Oh What Do You Do...

in the Summertime, when all the world is green? Do you play by the stream...

Actually, it's a creek - Pine Creek to be exact - and yes, we played and played in it this year. With all the summer rains, the creek was flowing hard. I've long held the contention that kids really only need a few things in life to keep them happily occupied for hours: water, dirt, and sunshine. At the cabin, this theory is not only often tested but always proves to be right.

Riley caught a dead something in the creek. Not sure what - it sort of looked like a soggy carcass of some sort.

Oh ya, how does the rest of the song go?

Oh what do you do in the summertime,

when all the world is green?

Do you play by a stream

or lazily dream...

on the banks as the clouds go by?

Is that what you do?

So do I.

We had some good rain while we were at the cabin, including a magnificent thunder and lightning storm - one of the best I've seen in years. We sat out on the large front porch of the cabin with Grandpa Steve and Grandpa Reid and watched the incredible downpour. Grandpa Steve taught the kids how to count after they saw the lightning hit and wait for the thunder to see how many miles away it was. They had so much fun doing that. I have no idea how accurate that method really is...seems way over simplified to me...but it's what we learn when we're kids and always seems to stick with us. Watching an afternoon thunderstorm from the cabin front porch is one of my most vivid cabin memories from my youth. Funny, I know, with all the zillion things to do up there. But watching mother nature in her finest hour from 6500 feet up in the middle of the majestic mountains as the sheets of rain pound the earth and the cracks of thunder echo off the cliffs, making your heart race leaves something of an impact in the mind of a child...I still love watching those spectacular storms...

We played on the swings...

We dug in the dirt...

We searched for worms,

...and made new collections...

We played lots of Gin,

accessories the newly refurbished fort with bench stools

and did a little "rain proofing."

Although we didn't get any pictures of all the other stuff we did, we played lots of games (Clue, Monopoly, Battleship, Ticket to Ride, tons of cards), ate lots of food, including way too many of Grandma Cindy's phenomenal homemade cinnamon rolls, I ran lots of miles in the high altitude, Ryan mountain biked & hiked, we helped Grandpa Reid get the septic system issues fixed, I sewed a quilt, all the girls made cute yo yo's for hair clips, we watched Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief, enjoyed time with family, and had a summer trip to remember.

I love, love, love our summer trips to the cabin. I can't wait to go back.

(Pictures taken 7/31/10 - 8/3/10: Pine, AZ)