Monday, July 9, 2012

Big Bear Concludes

Hello Monday!  We are home.  We had an absolutely fantastic time!  The 5 days we were there zipped by so fast.  Too fast.  The sign of a great trip, I would say!
I will try to post some of the highlights from the last two days.  Mostly for my own sake, to save the memories. 
Some of these may be out of order, since I uploaded Greg's photos last night too, and there are some good ones!
Almost all of our days were spent on the boat.  We bobbed, we trolled, we cruised, we floated.  We fished, we anchored, we drifted.  All of it....perfect!
One day, all of the guys decided to jump into the cold waters of Big Bear Lake.  Greg and Gennifer both caught a terrific photo of my son Drew as he vaulted his 6'5" body off the side of the boat.  .
I think we need to enlarge and frame this.
I love this picture of my husband!
With our son Drew.
Gennifer and her Daddy.
In this photo of Gennifer and Greg, I think Gennifer and Erika look so much alike.  And I never think that they do.  But surely, they must.  Most of the time when we were under way, we were bundled up like this.
At camp, we never tired of this fabulous view.
Sitting on the rocks.
Feeding the ducks.
Enjoying delicious meals.  This is Drew's girlfriend Diana.  She is a teeny tiny little thing, and eats like there is no tomorrow!!!!  We are all jealous!
On the 4th of July, our friends Tom and Jae came up with their boat.  We didn't get to spend much time together though.  On Saturday, our friend Ron and Sue came up for the day with their boat.  We fished side by side throughout the day.  Then enjoyed a couple of hours that evening sitting at camp, eating double dips, and laughing like we always do.  There is the Big Kahuna on his beautiful new boat.
One night, we were looking through photos on  Greg's camera, and I came across one that he took of me laying on the back of the boat, reading of course.  It was the most unattractive, unflattering, awful picture ever, and I tried to delete it.  But the camera was swiftly removed from my grasp to prevent it.  The camera was then passed around to show the photo, and we were doubled over in hysterical laughter.  It seems that the flag on the back of the boat, just so happened to be lined up in such a way, that it appeared that I could have been holding the flag somewhere on my person.  This brought the house down with laughter!!!  Or motorhome, as the case may be.   We were in tears we were all laughing so hard.  My son in law said he would never be able to see this photo without giving a salute. And there were threats that it would be sent in to the Ellen show, or the late night shows.  Sue said if she didn't see this on my blog she would be so disappointed.  My daughter will surely put it on her blog.   So I shall be the first.  Think what you will.

Yeah.....lovely!    Thanks Dear!  He "claims" he was taking it of the relaxation station seen on the water behind me.  They all got quite a laugh out of this.  I fear it will be coming back to haunt me for years to come!!!
Most of the time, I could be found with my nose in my book, like this.  I read the first book in the Grey series, and half of the second.
We got to enjoy my son's music back at camp in the evenings.  That was such a nice thing to listen to while preparing dinners.
We also managed to get a few naps in.
We had a magical moment on the night of the 4th.  We were all on the boat, and Jake noticed the moon was rising up over the summit.  I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I didn't have any photos.  Luckily, Greg did.  It was truly a beautiful thing to witness, and I won't ever forget it!
At first, only a sliver of light.
And then, within only a few minutes, this magnificent golden orb rose up into the night sky, leaving a twinkling trail of light across the water.  Like fairy dust was sprinkled into a perfect symmetrical line across the beautiful indigo lake.
For me, this was the star of the show!!  The fireworks were great.  But they paled in comparison.
I like this photo of the kids on the boat.  That bundle of red and white behind them, is me, wrapped up in my thrifted afghan, that actually had quite a patriotic and/or nautical look to it!!!
It was one of, if not THE best trip we have ever taken as a family!  I will cherish the memories we made forever!!!
We closed down camp yesterday about 10:00.  But before heading down the hill, we stopped at our favorite restaurant in Big Bear, Blanca and Pierre's.  We sat outside and had a delicious meal.  This is Blanca taking our order.  We love her. 
We came home to triple digits!   Ugh!  So having spent the past 5 days in such glorious weather was refreshing.  We unloaded and unpacked.  Drew and Diana left for a while, saying that they would be back later.  When they came back, Drew was sporting a spiffy new buzz cut!  I was elated!!!  He is such a handsome guy, and even though he is a musician artist kind of guy, he looks SO much better with short hair, so we can see his handsome face!!!!!  After I stopped hugging him, he and Diana went out back to blow up the relaxation station so we could put it in the pool. We never even took it out of the box at the lake.  It was just too cold.
Tadaaa!  We are going to love this thing!!!  In fact, I will be out there later on today with my book!  I even got on it last night, fully clothed.  I did get a little wet, but it felt good in this hot weather!
But first, I have to deal with this!!!
I am eager to catch up with all of my favorite blogs.  I have enjoyed your nice comments!!!  And I will be around to see all of you soon!!!!
As always, thanks for stopping by Simplify!
XO  Kris

21 comments:

From the Kitchen said...

