4th of July Weekend

After our plans to visit Banff, Whistler and Glacier didn't quite work out (there were about twelve reasons for each of them not working), we decided to keep it simple for the 4th of July this year. We went to the lake. And I'm so glad we did. I'm sure we would've loved any of the places we considered going (and we will make it to them all, I hereby declare), but a quiet long weekend at the lake was perfect this year.

Clara, Jono and I went up Friday evening. Since we went a few weekends ago, Clara now understands (and anticipates!) the joy of the lake. Of course she loved it last year too, she just didn't fully comprehend the greatness of the lake until this year. The whole way there she kept repeating, "The lake. Priestlake (one word). It's gonna be so much fun!" It's pretty great that she adores it as much as she does. It's not really an option not to love the lake, after all.

We spent lots of time at the beach.

Check out Clara's face in the picture. She was not the biggest fan of the surf board, despite Jono's best effort to convince her otherwise. The paddleboat, on the other hand, was just right.

We attempted a hike through the cedar forest but we only lasted about twelve steps. The mosquitos were insane, thanks to an abundance of standing water. So we abandoned our pursuit and returned for an early dinner.

On Sunday, the Blomgrens joined us. Clara and Norah had a blast together attempting to build sand castles, stealing each others toys, kicking their feet on the side of the dock, and taking boat rides with their daddies. Of course the adults had just as much fun. Maybe more.

We took a little walk along the lake near Hill's Resort and found the mosquito situation much more bearable!

On Monday morning, Jono and Dave awoke at some ridiculous hour (3:30ish, I think) to hike chimney rock, on the other side of the lake. Beforehand, we told the boys that they were welcome to plan some adventure but they had to be back by 10:30am. They surprised us by making it home an hour early - and still making it to their destination with some pretty incredible pictures to show for it. They even napped in the cabin while the girls' slept in the afternoon, meaning more beach time for Kelly and me. It was the ultimate win-win! Some day I will make the chimney rock trek, as it looks amazing, huh?

The boys made it back to our cabin just before Jonathan's parents arrived. John and Kathy came up for the day on the 4th. The eight of us had a lovely time together. We spent nearly every second at the beach, as the weather was amazing. I think every one of us jumped in the water, even though it was freezing. I'm talking really really cold. Even Clara survived (and mostly liked) her swim with Nana.

Then we dressed in our 4th of July finest (minus my husband, who somehow missed the memo) for a final BBQ on the deck before packing up and heading home.

And my conclusion: you can't really get much better than the lake. We still have a long list of all the places we want to explore within driving distance, but the lake makes accomplishing that list kind of challenging. Oh well. It's a pretty good problem to have, I think ;).