The seasons are turning again and, though it is still beautiful and colorful outside, the temperatures are not just "slightly" chilly anymore. This week was downright cold. If it's going to be like this then I'd just as soon have some snow already. 

Over the weekend our family spent some time helping out with a large street festival downtown in Coeur d'Alene. Three blocks were closed off and there were vendors, musicians, and lots of good food to be had. Addy and Maren put tattoos (temporary) on kids. Jackson and Lindsey handed out hot drinks. Evelyn hung out with her friends and did some busking. It was a good way to spend a morning.

That afternoon we headed up to Kellogg where they did their downtown trick-or-treating event. We spent some time resting in Wallace and checking up on the house, and then went home for a movie night. It was a pretty laid-back week.

Tonight is Halloween. We'll go downtown and then each of the kids has a different friend group they are going out with, leaving Rachel and me on our own. I can't complain. To be honest, I don't even know what everyone is doing this year as far as costumes go, but I'll take some pictures to put up next week.

Have a good week!

Tattoo Parlor

Drink Stand. Jackson did a lot more work here, but wouldn't allow me to take his picture. He had been playing with makeup the night before and his eyes were a little scary.

We got pizza downtown after the street fair. We like pizza.

This is a follow-up from last week's "Lindsey-is-weird" picture. This time she came and sat down next to me while I was watching football. At first I thought she was eating ice cream. Wrong. It turns out they were Ritz Crackers crumbs that she got out of a package in Evelyn's garbage can. I promise that we do feed out kids. Lindsey is just...special.

Leavenworth is a funny little town- a tourist trap to say the least. But I have definitely spent my fair share of time there, as it is a gateway to so many opportunities for outdoor recreation. It is kind of weird walking down the street, realizing that I have been to almost every shop, restaurant, and bar in sight, while still feeling like I've actually spent very little time in the town itself. Usually I am sleeping in a car or a tent, and we just go in to eat- but those trips all add up and Leavenworth is starting to feel pretty familiar by this point.

We spent the weekend as a family at this lovely outdoor playground. It was originally just a day trip that was planned- a hike to one of my favorite alpine lakes. The walk was splendid- the fall colors as beautiful as expected and the lake as fresh and breathtaking as the first time I laid eyes on it. The run back down was fast and furious and I was really glad to have shared this area with my kids who haven't been on any of the trips that take me there so frequently. I think everyone fell in love and and we will definitely be back- probably many times.

When we finished the hike we had a little bit of daylight left so we went to the local skatepark and pump track. Randomly, this is one of the best paved tracks in the entire northwest and our kids took to it immediately. Especially Addy and Jack. I skated, but did much better pumping the turns on rollerblades than on a board. Also, Rachel, Maren, and Lindsey had some of their first tries at a three dimensional surface.

That night we went out to a restaurant in town for German food that, according to a patient of mine from Germany, is as authentic as she's ever seen in the states. And as we talked and laughed and relived the day we realized that nobody was ready to go home yet- and why should we be? We had no obligations and a hotel room was just a quick phone call away.

So we stayed.

The next day we spent more time in town- at parks and shops and just walking around the pedestrian path taking in the beauty of the area. The weather was perfect the whole time we were there- Autumn sweatshirt weather- fresh and cool and invigorating. For lunch we went to one of my favorite places where we had good pizza, savory pretzels, and crisp apple cider. 

It was perfect.

We got back home in time to take Evelyn and her friend to a punk rock concert in Spokane. It was a nice end to a family weekend, as Rach and I had several hours to ourselves after dropping them off. As we walked around and talked it was one of those moments of perfect contentment for me- a time to just take a deep breath of cold air and realize how good we actually have it.

Life is awesome.

Wow- our Leavenworth trip was so good that I completely forgot about a few other things this week until I went to put pictures in. This first one is the five of us after watching a ski film in Sandpoint. The season is practically upon us and we are all so excited!

We went to the high school football game. The team won, Ev played in drumline, and the middle school band got to go and participate as well. Here is Addy and her friend, Jace on the saxaphone.

Funny story: We were all sleeping in the hotel when I heard a noise. I looked over and there was Lindsey, sitting up in bed, eating a ham sandwich. What?! Where did that even come from? Lindsey is so weird.

Colchuck Lake in the central Cascades. Does it get any prettier than this? The kids decided it should be called Gatorade Lake because of the color of the water.

We all liked the Bratwursts, but Jackson was the only one who ate all the sauerkraut. Kid doesn't have taste buds.

I'm sorry Rach, but this picture was too good to leave out. For everyone else- she was fine except for a slightly bruised ego.

I hope this next comment comes out right: Evelyn works so hard at things and I think it's awesome. It can be frustrating when some of the people around you pick up on things faster than you do. For many, this can be so discouraging that they stop trying. For Ev though, it is like a personal challenge. I saw it last year with skiing, and by the end of the season she was right there beside me on all the hardest, most consequential runs. This weekend on the pump track, Addy and Jackson did great. Evelyn though, gets the award for the hardest worker, which maybe also serves to make success that much sweeter.

Fruit stand on the road

Autumn time is simply lovely. Have a good week!

Fall is a time when the air is chill and full of energy. It's a nice time to be outside, and a cozy time to be inside. It is the perfect season.

Here are some photos of the week:

Sunset rock climbing at the park. These girls have gotten really into it lately. In fact, I think they may have logged more climbing days that I did this year!

Evelyn and I went to an Alice in Chains concert. This is a favorite band for both of us and it was really cool seeing them in person. The show was awesome!

About to go into the concert

Just goofing around at the park after church. Also, Ev played drums on the praise team this week and did a great job. She has been doing more and more of that, although we haven't had a chance to play together yet. As for this picture- I told you they had gotten into climbing. This plastic tree became the boulder project of the day for these two. Addy even wanted to bring out some pads to put down, but I thought that would attract a bit too much attention.

Again- just playing in the beautiful weather

Rach and I ate lunch at Arbor Crest yesterday and the view from the cliff really demonstrates that Fall is here. Soooo pretty! 

Have a good week!

The story of the week:

Most of the family went on a walk on a local trail. The weather was rather cool and moody and the kids were having a fun time exploring the woods along the pathway. Lindsey was on her own when she suddenly let out a blood curdling scream. The kind of scream that says "something is really, really wrong." The scary scream. The kind of scream that no parent ever wants to hear. 

Evelyn, who was closest, ran to where the scream came from and after just a few seconds started screaming as well. Rachel got there next, and describes her first thoughts upon seeing Evelyn. "Her entire jacket had come alive and was writhing with hornets- like, hundreds of them."

Ev threw off her jacket and finally got away after being stung over thirty times. Lindsey got about thirty as well, and Addy (who also ran in to help) suffered around eight. Rachel's 2 stings were just enough to give her empathy for the other kids. It was fairly traumatic at the time, but everyone is okay now.

In other news, Lindsey ran in the elementary school x-country program again this year. It is mostly there to generate interest in the kids and nobody really cares who wins. That said- Lindsey is good at winning. This time there was some good separation between her and second place, and she literally skipped across the finish line. Given family genetics and her own drive, I think she could be pretty good if she wanted to.

One more thing: Rachel and I were able to have a short getaway for a music festival (90s Flannel Fest). Just us. We brought the trailer and camped at the venue. During the days we explored the area. In the evenings we basked in the music of tribute bands- mostly punk and grunge. All the bands did great, but Pearl Jam and Metallica were especially good. Fun times.

Have a good week!