Son Number One

This guy.

Who had the best quote of the summer.  "I'd rather motor back to shore with one fish than row back with two." 

Who was out on the water, not once, but twice.

 Who hung out with his family.

And was supportive of his sister.

Who got out of the car at three, 

count them,

three national parks.

Who got a haircut.

 And posed for multiple family photos.

 And wore a tie.

That one time.

Before he headed back to school.

  This was the summer we finally cleaned out the toy box (ala Toy Story 3), he learned to cook something other than ramen noodles and cardboard pizzas, we searched for a common interest so that we had 'something other than finances and his future to discuss'.

Enjoyed my summer with this one.  Miss him just a little bit. 

A Matter of Perspective

 Traveling backwards in time to July, we stopped off at Yosemite National Park on our way to a beautiful family wedding.

And while we were there we hiked to see some waterfalls.  (Along with a gazillion other people who stopped off in Yosemite the same time we were there.)  And I took a few blurry memory jogging pictures (in which I tried to edit out all the gazillion hiking people.)

Except the people I love.  Especially the ones who take good pictures of ourselves.  The Vernal Falls to Nevada Falls trail was particularly beautiful.  Different views around each turn.  Mist off of the waterfalls created multiple rainbows that shifted depending on the angle of the sun and the direction the wind was blowing the mist.

Looking back down the valley at one point there was a large bright rainbow that I thought I needed a picture of.  You know so I could remember to tell you about it.  And show it to all of the people who asked to see my vacation pictures.  But right in the middle of the shot were 4 young men who had climbed out on a rock ledge that jutted out over the river. So we waited somewhat impatiently for them to move.  To get their picture to post to facebook and move on.  Instead they took their shirts off and struck a few more poses, in no hurry to move on.  And while we we standing there, letting a quarterzillion people pass us on the trail, we realized that they had no idea they were standing under an amazing rainbow. The people taking their picture were on the same level they were, looking out straight out over the rocks.  No way from their perspective they were seeing the same thing we were.
And then Princess Amidala and I decided we would take their best picture of the summer for them.  And we hollared and waved to get their attention.  And tried to explain with exaggerated primitive sign language that we wanted to take their picture because they were standing under a rainbow.  Which is a complicated bit of information to communicate over a significant distance with rushing water all around.  But we finally convinced them to turn around and face up the mountain.

And we took their picture.  Then we hiked back down to meet them and Amidala tried to explain that we were not trying to pick them up, but if they gave her their number she would send them a picture.  And then we moved on.

And only later did I think of the times I feel like I am out on a ledge.  (And if you know me I am a big scaredy cat about ledges and high places.)  And a lot of times I have put myself out there.  And I what I don't see is the rainbow.  The promise that God will never leave me nor forsake me.  I can't see from my perspective that He sees the real picture from His perspective.  And I am covered by His promise.

That's Nevada Falls in the background.  This is the subset of the gazillion people in Yosemite that day that I love enough to want to remember.  I think there is a big bright rainbow over us.  We just can't see it from here.