Summer

Journal Jar - Tell about your most unforgettable summer experience as a child.

As usual I can't pick just one summer experience.  We had so many wonderful summers so I will just tell about a few of the pictures that bring back stories of our summers.

What is better than going into the mountains...I was going to say this was a huckleberry trip but I don't think it was now that I look at it.  My mom and Julie are over on the left, Larry and a cousin on the blanket, Karen on the side of the car, Kayleen up on the top of our old pink Rambler (car) it even survived a rollover, Grandma DeCoursey and Aunt Florence are there at the tailgate.   Summer was a time for fishing, camping, hunting, huckleberrying, etc.  It helped to have an aunt that lived in Cascade.

Here is a prime picture of the type of fishing we did.  Crick, Creek, River only once in awhile lake fishing.

Karen, Dave, Kayleen on the left Julie and Mom on the right...what a view.  I am so thankful for a family that enjoyed God's creations.

We spent many the days creating a fishing pond aka swimming hole.  (I guess now it is considered illegal)

Julie is standing by Karen who is sitting with the big hat, then Kayleen, all watching Dave work.

Here is actually a typical catch when fishing with my Dad

I believe this is Hazard Crick...a beautiful, beautiful place.  One of my memories from there was meeting up with Uncle Wesley's family and he served hot tang, or hot jello for a morning drink ... yummy and warming.

We used the puptent pictured in the middle and the other one behind (it had a name too but I don't remember) for all the years I remember.  Camping was the best as a kid.  Mom would prepare just as long for an overnight trip as a month trip.  The car would stop we kids would jump out and go exploring.  As an adult it is a lot of work.  It was always hard to put stuff away upon returning home.

Here we are again in the creek...I remember being told by my older brothers that water snakes won't hurt you....ha, I found that they bite.  I still love the wind sounds through pine trees, I can stare into a camp fire for hours, We always used what we caught, we left the camping ground cleaner than we found it, we had so much fun but learned life's lessons too.

We had many shots of fish, here Karen is showing off the catch, Dave to the left Larry to the right and Kayleen in the chair on Dads back.  (I remember the weirdest things...I remember wearing Sunday shoes in that back pack...they slipped on the wood seat when I tried to stand up and turn around) 

One summer we went to the Church camp, Pinetop pictured above and helped dig a swimming pool...there was a natural hot spring for the pool it was wonderful.  I loved this camp and all the weird stories that were told about it and am still a little heart broken that the church gave it up.  I know there was problems but it still makes me very sad.  I had my first pit turkey there, all my camp years were there as a youth. That was a great summer.

These were the exceptions to our actual summer....summer was spent irrigating, planting, cultivating, corrugating, harvesting farm crops, and animals.  That too for the most part was a wonderful experience too.  Dad and Mom both worked so very hard from before the sun came up to after the sun went down.  To give us life, food, experience and love so that we can become something ourselves and most importantly know that there is a living Father in Heaven that loves us too.