- Adventures (11)
- Corgi (3)
- Family (29)
- Notes (1)
- photography (8)
- 6 September 2010: Rachel Lake Hike
- 30 August 2010: Boating with the Yales
- 25 August 2010: Camping Trip to Klipchuck
- 13 August 2010: Esmeralda Basin Hike
- 30 June 2010: Sandy and Friends' Prom Pics
- 13 June 2009: Final JB2 and JB3 Concert of '09
- 20 April 2009: Nanna turns 100
- 8 March 2009: 2009 Solo and Ensemble Competition
- 2 February 2009: Five Generations of Cutlips
- 23 January 2009: Aunt Sallie's 80th Birthday Party
Boating on the Columbia
To kick off our final vacation of the year, we headed to Vantage on 18 August to visit with Chris and Susan and their kids & Venus, too. I was especially looking forward to the day since I hadn’t had a chance to spend much time with Chris in over a year, and he had the full day off. After some initial yakking, we had lunch and then got our stuff together to go play on the Columbia River, which would be refreshing considering the high temps. Chris launched their boat and then shuttled us in two groups to a sandy beach about 3 miles/5 km south on the river, on the far side. Just ashore, a huge, burning hot sand dune loomed large. While a few stayed ashore with Venus, others went out in the boat to try their luck and thrill at being towed on a sea-biscuit. I passed, but just about everybody else gave it a go. I think Nick was the champ, being towed for miles it seemed! I stayed ashore one time with Venus, who mostly just eyed me suspiciously, and climbed the dune which rose for about 100′ / 30m from the river’s edge to the basalt cliffs above.
On the return near suppertime, Chris let me run the first boat shuttle back to Vantage, which was fun. On the return, it was just me and the boat controls, something I’d never experienced before. Nothing unexpected happened, and I did find the right beach on the return where Chris and Wesley waited. Or maybe it was Chris and Nick. And Venus.
After securing the boat back on the trailer at the launch in Vantage, we began the several block drive back and watched this humorous spectacle unfold. Venus, partly pictured below, absolutely rocketed up the road trying to get home before we did. At one point, she ran parallel to our truck and raced through a gas station by a couple of guys pumping gas. As Venus streaked past, I saw them smiling incredulously as their heads whipped around to follow her progress. After taking a shortcut across some vacant lots, she easily won the hands down. Er… paws down.
Below, L to R: Nick, Caralyn, Jael, Sandy, Wes, and Bonnie. Venus pokes in from the left.
