Camping

This summer, the younger kids and my mom have really enjoyed going camping. They got tents and sleeping bags and so forth, and set up a little camping area in a field about a half mile behind our house. So, one evening the end of August, we invited Dusty, his wife Morgan, and their three children, along with Dusty's sister Rachel, to go camping with us. We had a fun time, and it even involved sleeping. Rachel, Annetta, and I climbed trees, and then when Jessica joined us, we decided to walk back to the house to get her sleeping bag. Then we walked back...in the dark...and pretty much scared ourselves hearing noises of what we were sure were creatures stalking us with unfriendly motives. But we made it back safely.

Below...Rachel and I are dragging tarps out back...we slept on those to try to get off the dewy-ness.


Cool silhouettes...


These next few pictures are just some random scenery-type photos that didn't fit in anywhere else, so I thought I'd throw them in this post. They were taken about a week ago or so.

Houghton College

Towards the end of August, Jessica and I had the opportunity to visit this place

to see
We rode up with Jennifer's mom and sister Elizabeth, starting our epic journey early in the morning. It involved Tim Horton's.

My hot chocolate was good.
Then we arrived and located an unlocked door, and then the stairs, and then her room.
(below: Here we are, wondering if we can scale the walls.)
And then we found her!


We went to church with her, and then we had a picnic lunch in a cute pavilion near the road, which means that we kept tabs on the part of the Houghton community that drove by that particular intersection. One car in particular was painted and decorated and inhabited by what appeared to be a hippie.

We had a short-ish tour of the campus, and saw such staples of the college life as the cafeteria, chapel, offices, dorms, and gym. Then we had to leave, so we said our goodbyes and began the journey back home. The end :D

Random Summer Life

You have my consent to yawn, if you so choose, as this post is predominately pictures. In fact, I find myself yawning as I sit here. I feel like apologizing for the non-interesting-ness, but I feel rather smug about getting TWO posts up within days of each other. Yes.

We are shown below hanging out, as only homeschoolers can.




Jessica's friend Alatheia happened to be driving through our area and stopped in. Alatheia is one of Jess's classmates from her online PHC classes.

Wild blueberries...

...and blackberries
the tractor and rake

Graduation Party

So, tonight, I did what I've been not doing all summer, and that is, I sat down and looked at all the pictures that have been taken over this summer, picked out the good ones (also known as the salvageable ones), and am slowly making my way through the editing and publishing stage of things. Anyhow, for those of you who didn't know (that'd be the nonexistent stalkers and lurkers out here), I had a graduation party this summer, on a lovely wet and chilly-ish day the end of August. Obviously, these photographs were not taken by me, and I don't know who to give photo credits to...mostly Annetta and Jessica, I do believe. It was great seeing all my friends and relatives, and despite the weather, it was fun :) Thanks for coming, guys!

Here are pictures...


Reuben and Philip.


Annetta and Elizabeth
Rings :)
Feet :)
I don't really have a caption to do it justice...

Kim and Rachel
Rachel and Epponine
Andrew (or is it Daniel?) and Jonathan
Rachel and Rachel
Rachel and Jess
The boys...some of them
aww... Andrew (or Daniel), Jonathan, and Rachel
Elizabeth and Jennifer
same
Hosanna got WET!
Jennifer
playing Elbow Tag
Some parents
Elizabeth
Sarah
Mr. R
My grandpa on the right, my great-grandma in the middle, and a couple from church on the left
Elizabeth, Jess, Rachel, Arielle, and Kim

Sarah and me
Annetta and Elizabeth
Hosanna putting ice down Logan's shirt.
My mother
Reuben, a headless Hosanna, Josh, and Peter playing chess
My father
:D
Josh calls Reuben his hero...
Peter, Reuben, Katrina, and me
Hosanna, Lydia, Jessica, and me
Daddy
Katrina and Hosanna
Josh and Katrina

Yes...to you astute ones who noticed, the pictures are in reverse order, from the end of the party to the beginning. Thanks for stopping by, and tune in next time for more adventures with Ranger Bill!! I mean, our family and the friends thereof!