McCormick Park, Hell's Canyon 6/30/2011 - 7/13/2011

After the  Imlay Family Reunion, we headed to Emmett for three weeks and started planning for our big trip to Alaska the middle of July.  Terry built a stinger for the back of the pickup so we could carry the platform behind the camper.  He got the boat ready for McCormick for when we were going to Hell's Canyon the first of July.  I kept busy gathering stuff for Lorrie's annual garage sale, and I put together a quilt for the Church's humanitarian project.  It was just long enough to catch our breath before getting on the road again.  We try not to be a pest to my sister, Lorrie, and just park behind the house and plug in.  We use the master bathroom in the house, but try not to disrupt her life too much!  So, on June 30 we headed out to meet up with Shay and his family at McCormick Park at Hell's Canyon.

After Shay's family got there and we all got set up, first thing on the agenda was fishing.

Marissa was the first to catch a fish. 



Sean was the send one and there were different opinions about which one was the biggest!



Later on, Shay and Terry had to compare their catches!

Tyson had to work a little longer and harder, but also caught fish.

The next day, we all loaded up in our pickup and camper (with a couple of kids riding in the camper) and headed to La Grande to Ryan's home, where we also met up with Jill and her family.  Riley got baptized the next day.  We had a great time the night before up on the "Hibbard Mountain" where we had a hotdog and hamburger cook-out with them and some of Lori's family.  Then Lori had a great meal ready for everyone the next day after the baptism.  Congratulations, Ryley!  We are proud of you.
We and Shay left, with Ryan and family planning to come to McCormick the next week, and Jill and Dan went on to Cascade for the 4th of July and McCormick after that.  (What a job keeping up with all of these kids!)

On Sunday we got ready and went into Halfway to Church.  They have a little branch there and we have gone there so many times that we know quite a few of the members.  It is always fun to see them again, especially when we can take some of our kids and grandkids with us.

On Sunday afternoon we went on a ride in the boat.

Bill lost something in the water, so he decided to try to find it.  I don't think he ever succeeded, but it looks like he is getting some support from Shay's dog, Dax.  Bill dog-sat Das while we went to Ryan's and they became pretty good buddies.

Most times we get to see some of the local wildlife in the area.  This time was no exception.  This mountain sheep was walking on the road across from the river and I zoomed in on it with my camera.  It has a collar on that shows it is being tracked for data.

Bill got his tube out and gave Shay's kids rides.  They were the only kids here at the time so they had a monopoly on the tube, which they enjoyed.  Sean is getting ready to go.

Marissa and Emily are having a great time!

Tyson is modeling his Dad's special hat!

Shay's family had to leave and Jill, Ryan, and Sarah and their kids all showed up.  I went around with my camera to see what all of the grandkids/cousins were doing.  Chaz, JT, and Lindee were up on our bed watching a movie on our little CD player.

Boe, Wesley, and Luke were in Jill's trailer playing games.

Jenna,Kamber, and Ryley were up in the bed in Ryan's borrowed trailer from his in-laws, just giggling and being girls.


The Mom's and Dads, Sarah, Red Ryan, Bald Ryan, and Jill were enjoying the peace and quiet for a little pinochle.

           The girls had fun playing in the water and posing for Grandma's camera.



Wesley, Boe, and JT thought it was fun swimming under Grandpa's pontoon boat.

Before Uncle Bill would take the kids tubing, he made them do "chores."  He gave them buckets to go clean up the shore line.  The ones who picked up the most trash got to go first.  Great idea!

Jill and Chaz went together.

 

                                                           Lindee and Jenna were next.

Bill tried to dunk Wesley and Boe, but they hung on tight and stayed on the tube.  Thanks, Uncle Bill, for all of the fun!

One of the favorite games when we go camping with everyone is "golf-shoes."  Anyway, that is what all of us Howards call it.  My niece's boys, Garrett and Trestin are playing with cousins JT, Chaz, and Luke.

Lindee has her own way of playing golf-shoes!

