As we climb in elevation, the vegetation changes.
Attendees:
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Activities:
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As we climb in elevation, the vegetation changes.
This sign at one of the marinas on the lake
proclaimed the lake elevation. Just below the
sign, the thermometer read 78deg. While
Fresno was in the throes of a typical summer
heatwave, we were very comfortable in the
Sierras.
But just in case the weather changed, the
snow equipment was available. Actually, summer is
somewhat off-season for Huntington Lake. This is
apparently a big snow play area.
And don't forget your snow chains!
The Astro van parked in front of our condo for the week,
number 117.
Jenny chose to take over the little loft as her special
area.
The condos were set right in the middle of the forest.
Mom and Dad and Jerry with Jon and Hannah had unit 43,
up this hill and towards the left.
While waiting for the rest of the family to
arrive, Glen, Alan and I hiked down the road
just in time to watch this flotilla of
sailboats doing some sort of exercise.
We found purple flowers in abundance for our
'purple' guy. His favorite color at the moment
is purple.
Alan picked some grass as a souvenir of the hike.
Roger was anxious to try fishing, so he pantomimed
a whole story with a handy stick.
Roger and Lisa played 'wishbone' with the pine
needles.
Glen cooked up 3 pounds of bacon for pizza
toppings. Since we planned to arrive a day
earlier than the rest of the family, we had
invited them for a dinner of pizza rolls that
first evening.
We laid out assorted toppings, including
anchovies by request, and asked people to
decorate their own rolls to taste.
The younger cousins took over the table and
seemed to be getting along right away.
Glen, Beth, Jerry, Roger.
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Mom acquired a cake in Fresno and then decorated it to celebrate Kelsey,
Tom, and Samantha's birthday, and a whole set of wedding anniversaries,
including our 25th. She also presented us with a set of miniature silver
photo frames that we can put the kid's pictures in. Thank you, Mom and Dad!
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We brought along our Bingo game, complete with prizes.
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While I did the calling initially, Tom really wanted to give it a try.
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We have a winner! Actually, almost everyone had a chance to win before we were done.
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Megan demonstrates the hula hoop.
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Alan discovered that Grandma can play a great game of catch.
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One of our first group activities was a hike
to a creek to build a dam.
Roger, Kelsey and Tom are working hard.
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Jenny stands by the construction site.
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Glen brought along the goldpanning kit so
people could try their luck.
Uncle John and Kelsey take a turn.
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And Steven checked up on his Dad.
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And some of us just sat and enjoyed watching
all the activity.
The creek was just the right size to play in.
It reminded me of Sleepy Creek.
Alan and Megan worked on this part of the stream.
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So did Roger and Sam.
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Decorative log -- just what I need for our yard!
Later that day, we found a nice spot in the Day Use
area.
Some of us went swimming.
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We played catch in the water with the splash ball that Aunt Beth had brought.
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Glen inflated his kayak.
Lisa took Kelsey out on the water.
Sarah took Tom for a ride.
Jenny did several excursions, including this one with Megan.
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Jon and Tom took a turn, too.
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On the way back to the car, Alan stopped to
admire this little waterfall.
Uncle Roger, Kelsey, Sam, Uncle Jerry, Jon, and Hannah
decided to spend a couple hours on horseback.
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They hit the established trail with their guide.
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One of the perks of the ride was scenery such as this waterfall.
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And the beautiful lake vista.
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Alan and I found a clear view of the lake from
a pull out on the road to Mono Hot Springs. We
took advantage of some time before dinner on the night that
Beth and John planned to fix a ham for everyone.
Daylight view of the lake.
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From the same vista point, you could also see
Rancheria Falls across the valley.
Alan had been chattering away. Then it got very quiet.
During the same time slot, the more avid fishermen
looked for a spot to try their luck.
Sarah and Roger never saw me across the inlet with the camera.
Use of this pool and the rec center came with condo rental.
After the trip to Mono Hot Springs we treated ourselves
to dinner at the 'Restaurant'.
Fireweed. This patch was growing by the parking lot of the
marina.
Alan chose to eat crackers with cheese for dinner, despite
a lovely presentation of chicken and 2 kinds of
pork by Roger and Carol.
Most of the adults enjoyed the relative quiet of the deck.
Sunset highlighted this thunderhead.
S'mores were a popular dessert.
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Roger toasts his marshmallow.
Aunt Beth.
Kelsey.
Alan carefully assembles his.
The kids all tried playing Apples-to-Apples, a noun-verb matching game
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Roger helped Sarah with her choices.
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Lisa got bored and decided to read the guestbook
out loud.
Lisa can read anything with expression. She had gathered
a wider audience everytime I looked.
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Our last afternoon of the week. We found a nice
picnic area near the dam that would allow
us to swim and kayak.
We took over a nice spot.
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Glen, John, Beth and Mom watch the activities.
So does Sarah.
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We took turns kayaking to this island.
Lisa and Kelsey went out first and
Roger and I had the last turn.
Jenny and Sam head out.
Jon and Tom explore the island.
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Jon and Hannah tried fishing from this rock.
Jerry and Glen guard our spot.
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Steven and Tom take a break.
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Jenny, Steven, and Anne enjoy the water.
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Rocks are always tempting.
Roger felt fierce after reaching the top of the rocks.
Alan played in the sand all afternoon.
He was joined by his cousins at times.
Or even his siblings.
Jenny and Uncle Roger.
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