For anyone that missed the big event at the Alan Smith household, Tyler and Chloe are now one year old! Available now for a limited time is the premier edition of the big event, captured on video, and personalized (with a magic marker) for you on DVD.

For those that weren't in the area, it was really hot here right before Memorial Day weekend--so hot that the Crandalls actually broke out the kayak months (ok, weeks) earlier than ever before! Some pictures are posted on our website and shortly, there will be a blurb on the blog. (ha, I could hardly wait to type that) The river trip went off mostly without a hitch except for the two places where downed trees completely blocked our way, which caused us to have to crawl out onto the logs, drag the kayak over and get back in the boat-all without setting foot on shore!

Last Monday, we spent a fun day with Kerry's family (and Kerry, too) in the land of the disappearing dry ice. A little beach, a little walk, a little ping pong, a little food--perfect!

Yesterday, I got my wish of having someone teach me about plant identification. When we took the missionaries on a hike a few months ago, we ran into a group out on the trail who seemed to be looking more closely at plants than would indicate just a passing interest. After piercing cross examination, I was able to discover that Oregon Natural Resources Council and Friends of the Columbia Gorge sponsor hikes, occasionally led by "Wendall," who really knows his plants. Of course, most of these hikes are offered on the weekends, but we finally managed to find one on a weekday. So yesterday we went up and over Angel's Rest to Wahkeena Falls, 6.4 miles, looking at plants and wildflowers all the way. Lots of information, and some of it I might actually remember!
posted by Cathy Crandall at 12:10 PM