Monday, August 22, 2011

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!!!!

Well......not really lions and tigers, but certainly bears.

For 35+ years we have been camping in the high Sierras each summer.   We started the camping/fishing trip with our children when they we young and now it is fun to see the grandchildren enjoying the trip as well.  This was our weekend for camping.

The elevation is quite high - 9800 feet so the temperatures are considerably cooler up there.  The temperatures drop into the upper 30s and low 40s at night.  The air is so light and any exercise makes you realize you can quickly huff and puff.   The scenery is just spectacular and snow is still to be seen.






This is the lake where we did most of our fishing, but there are three lakes and a stream in the campground.


Doesn't it look like a bear is carved into this tree?
 This is the first year that we have encountered bears.  They have become really pesky up there and will get into anything.  Both nights they were in our campsite and creating problems - walking on the tables, upsetting our paper goods, pots and pans and generally tearing up everything they could find.  UGH!!!!  Did you know they like coffee grounds?  It did not make for a good night of sleep because we were constantly having to shine our flashlights on them to get them to move on.  It definitely gave us something that we will talk about for years to come.

The camping grandchildren.

#1 son's family


#4 son's family


Our two best fishers!!!











Ghost stories....not needed after our first night with the real bears!!!!


S'mores galore!

There was time for some hand sewing on the 6 1/2 hour drive which I always enjoy.  I had hoped to do a little more at the campground, but that wasn't how it worked out.  Sigh!


Three finished flowers for my flower garden.


Birdie Stitches August block.


#33 Indiana Puzzle CW block.

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32 comments:

  1. SueAugust 22, 2011 at 4:54 PM

    Your camping looks like fun...so different to our part of the world.

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  2. GretchenAugust 22, 2011 at 6:09 PM

    Looks like a really fun camping trip!! I would love the cool weather right about now after a summer of mid- to high 90s. Your CW block is just lovely. The fabrics are wonderful!

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  3. quiltingnanaAugust 22, 2011 at 6:17 PM

    lovely photos

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  4. HilachasAugust 22, 2011 at 6:22 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. HilachasAugust 22, 2011 at 6:24 PM

    I don't know how I managed to write something to post and deleted it at the same time. Here goes again:
    How exciting. It looks like everyone is having a wonderful time. We were in the mountains of New Mexico last weekend so I know how much you're enjoying yourself. We did not camp out, however, a bear was prowling the neighborhood turning over garbage cans. Your hand-sewing is lovely. I enjoy hand-sewing when we travel also.

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  6. MicheleAugust 22, 2011 at 6:28 PM

    Camping is so much fun :-) I have wonderful memories of camping with my grandparents when I was little. Your pictures of your family are wonderful and the bears stories will be told again at school for sure!

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  7. HeidiAugust 22, 2011 at 7:12 PM

    That looks like the best kind of camping trip.. family all around. We had a bear in our front yard recently too. The kids had trouble sleeping that night. It's scary when they are so close.

    Love the little birdy quilt square!

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  8. LynneAugust 22, 2011 at 9:23 PM

    How wonderful to have so much of the family together for a camping trip! What fun!

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  9. Nat PalaskasAugust 22, 2011 at 11:14 PM

    I enjoyed reading your camping trip. Lovely photos of the children. Thanks Mary for sharing your vacation with us - Hugs Nat

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  10. QuiltSueAugust 23, 2011 at 1:42 AM

    How wonderful that you can all go together like that. It must be great for the kids to have all their cousins to paly with.

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  11. Joanne LendaroAugust 23, 2011 at 4:00 AM

    WOW!!!! The pictures are absolutely fabulous!! How wonderful to have the family together for such a fun time. You are so blessed! Your new block looks good, and more yo-yo's what a great way to pass the time. Thanks for sharing!

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  12. MariaAugust 23, 2011 at 4:32 AM

    I always love to see your family having fun.So nice to have so many cousins that can play and clean fish together.

    we didn't have bears just roos. LOL

    Nice flowers and stitchery.

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  13. palmtreefanaticAugust 23, 2011 at 4:46 AM

    the camping looks like a great time was had by all!
    I would be so scared of Bears too;) Thats a cool tree:)

    nice scenery!

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  14. Stray Stitches (Linda G)August 23, 2011 at 6:36 AM

    Camping was always one of my favorite summer experiences. As a child we used to ride horses up out of Mineral King into the high country. Gorgeous scenery and fantastic fishing. Thanks for sharing your photos and bringing back those memories.
    Your Little Birdies block is beautiful - I am now two months behind :(
    Love the new yo-yo flowers!!

