How the Big Kids Play (a.k.a Couple's Weekend)

Ah, Lake Powell. I am developing a love for this rocky playground and fortunately have some great friends that pack us along on great adventures. Behold, the campsite... on Labor Day weekend even. Brad and Shannon had to fend many a group seeking safe haven to keep this gem for us.

We got to the lake on Friday night after packing our kids off to various and sundry friends around town (we so owe them.) I put this shot of me wake boarding on the blog because I was so happy I could get up. Don't judge. True friends can see your baby-white thighs and still think good things about you.

Jer rocked it on the wake board. Some of the girls had been trying to learn to steer and control the board and wiping out over and over again. Jer gets up in his modest way and schooled us all.

After staying up late like a bunch of teenagers, we spent the night under the stars (did anyone know there were THAT many stars in the sky?) We played all day on the lake, eventually working our way down south to Hole In the Rock.

This feature plays an interesting part in the Mormon pioneer heritage of this area. A group of settlers were asked to come down and create a place that could act as a buffer between the whites and the Indians of the area.

The trip down was long, hot, arduous, and after spending quite a time wandering around lost, the group was faced with this long descent down an almost sheer decline. They had wagons, oxen, horses, women, children, the works. The story is inspiring and many of the families we know here have ancestors that made that very decent. The incident is referred to frequently in our church meetings.

Here are some of those descendants, Tim and Sidney Young

and Brad and Shannon Young (yes, they are brothers).

And here are the descendants of those hard working pioneers, goofing around on the water tube. To each their own.

Mike and Rolaina Bradford also came along. I think Rolaina is seriously thinking twice about this one!

Your's truly. The ubiquitous hat and long sleeve shirt. Can I tell you how much I hate to get sunburned? Oh, perhaps you can look again at the white thighs in the above shot and have your memory jogged.

This is typical behavior for Tim and Brad. I understand they spent most of their youth trying to kill each other for real. Now it is all just in fun. I think.

Last time we went to the lake with the Young's, Jer was not feeling the cliff jumping. This year, amid many shouts and even a count down, one more bucket list-er taken care of.

Brad and "Timmy" as the family calls him. Have I mentioned that Tim is my boss. Although we are practically family now I still struggle with a boss named Timmy.

And a parting shot of me meditating on the rock. Weekend retreats are so refreshing.