definitely not dead

Just hibernated a bit up at Flaming Gorge for the week. Such loveliness and slowing-down of life! It was really, REALLY nice to have an excuse to remove myself from lots of things. Granted, I did sort of have Internet access, but it's hard to justify blogging when you're sharing a {borrowed} computer with lots of other people. So I didn't.

Here's my 3 brothers taking a "peet stop" during the 4ish hour drive there:

Oliver helping us de-cobweb the cabin:

Celebrating Oliver's "real" 1st birthday. Renn's Grandmother pulled out this antique guitar pan that she had used for her children. I just had to use it!

Apparently, the cake was A-OK

Lots and lots of fishies died on this trip. I'm told they were tasty. My 18yr brother here likes to eat the eyeballs. Weird, I know!

My brothers and Mr Renn rafting the Green River, my sister and I took the easy way and went on a drift boat. {meaning they got wet and we didn't} Mr Renn, as you can see, did his best to avoid any contact with the sun.

At the end of our river -run, this was a welcome sight!My brother {formerly known as...} and his son......and some dead fish.Yeah, that's my goofy family.....{sigh} Despite our dysfunctionality, it was a tremendous relief to all{be more or less forced to} spend so much time together and get a lot of garbage out of our systems. At the moment all familial relationships are in ship-shape.Oliver with Mr Renn's Dad, loving all the attention!We picked an awesome week to get out of the valley. Whilst Salt Lake City was frying in 100+ degree weather, we enjoyed days like this:Sir O in the Flaming Gorge Dam water......SO COLD! Despite the smile here, he was not such a fan.Sir O - zonked out on the beach.Mr Renn's grandparents have "pet" hummingbirds. Hundreds of them!They also have lots of plastic flowers in pots, the deer eat all the real ones!Sir O and his great-grandpa.4 Generations. {remember these people?}

Now I'm home trying to do 5 loads of laundry and finish the audio on this uncooperative family reunion project and get ready to leave again tomorrow morning!

I think I'm nuts. Or rather I was nuts a ways back and now I'm in it so deep that I need a new word.