back, right? I could forgive you...but could you forgive yourself?

Anne secures a grant for Moscow Charter School!

If you don't happen to read the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, then you may have missed the article about the $1000 grant from INEL to MCS, written by the lovely and talented Anne Wessels:

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Way to go Anne!