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  15. AnonymousAugust 23, 2011 at 7:25 AM

    I hope someday to be as blessed as you are with all those wonderful grandbabies!!! Life is certainly good in your home!

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  16. Bridget BAugust 23, 2011 at 7:55 AM

    Looks like a great week-end with time to enjoy your family. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. LindsAugust 23, 2011 at 9:49 AM

    The camping looks great, though I am not too sure re the bears! The mountains and the water - just beautiful. And so lovely to be together with the grandchildren too. (And their parents, of course!)

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  18. KarenAugust 23, 2011 at 11:42 AM

    Thanks for sharing these great camping pictures! Looks like everyone had an enjoyable time (except for the bears).

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  19. ValAugust 23, 2011 at 12:52 PM

    You have the most beautiful family but hate the thought of bears. Looks like a fun trip and beautiful too.

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  20. SmilingSallyAugust 23, 2011 at 3:57 PM

    What a fun family time you had! Now, if you can eliminate the bears . . .

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  21. debAugust 23, 2011 at 3:59 PM

    just breath taking!!!! good thing no one came face to face with Smoky!!!

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  22. Carole BurantAugust 24, 2011 at 3:43 PM

    Omigosh, I don't think I would have slept a wink knowing there were bears walking around the campsite! lol They're a nuisance in camp sites around here as well. How wonderful that you were all able to go camping and fishing together, that's quite the group:-)

    Love the photos taken of the grandkids sitting on those rocks, just beautiful. And I see they even clean the fish themselves...even though I use to go fishing with my dad all the time when he was alive, I would never clean the fish! lol

    S'mores...would you believe I've never had those? I've seen how to make them and everything but have never tried them. Must remedy that soon:-)

    Hope you're having a wonderful week dear friend. xoxo

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  23. Talin's CornerAugust 24, 2011 at 5:42 PM

    I am impressed on how much you see your family. I hope it will be the same for me as my kids make their way in the world. Your projects look fantastic. Do you stitch the "Birdie Stitches" blocks before or after you add the borders?

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  24. DonnaAugust 25, 2011 at 9:07 AM

    Needled Mom, your photos of the family camping are just lovely. What a sweet and happy family!

    And I ADORE the yo-yos!! Like a flower garden..for sure.

    Don't the grandkids grow so fast. My heart just squeezed when Lena went to run and grab her big girl panties to show me via skype. Made her seem just a little bit closer. :o)

    I'm glad you got to spend time with your sweet grandchildren.

    xo
    Donna

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  25. nancygrayceAugust 25, 2011 at 3:17 PM

    Such beautiful country! But the bears? That might be more than I could handle!

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  26. em's scrapbagAugust 25, 2011 at 6:02 PM

    What a great way to make fun family memories. Love all your camping pictures. Bears can be a bit disconcerting. We had them a girls camp once.

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  27. DawnAugust 27, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    What is with the bears this year? Kristen had one in her culdesac, across the street from her house, up in a big pine tree. Then we had one by our lodge during the family reunion that got into our trash can. Yours sound a lot closer and more of them - wouldn't like that!

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  28. BarbaraAugust 28, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    Oh! My what an amazing time. Not all camping I see, some in an RV. The grandchildren must so love being part of your family.

    Enjoyed the different scenery too and will be interesting how many times and how different the bear story will be over the years! Must be quite unsettling.

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  29. Ivory SpringAugust 29, 2011 at 7:52 AM

    Oh my, other than the "beary scary" encouter, your time looked pure bliss!

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  30. Midlife MomAugust 29, 2011 at 7:54 AM

    What a wonderful time, well except for the bears of course!!! I would love to do that but I don't know if I could get R to sleep on the ground! ha! He'd have to bring an air conditioned RV!! What gorgeous pictures of the scenery there but the pictures of your beautiful family are the best! What a blessing to have so many beautiful grands and kids. Love to you all!!! xoxoxox

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  31. FleuretteSeptember 20, 2011 at 7:56 AM

    what a lovely fun time with the family. My dad used to get us up at 4am on a sunday to go fishing. Lovely CW block and Birdie block.

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  32. UnknownNovember 7, 2011 at 6:45 PM

    what a great camping trip....I just love that you get to see your family so much!

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