Love the "flag" photo! Mostly I love the photos of y'all in sweaters or wrapped in blankets. We have been sweltering!!

Best,
Bonnie

Heather said...

That looks like the best trip ever. I love that you went as a family. Family trips are so fun. Drew's girlfriend is the cutest. I love her smile! So glad you had a grand time!

Teresa Kasner said...

Hi my friend, welcome home! I just love being able to feel a part of the fun you had there. You have such a loving fun family! I am looking forward to our week at the lake in August, we'll have similar times. But we don't have a big party boat that we can all ride together on - our lake has banned gas powered motors, so it's all quiet boating such as kayaks, canoes and sailboats. That relaxation station looks like fun in your pool! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Genn said...

Great great photos!!!!!!!!!!

Dad got some great shots of the moon rising! That was so cool.

We had a blast and are SO anxious to go again!!!

Ps- jake and I are giggling again after seeing that flag shot. Well played sharing it on your blog. Well played. :)

Pammy Sue said...

I know I have said it before, and I'll probably say it again, but you have such a beautiful family! Sounds like a perfect fun trip. I sure enjoyed seeing all of your pictures of y'all the last few days. That pile of laundry looks like a nightmare! Welcome back to reality, huh?

deebriese said...

Wow..Looks like you had a great time. Wonderful photos!

kathy b said...

What a great post. Having one child just fly the coop, I look forward to trips and family more than ever
You are a great sport to show us that funny image!

Mereknits said...

Perfect pictures of a perfect vacation. I love every picture even the questionable one of your behind and the flag, I think Ellen would love it. So glad you had a fantastic time,
Meredith

Nicolle said...

I LOVE every single picture and all of the fun memories you shared here with us. That first picture definitely needs to be framed, and I love that 2nd picture too of your hubby. You are right, Genn looks so much like Erika in that one photo. I am so glad it was such a great family vacation for all of you. You are right, that moon on the water....fabulous!!!!

xo.

Gracie Saylor said...

Thanks for the great post, Kris. I am sitting here smiling at you. So glad for your good memories!!!
Gracie <3

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

You all sure know how to have fun...looks like the best time...although the flag looked a little painful lol!

priscilla said...

Pictures are great ! Looks like such a fun trip ! Love that blanket ..what a bargain !

Dawn said...

What a lovely post, I enjoyed every minute of reading it. I'm so glad you felt the need to be patriotic. LOL. I am still cracking up (no pun intended) LOL

Dawn said...

What a lovely post, I enjoyed every minute of reading it. I'm so glad you felt the need to be patriotic. LOL. I am still cracking up (no pun intended) LOL

Just a little something from Judy said...

What a perfect family vacation! I enjoyed seeing all their happy smiles and the fun adventures that you all had. What a good looking family! I too, am jealous of Drew's girlfriends eating habits, while staying tiny:)

In my mind, times on the boat are the best, especially with those you love.

NanaNor's said...

Hi there, I loved seeing these family photos and how much fun you were having. Have a wonderful day.
xxxooo

Jill said...

These are truly wonderful pictures! So much joy radiates from each one. how wonderful to be able to take a vacation with all the family. Treasured times for sure :-) Good luck with all that laundry...which reminds me time to switch mine as well! LOL

Blessings,
Jill

Lauri said...

sounds like another successful family vacation. I love the way you describe all of your activities. Such fun!!!

Debbiedoos said...

Welcome Home Kris!~ What a fabulous time you had. Awesome family photos too. That pool float is REALLY COOL!~ Love the photo of you with the thumbs up! Good book from what I hear.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

It was so nice to share in your beautiful family's vacation, Kris! It looks like you all had so much fun and made memories to last a lifetime!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

PS: The "flag photo" is not bad at all --I was actually looking at everyone on the float and didn't see you in ther\ forefront..lol!