Billings and Berlin

The first weekend in August Calvin went backpacking in the Wind River Range in Wyoming with some high school friends and I flew to Billings to attend our niece Hannah's wedding. I planned a quick weekend trip, but I wish I had planned a longer trip.  Billings looks like an interesting place and it would have been fun to explore a little more. Hannah and Eric had a lovely wedding in a park overlooking Billings.  These pictures don't do it justice but they were beautiful even in cell phone pics.

They were attended by a large group of nieces and nephews.

They all looked adorable.

Congratulations Hannah and Eric!

After Calvin and I made it back to Reno we took a weekend trip to view the Perseid Meteor shower.  Every year we try and find a place with a clear dark sky.  This year we decided to go to Berlin, Nevada and we were not disappointed. We have visited Berlin many times over the years.  Calvin has taken many scout trips, there have been school field trips, a family trip long ago and a couple of Calvin and Calli adventures.

This is pretty much what there is to see of the town,

but the main reason to come to Berlin is to see the ichthyosaur fossils. We've seen them a few times too, but we took the tour again.

The last time Calvin took the scouts to Berlin the ranger showed them a place where they could legally hunt fossils, so we tried our hand to fossil hunting.  I'm afraid I didn't find anything, but Calvin found this shell.

After we had settled into our room with a view we prepared for quiet evening watching the sun set.

There is not a lot to do while waiting for the sun to set so I took a few pictures. Sunlight on the sagebrush.

My favorite subject.

Sunset Berlin Nevada

We had intended to try and take pictures of the meteor shower, and even set up the camera ahead of time, but at midnight when we woke up to watch the show that seemed a little complicated, so we just watched meteors streak across the night sky. This was perhaps our best viewing spot yet.

In the morning we took a detour to the town of Ione. This is the road to Ione.

Once you get to Ione there is not a lot to see. A few well tended homes where the residents live and a few less well tended.

On our way home we stopped at the Grimes Point Archaeological Area.  The ridges along the top of this rock are symbolic, but what they symbolize seems to be a mystery.

There is a lot to see in Nevada

A few more Cals Crew pictures

One of the best parts of the family reunion was when we just got to relax and spend time together.  Our three new little boy cousins got time to crawl all over each other or at least play near each other. 

or wrestle with a little help from Garrett

We got to celebrate Alice's 3rd birthday with a picnic lunch and birthday cake

I got to spend a quiet early evening with Alice and Garrett while their baby brothers were getting bedtime attention.

And Calvin did his version of quiet time...reading with Austin and Clare and sleeping with Jimmy

I got to go with the Bordelons to visit Taylor Creek, which looks entirely different during the summer. 

and we saw crawdads eating a dead fish..nature at its best

Bicycles were ridden, and I don't think we have a single picture of that, but I did get a new flying baby picture to add to my collection.

It was a wonderful week.

Family Reunion- On Land and Water

We managed to accumulate a flotilla to enjoy this week.  We had a sailboat, stand up paddle board, pedal boat, kayak, jet skis and the occasional log.
Here are a few pictures afloat.

Calvin, Butch and Zach prep the boat and bring it to the south shore. Zach scrambled around the boat like he had been sailing all his life.

Zach and Austin took a turn at the wheel on the return trip.

Peter, Roque and Sylvan showed family paddle board style

Garrett and Alice checked out the pedal boat on land before they tried it on the water.

Peter suggested a hike to Angora Lake which was a great outing and reminded me of Pinecrest hikes.

After a short hike we reached the lake.

Where immediately the older cousins improvised a boat.

and the younger cousins got a taste for the beach.

and lots of rock jumping was done, but I didn't take a single picture of that.

Cals' Crew 2 2016

We had a Smith Family Reunion modeled after the Smith family reunions we had with Calvin's family at Pinecrest. We rented a house on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe and spent a lot of time just lounging on the beach. This is the first time we have all been together since 4 new cousins were born last year.

 Lots of pictures were taken, but these are a few of my favorite beach pictures

Cousin beach constructions

We made some impressive holes on that beach.

Parents and kids on the beach