We’re going on vacation next
week: three family reunions in a row! First is the Wilson-Dickinson
Reunion (Krista’s dad’s siblings and families), then is the David-Onalee
reunion (Krista’s siblings and families), and finally is the Krista-Greg
reunion (our family). I’ll tell you about these wonderfully anticipated
times next month.
I received lots
of Fathers’ Day love this year. Here's just a sampling. I am very blessed.
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Cai gave me this Tolkien-themed map of my home state of Washington |
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Amelia gave me a Pop! of my favorite Marvel Avenger |
That day was
also the first time we’ve been back to church now that COVID numbers are
down. It was great to be able to fellowship with brothers and sisters in
Christ again!
This past
Christmas, our kids gave Krista and me an Airbnb weekend at a cottage on Lake
Ontario near Youngstown, NY. We finally “collected” on this gift in late
June, with many exciting adventures! We went on a Niagara River Jetboat,
visited Old Fort Niagara, rode our bikes around Fort Niagara State Park and on
other bike trails, had excellent meals, and beautiful lake views. I highly recommend the Niagara River Jetboat to
anyone who likes that sort of excitement. If you like roller coasters,
you’ll love it! The Jetboat rides the rapids of the Niagara River, even
going into Devil’s Hole (and thankfully, back out again)!
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Relaxing in the yard |
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On the stairs down to our private beach |
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The cottage (view from the lake) |
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The corner of our yard with the stairs |
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Jetting! |
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These three shots aren't our actual trip, but give you an idea of the fun |
In this video, we're doing what they called a Cowboy Spin!
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After our ride, proving we survived |
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Lake view from our cottage bedroom |
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At Old Fort Niagara |
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Riding in Fort Niagara State Park |
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When we rode out on this bike trail, it was clear. When we returned a few minutes later, a tree had fallen across it! |
I’m sure you
all remember because, of course, these email updates are the most important
thing in your life, that last year over the July 4th weekend our local families
went camping in Hannah and Kevin’s back yard since COVID (pardon my
language—maybe I should start calling it the “C-word”) had closed all the
campgrounds. Well, we had so much fun doing so that we decided to do it
again this year, even though campgrounds are back open. Everyone pitched
in to provide excellent meals and fun with hikes, water balloons, fireworks
(both from our local town and private fireworks shows from Kevin and Cody),
campfires, s’mores, and lots of cute grandkids. Special thanks to Hannah
and Kevin for hosting!
This past
Tuesday, my quartet had our first gig in a long time, and it was so fun to be
singing for people—real, live people!—again. A local town does concerts
in a park, and we did an opening set for a country-rock artist. Big
contrast between our barbershop and his country-rock, but I think people enjoyed
it. We got some good comments anyway.
So that’s
what’s been up here, and we’ll talk again in August!