The girls never got tired of playing with Barbie dolls, most of which were supplied by friends, Elaine and Larry's granddaughter, Cloe.  Here is Kamber, Ryley, Cloe, Jenna, and Alexia (Danielle's daughter) posing with the Barbie dolls.

Danielle always brings the coolest crafts for the kids.  All of the girls got to make as many bows as they wanted to.  Danielle and Sarah are helping Lindee, Jenna, Kamber, and Ryley.

Jenna, Ryley, and Kamber each had enough bows to cover their whole heads!

                                                Lindee is proud of her bow.

Danielle's husband, Than, brought a great craft for the boys.  They made fishing lures!  He told them that whoever caught the first fish with their new lure would get to make another one!

I am not sure who won, but they each make great lures.  Showing them off are Luke, Boe, Wesley, and JT.

The girls caught Uncle Bill asleep and covered the bill of his hat with bows.  He didn't even wake up while they were decorating him!  I think they wore him out tubing!

Several evenings we spent over at Uncle Bill's fire pit and roasted marshmallows and made s'mores.

My sister, Lorrie, and Kamber getting ready to make a s'more.

One of the last nights, Terry took Jill and I out in the boat.  We each caught a really nice trout.  As you can see, mine was a little bit bigger!  We cooked them on the barbecue the next day.  Yummy! 

Mike and Janet (my brother) and their son, Todd, and family came the last weekend.  Some of us hadn't met Todd's wife, Jackie, or seen his little boy, Jonre, so it was really fun getting to know them!  It was Jackie's and Jonre's first time camping.  Todd and Jackie slept in a tent while Jonre slept in the camper with Grandma and Grandpa.  I am not sure who got the most sleep, but they all looked a little tired the next morning!

Great times at McCormick again!

Imlay Reunion, Hot Springs RV Park, Tremonton UT 6/3/11-6/5

We have our Imlay Family Reunion every two years and this year everyone wanted it at our Camperworld campground in Tremonton Ut. We had it here four years ago and everyone liked it so much that they wanted to go there again. There is a small 9-hole golf course, a large hot springs swimming pool, and ATV trails.

The camping sites were a little bit improved from six years ago, but we still had no hook-ups for any of the RVs except two. Jill and Dan got one of those and Jo and Merl (who did all of the food and cooking) got the other one. They parked right in front of the pavilion where we did all of the meals. It worked out well. They even let us put tents on the grass.

The kids spent a lot of time on the grassy hill behind the pavilion. It was a great place to play baseball and football. Here, Ryan H, Ryan U, Sarah, Jill, and Dan are playing with Wesley, Kamber, and Lindee.

Everyone gathered around the big fire pit each night (the same one that was out in the field four years ago that cousin Jo fell on and permanently damaged her leg when she was playing baseball with the kids.)

Tim and Mindy (Jo's daughter) sitting around the campfire.

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Uncle Terry with daughter Kim and her husband James.

Ryan, sister Lorrie with her granddaughter Trista, and brother Bill.

Some crazy How-weirds/Claysons/Ussings under an umbrella in the pool--Dan, Jill, Jenna, Ryley, Ryan, and Chaz!

Everyone loved the pool. Here is Ryan with his kids Ryley and Chaz.

Sarah with hubby Ryan and daughter Lindee.

Jenna and Kamber swimming with cousin Taylor (Lorrie's granddaughter).

Jill trying to out-shoot nephew Luke.

JT getting an under-water ride from Dad, Ryan.

Cousin Dennis visiting with my brother Bill.

Aunt Anna (the matriarch of the Imlay family, Uncle Bud's wife) sporting a hat that I made and gave to her.

We had a great golf scramble. This team included Ryan, Tayler (Lorrie's granddaughter), cousin Francine, and cousin Kim.

This team was cousin Jo and her grandson Cody, Terry, and James (Kim's hubby).

Another team was Mindy, Tim, Jill, and Ben

Merl, Nancy, Bill, and Dan made up another team. I don't remember which team won, but they all had a good time and everyone got "great" prizes! Thanks to Jill and Dan for organizing it, with the help of Ryan and Terry!

