Fourth of July

We spent the 4th of July weekend with Brianna. We took a LOT of pictures but only have the last evening (the 4th) we were there left on the computer... Sad day! I had moved a couple of videos we'd taken to my video folder and then went to delete them from the card so I'd just have the pictures to sort through. Well, I clicked on the first video & delete... and a screen popped up that said deleting 200+ files. I said NO! and hit cancel, but unfortunately most everything had been cleared! UGH!! I was just sick... I know, its only pictures - but still...

So, we left Saturday morning. Brianna didn't want us to come up to early because she had volunteered to lifeguard at an open water swim in the morning & then she was going to go up to Gpa Dave's to work for several hours. So we took our time getting our of here and then stopped to drop Tessa of at Gma J's. I think it was after 12 when we left there. We stopped at a campground just before New Meadows. On past trips we've noticed a trail along the river that we thought might be cool to walk sometime, but didn't know much about it. At this campground were some pamphlets about the Weiser River Rail Trail - an 85 mile trail. Well ok, so we will walk part of it, sometime! We walked down to the river and Les & Tiffani & Simba waded around in it a bit, but we never did find the actual trial. (If I can get the video to load, that is saved! But no pictures...) I think we got to Brianna's about 5:30 & then we went to the store. Brianna was insistent on cooking us dinner! So we went & got the needed groceries for Penne pasta with sausage & Alfredo and then she & I cooked dinner in her tiny kitchen. It was great! (Some more of the deleted pictures - Brianna

 cooking & her apt.) Tiffani & Simba got to stay with Brianna.

Les took this with his phone so, yea, we do have a picture from Saturday! Gma J got this monkey float in Hawaii and stuck it in a box of goodies for Brianna. Brianna, of course, loved it! Wore it around the whole night. When I took her picture in front of the apartment outside, she had it on. While we ate dinner, she had it on... Her tiny kitchen is in the background.

Les took this from her bedroom window - you can see the Clearwater River in the background.

Sunday we went down to Brianna's and we went to her favorite frozen yogurt place where you build your own yogurt with tons of toppings to put on it. Yummy! Hung out at her place for a bit and then went to the Aquatic Center to swim. Took lots of pictures of Les, Briana & Tiffani at the water park and just of the place in general (all gone, sorry A. Avy!). So you'll just have to take my word that they had fun & that Brianna works in a pretty neat place. :) It is a tiny water park compared to Roaring Springs, but it wasn't nearly as crowded either. We went back to Brianna's and had hamburgers for dinner - this time Les helped her with dinner. Heather was sleeping all afternoon because she wasn't feeling well, and Kelley wasn't in town (so sad - we missed you Kelley!)

Monday Les and I stayed in Colton for a bit because Brianna had to work from 4:30-9am (or so she thought - she really got off at 7) and had wanted to nap before we came down. We took a walk up a country road and then had a yummy bbq lunch with Dave & Patsy & other family before heading down to see Brianna.

Watched a crop duster flying in out of the rolling hills while we were walking. Would have loved to go up on top of that hill in the background and get an overview look at the rolling hills.

 There was a 4th of July celebration going on in the park, so we walked over to check that out. They had a couple of old fire engines that you could go for a ride on and lots of games to play. All for free. Brianna & Tiffani played tug of war - Les jumped in to help Tiff, so the guy running it at the time jumped in behind Brianna to help her! Then they participated in a "cake walk" and they each got 2 cupcakes. As we were walking to get a bag of KettleKorn we passed by a table with 3 older ladies played Mexican Train Domino's. Brianna tugged on Tiffani's arm and said "Let's go play with them. They'd love it." And so they did and everyone loved it. (You guessed it - no pictures...) We got back to Brianna's and made sandwiches to take a picnic to the river where we were going to watch fireworks. We (the four of us and Heather) walked down to the river, staked out our place along the greenbelt. Ate our picnic, played cribbage, listened to music & chatted. Tiffani had a ball taking pictures - Yes!! those survived - and I will let her pick her favorites to post on her page (tab at the top) although I do have a few on here. Watched a few fires start across the river and then finally the fireworks show. It was a great evening!

Sisters :) on a little bridge in the park.

The Snake River - Clarkston, WA in the background. There's a little beach kind of behind the boat in the picture. I believe that is where the open water swimmers started. Brianna was on a boat in the middle of the River there.

Clarkston in the back again. The swimmers went under the Blue Bridge and around the corner there to the finish line.

Sun setting on the Snake. (Tiff's)

Looking down the greenbelt beside the Snake - Lewiston side (Tiff's)

Sun setting again w/silhouette of a man fishing. (Tiff's)

Our little group. A few more people showed up, but we had all that room! I like not being all crowed in a space and being able to enjoy our time!

Trying to find music on the iPhone while we waited.

Sisters (Bri's)

Tuesday it was time to head home again. Brianna really wanted Tiffani to stay but didn't know what Tiffani would do while she was at work and Tiffani had to babysit as well. Maybe another time. But Brianna is coming home the first weekend in Aug and in Sept and I think is bringing Kelley with her both times. Yea!

A few more pictures - before we left on Tuesday I wanted to get a few pictures of where we'd been the night before - and the stairs we walked down...

The view at the end of the street - it drops down from here...

You can walk on the road around & get down to the next road, but why, when you can take these lovely steps! From the top looking straight down. And yes we went up them in the dark, too.

About halfway down - there is a stone wall along the sidewalk.

The dark purplish tree just to the left of the center is where we were for the fireworks show.

Some really neat looking houses that over look the river. I LOVE that upper porch/deck on the first house.

Brianna with her wonderful friend and apartment manager, Kay (who refuses to get her picture taken but was willing to do it for her Bri).

I did take another inside picture before we left Tuesday because the girls TV was sitting on 2 of the dining table chairs and Dave & Patsy had an end table they weren't using and we brought in down to the girls. So now they have all four dining chairs back at the table (that was left by the previous renters).

We stopped at the Evergreen Campground on the way back and searched for the Rail Trail that is accessible from there. We found it, but a lot of it was in the sun so instead of walking it at all we went back to the River to wade for a bit. This is the trail right behind 2 of the campsites (Horses are allowed on the trail, but not at this particular camp site.)

A little path to get from the campsite to the actual trail.

Wading in the River.

One of the many trestle bridges along the Rail Trail. Those are so cool looking and it's what made us want to find out more about getting on the trail.

Well, as frustrated as I am about losing all those pictures, I guess it's a good thing as this post has gotten quite long! Thanks for sticking through it. And a special thanks to Dave and Patsy - for letting us sleep at your house!! I kind of feel like it was a "bed & breakfast" since we spent most of our time with Brianna! But we certainly appreciate you, the hospitality and the comfortable bed - Thank you!!