Dueck's Roost

Yes, I am back, and yes, I've got a ton of blogging to do, and no, i do not have even one good excuse. Even though it is now chilly outside and my backyard is full of leaves (a little strange, since I have no trees), in the world of blog it is in fact still August. Toward the beginning of the month, Kevin went on a "high adventure" with good ole' Bishop B (our previous, amazingly fun and cool Bishop:) and a few boys from church. Papa Dueck even made it up for part of the time. They ventured out to Frying Pan Lake (amongst others) and had a great time getting swarmed by Mosquitos ... I mean fishing and bonding. Truth be told, at the time I actually had almost no idea where they were. On his way out, Papa D left a message for good friend MG (who also happens to be a fire chief and trained emergency professional) to let him know where the group would be ... In the event that they didn't come back out of the woods within a few days (in which case I probably would have...

I don't know if we just like to make things difficult for ourselves or what, but we tend to do some crazy things as a family--most of them demanding physical exertion (e.g., pushing a big pioneer-inspired handcart on a 90-degree day along a trail that included a river crossing). Well, this summer we probably topped all our other crazy adventures with an overnighter hike/camping trip with the entire crazy fam , baby included. So, here's how it all started ... I am brushing my teeth while Kevin gets ready for work on a random Friday in July, when he cheerily states, "why don't we hike into Lena Lake tonight for an overnighter . I'll try to come home at lunchtime so we can go." I smile and nod and mumble something (remember, I am brushing my teeth) like, "sure, Honey. Sounds good," honestly thinking that the chances of him coming home early are about as likely as me spending the morning scrubbing the oven. Translation: I'm in the clear. Whew! Don...

So here's some family photos (just snapshots, really) of our last day with the extended fam. It was sad to say goodbye since we had so much fun hanging out together. We are already looking forward to the next time! Better start planning ...

The day (I think) after we returned from camping, we headed over to NW Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville to, "experience captivating Northwest wildlife" (as their site advertises:). I think this picture shows everyone present, except for picture-taker Allison, my spunky, blonde sister-in-law. Unfortunately, there is hardly a picture of her to be found in the entire post, or in the one previous--a mystery I'm still trying to puzzle out. Part of the group had already left town or were busy at work. First, we walked around and checked out some exciting animals ... An owl ... Uh, a badger ... Maybe .. A lively otter ... Two bald eagles ... And a very large bird;) ... A coyote ... I think ... And a scary looking bear wearing a BYU hat. Then we went for a ride on the tram and saw more animals ... These are not animals, just kids (don't be confused) Still no ... And no again. BTW, the guy in the back is not some stranger trying to sneak into the picture, but is in fact the f...