Families all sitting around eating--with Nancy is her son Kelly and wife Rhonda and daughters Taylor and Holly.

Sarah with kids Lindee and Luke, and other relatives.

Kamber, Jenna, and Ryley.

Cousin Francene with granddaughter and son-in-law Ben and his baby.

Aunt Eulala and her daughter, cousin Debbie, also sporting one of my hats.

Jo's son, Robert, and his wife.

Brother Mike and wife, Janet, and brother Frank and wife Andy.

We had a great group at the reunion--around 60 people! We pretty much filled the pavilion.

Jo and her gang did a great job with the food and meals. She even won a super prize hula hoop in the golf scramble. She demonstrates while wearing the hat I gave her.

James won some great goggles in the golf scramble. I am thinking he might could use them to find golf balls he lost in the water, or something like that!

Ryan giving the kids a lesson on the art of hula hooping! I think the kids actually showed him how it was done!

At the last meal we all shared the "Welcome to the Imlay Family Reunion" cake. It was a great reunion. Thanks to all who helped and all who came. We hope to see everyone in Idaho in two years when the "Fisher family" put on the next Imlay reunion in Emmett!

Terry even got the first piece of the cake because he had a birthday the day before and everyone sang to him.

Hot Springs RV Park, Tremonton UT 5/31/11-6/3/11

After leaving Sarah and Ryan's we headed north to Tremonton where we have a Camperworld campground. It has a big hot springs swimming pool, two hot tubs, and a 9-hole golf course.

We called my cousins, Janeanne and Wright, who live in North Ogden, and they came the first night we were there and ate dinner with us. It was so much fun seeing them. They always feed us when we visit them and we finally got a chance to fix a meal for them!

Janeanne insisted on doing the dishes after dinner. I couldn't talk her out of it. She is as bossy as I am! Not many people but Terry and I have done the dishes at my little sink.

Of course, the men did what they do best. It was good to see both of them in such good spirits and better health!

A couple of days later Shay and his family showed up to spend the night with us on their way to Disneyland. We were awfully glad we were on their way! They celebrated Terry's birthday with us, a couple of days early, and brought a birthday cake--German chocolate--his favorite!

Another reason they wanted to stop and celebrate Terry's birthday is because Shay delivered a birthday gift that was from all of our kids--a 22-410 shotgun over and under rifle! Terry has been looking for one like that for several years. Standing with him is Sean, Tyson, Marissa, Emily, Heidi, and Shay. Thanks, and what a great surprise, kids!

Sarah's, Grantsville UT 5/24/11-5/31/11

We left Pahrump, NV, and headed to Utah. After spending one night, without even un-hooking the Condo, in St. George RV Park in Hurricane, we drove to Grantsville where Sarah and Ryan live.

We had been to their new home before, but never with the Condo. It fit just right in their driveway, with just a little hang-over onto the sidewalk. They just planted grass and it looked really nice.

JT came visiting in his baseball uniform. He looked really official. We got to watch him play a game.

Jenna wanted a perm so we got out the perm rods and curled up her hair. This is her first perm.

It turned out really cute and she was happy with it. Hopefully it will stay curly for a little while.

Jill and her family came down from Rexburg to spend Labor Day weekend weekend with all of us. We all helped put some of Ryan and Sarah's garden in. They plant a huge garden and then share their produce with all of their neighbors and Ward members. After the garden was in, it rained all night and all the day. Because their home is at the bottom of the housing district, the drain field is part of their property. But, the drain water ended up going through the garden first and was just a big flood the next day. Hopefully it will survive without having to replant everything! They did spend that night and most of Sunday pumping out their basement and helping their neighbors pump out basements, also!

Grandpa and the kids got the job of "rock picking" the other half of the garden.

It looks like Luke, JT, and Boe are sitting down on the job!

Even Lindee is doing her part.

When the kids were allowed to throw all of the rocks into the water in the big drain ditch, it made the work a lot more fun!

We all went to a movie one afternoon and then got pizza to bring home. That giant pizza filled everyone up. Here are Kamber, JT, Boe, Lindee, and Luke getting their fill. We all had a fun time!