Castro Camping 2014

Our  year of outdoor adventure continues with the yearly Castro Camping trip at Mt. Madonna county park.  Kristen and Eric decided to tag-team this one, with Kristen taking Friday night duty, the whole family hanging out together on Saturday, and Eric being in charge Saturday night.  It worked out to be a great time, and we didn't get rained on like last year.  Nathaniel found a gang of little brothers about his age to join up with, and had a great time showing everyone that they could climb the stumps as well as the big kids.  There was also an outbreak of World Peace vs. World Death factions among the older kids which left all of the parents wondering as much as you probably are now.  The factions seemed to have formed around various wilderness forts that got built and then subsequently torn down, only to be rebuilt.  Somewhere along the line, a banana slug got some serious bling.

School Time!

Lillian and Nathaniel both started school on August 19th. Nathaniel in his first year of preschool and Lillian in second grade. Starting them on the same day was a little hectic, but it worked out well. Nathaniel has been seeing his big sister go off to school every day for all his life. Now he get's to be a big boy and go to school too. The preschool teachers all asked us if he had already been to school, because they had never seen a child so confident and calm on their first day. Lillian has been claiming some credit for playing school so much with him.

Lillian has taken to writing this year. On a day off from school she decided to write and illustrate her own book. The results were pretty awesome!

Lilly Loves Chickens  By Lillian Husky

Hi, I am Lilly, I was just remembering about when I was a little kid.

When I was a kid I went to camp (like a lot of you do) and my favorite camp was Deer Hollow Farm camp. When we went in the chicken coop , there I chased chickens.

One day when I went to the chickens it was closed. My mom said it was because wolves were eating the chickens. I pleaded to the farmers to open it back up but they would not.

When I was a bit older. I was walking in the country. I saw a sign saying farm selling 4 miles east. I was so happy I went and bought my chicken farm. Now I chase chickens every day. The End.

Yosemite!

A few short weeks after our the Saddest Camping Trip Ever, we were off camping yet again. This time we went to Yosemite with some friends. We had reserved housekeeping cabins a year ago, because camping in Yosemite is far more popular than any concert. The Housekeeping Cabins, have all the benefits of camping, without actually having to sleep on the ground, which is a real plus for a three night trip. The kids enjoyed roasting marshmallows over the campfire, exploring the nearby Merced River, rough-housing in hammocks, and getting just about as dusty and dirty as it is possible to get.  All that while surrounded by some of the most dramatic vistas in the western hemisphere!

In memory of Nash

Nash was such a friendly dog, he had many people who loved him and were going to miss him.  We felt compelled to do something special to commemorate him and allow his many friends to gather and remember him. We gathered some friends to help us paint river rocks so that we could build a memorial to Nash in our garden.

If you happen to be visiting and want to remember Nash, his memorial is under the redwood tree in the backyard.

The Saddest Camping Trip Ever

Only a few days after returning from Hawaii, we embarked on the saddest camping trip ever. It wasn't supposed to be that way. A return to one of our favorite camping spots with the stroller hiking group seemed like a good idea. Everyone seemed to be having a good time except for our dog Nash. 

He was moving slowly as he has the past year, but he still enjoyed making friends with the other campers and scavenging the kitchen area for whatever dropped food he could find. Sunday morning we knew something was up when he refused to eat his breakfast. Anyone who has spent a full day with Nash knows the hearty enthusiasm he has for his food, Nash refused to go anywhere other than into the car. We let him curl up in his preferred spot, and took that as a good reason to pack everything up and go. By the time we we were ready to hit the road, Nash was gone.

The kids were having a great camping trip, but we were all devastated by the loss of our dog.  We've decided that we can't bear to try to replace him right now, so we are going to be dog-less for a while.  While it is all incredibly sad, we are gladdened by the fact that he didn't seem to suffer, and that he got to spend his last days with us doing what he loved most, making new friends.

Another Vacation in Paradise

We're finally catching up on some long overdue blogging. The past few month have been very hectic and we haven't had time to download pictures and update blogs for quite some time but we will do our best to catch up and get everything up to date over the next few weeks.

This year we returned to Kauai for another McGuire-Husky family vacation Renting the same house with Grammy and PopPop for two weeks. The kids enjoyed many hours splashing in the surf and exploring the beach. Lillian loved exploring under water with her goggles and identifying the many colorful fishes, Nathaniel loved floating in the surf with his floaty and riding on his daddy's back. Everyone agreed that Tunnels beach was their favorite with it's many interesting fish, friendly sea turtles and beautiful white sand. If only it had enough parking. . .