Labor Day 2018

Labor Day weekend our family camped and glamped.  The first night was spent at Brighton Meadows, an LDS recreation camp located about 4 miles west of Wanship, Utah.  Our neighbors, the Richins, reserved a group site that we shared with our other neighbors, the Greene's, as well as Charles and Susie,  Here are Annie and Ari entertaining themselves the way all good little campers ought--by playing in the dirt.

As you can imagine, Annika was thrilled to find a caterpillar.

At the center of the camp was a small reservoir for fishing, swimming, and boating.

The paddleboards were a definite favorite.

Of course, the canoes were pretty fun as well.


Eli and Susie


Brian and Rachel with their twin boys.


The best entertainment, however, was the zip line that launched you into the middle of the lake.

Here goes Brooklyn.  Whee!

 If water sports weren't your thing, there were always butterflies to admire.


Or you could soak up some rays on the sand.

Smooth as glass in the morning light.

The perfect time for fishing.

I have to confess, I'm pretty grateful that we didn't catch anything.  Cleaning fish is not my thing.  But camping with friends and family--it doesn't get much better than that.  So many thanks to the Richins family for organizing another great campout.

After packing up our tents, we headed over to Heber for an upgrade to fancier quarters for the rest of the weekend.

Brianna's parents recently acquired this property as a vacation home before leaving on a mission.  While they plan on finding long-term renters, we lucky ducks got to spend a few days there in the interim.

From Heber, we took a dusty drive up a gravel road to see Cascade Springs.

Totally worth it.

Day or night, these cousins love hanging out together.

Even with a spacious cabin to enjoy, Annika chose this alcove as her sleeping quarters.

A bird's eye view of getting ready for church Sunday morning.

On Monday we drove up to the Uintas for some hiking.


Here's grandpa showing Annika where to find some edible berries.


This beautiful little lake is nestled somewhere in the vicinity of Mirror Lake.

 Fencing practice.

Another small lake on the way back.

Right at the end of the trail we found a cute wooly bear caterpillar that Annika took home.

Very much-loved, "Hannah" has accompanied Annika to both school and church.  Unfortunately, her make-shift home blew open one night and she made her escape into the wild.  Fortunately, we found another wooly bear so Hannah 2.0 is still with our family.

Back to our Labor Day adventures, we finished the weekend with some yummy shakes and chicken fingers from Dairy Keen.

Back at home, it was time for a much needed bath and sleepover with Ruby.

Three cheers to a fun-filled Labor Day 2018.