Friendship Retreat 2012

Our 32nd (?) Annual retreat at Camp Bandina was well represented.  The five core families were all  there and got a chance to 'catch up' the year of happenings since the last time we had a good, long  talk. Every year has its share of joys and sorrows but we  know that to get to share these with those who have known you all your life and love you in the Lord is a true blessing.






there's no shortage of good cooks in this family gathering


















A trip to Medina to the Fall farm festival was a treat - and we got to meet the newest Blankinship!












Looks like we have some water nymphs in the family. This Medina River has given us lots of good times and happy memories.

See you next year, God Willing.

MSCH - final scenes of our Colorado summer

We stayed an extra four days to get one last trip to the high country and see Rocky Mtn NP in late September.  The aspens had started to turn in the high country and the elk were in full rut.  It was a glorious weekend and the perfect end to a blessed and super summer.











Here in RMNP this bull was working hard to keep his harem of about 28 cows in tow.  We watched them for a while as he lost one to another suitor only to get her running back to him and the suitor ambling off!









More high country color and the video clip below (if it sends) shows the last scene we had of the mountains - two bulls and an Elk jam on the road out.  This bull had already lost a fight (we were told, wish we could have seen it) but had not given up on bugling a cow out of the harem.  We did see the dominant bull approach him, bugle a challenge and watched as this 'little fellow' decided he was not really interested, after all.

MSCH 9/12 - team fun

 This is as clean and together as we ever looked!
















Every moring we had a devo and here is Johnny leading singing and Karen keeping him on key.















We had a Fun Night with the kids and staff and here is Remington enjoying Polish Horseshoes.













Others of us taught the kids - young and old - the value of a steady hand at Jinga.

Sojourning at MSCH - the work

 We arrived the Saturday before Labor Day, 2012 and joined 10 other couples for a three-week sojourn here.  This has been a ministry of the churches of Christ out west for decades and is well known in Sojourning.  You have to get up early at Camp Bee on sign-up morning if you want to be sure of your spot on this sojourn!








The first work is always getting the thousands of donations ready for their annual Fall Auction the next Saturday.  That gave us just enough time to put it together with the home's staff before the crowds showed up.







The next two weeks was spent working whereever we were needed - inside and out.  Here Ava and Karen are working in the clothing room with two other sojourners.  Ava did this, painted, cleaned, and we all helped put out an important fund-raising mailer.







Gary worked worked at painting (here with Nick- the new assistand director) and on various 'shovel-ready' projects.
Getting re-acquainted with Nick and his wife, Abby was one of the un-expected blessings of this sojourn; we had met them on our first Sojourn at Camp Yamhill in Oregon two years before and now they are here!

Echo Basin - Final pics and good memories!

 Wherever we go for any length of time we set up our Polish Horsehoes game and its always a hit.  Here we are playing with Leonard and Denise, boys against girls - husband throwing against wife.  Denise had to be really 'encouraged' to play - Leonard was the 'athletic one' in the family. You should have seen she and Ava celebrating as Denise had a world-record throw in one of our final games.  They didn't quit grinning for hours.







Becky needs no encouragement to play and you better be on your game if you are going to beat her.  (she gets it from her mother:)











A close friend to the owners and helping them out for the summer was Phil, a neat guy from the twin cities area in Minnesota.  He was quite the athlete, played softball, pitched 'real' horseshoes, and very competitive. He is soon to be a new Border Patrol agent and we enjoyed his visits a lot.  As you can see, I was my usual humble self as I repeatedly instructed him in the finer points of the game.  When he did finally take a game from me (not this one)  I think they heard his victory 'whoop'  in St Paul:)


The USA Pro Challenge cycle race around Colorado in late August went right by the turnoff to Echo Basin.  Ava and I put our chairs by the highway early and got a front-row seat to the race on its opening day.  100 of the world's best cyclist competed and they raced for 7 straight days all over Colorado.  They were amazing- they got to Telluride from Durango through Mancos and Dolores faster than I could (or, would) drive it in my truck!

EB- III mountain fun in SW Colorado

Camped next to us for a month were our new good friends, Denise and Leonard, both retired Forest Rangers.  They were a delight and getting to know them was one of this summer's treasures.  Here they have shared one of Leonard's favorite hikes between Dolores and Telluride, in the mountains.  (They are 'resting' so Ava and I can catch up:)








We had done a raft trip on the Animas River through Durango with Mild-to-Wild and enjoyed it when the owner found out we were Workampers and Ava worked in the office so we were offered a "comped' jeep ride into the San Juan's and were allowed to bring a fellow workamper couple, Bob and Kim, along.  We rode up to 11,200' on a beautiful day.  Great Trip.







Another '"comp'd" experence in Durango was the chuckwagon dinner and western fun nite put together for a group of us from Echo Basin Ranch.  We got in for about half price and had an intimate campfire dinner with about 800 others.  Food was good and the musical fun was better.










Here's my kind of free fun. Downtown Pagosa Springs has plenty of 'pay-n-play' hot springs sites but we scouted out this free pool right on the river where all the local river-rats soak. 

EB- Fun with Becky 8/12

 We picked up Becky in Albuquerque after a long flight from Tampa and had a whirlwind week of mountain adventures to end her summer break from school teaching.  Here we are at Molas Pass on the highway from Ouray to Silverton, an amazing (and scary) road.  Even early August is cold at this elevation.









 We also did the Durango-Silverton narrow gauge RR trip - everyone has to do it once, they say.  Beautiful trip up the river canyons - but lots of cinders if you're riding in one of these open cars!











On another day we drove up into the San Juan's from the west and into Telluride, one of Ava's very favorite places in these mountains.  The gondola ride is super, and the old mining town (shown below) is neat to visit - and a bargain!










One of the last things we did was take a horseback ride up mountain in our own backyard.  The owners of the BarD ranch do guided rides and are members of the church in Mancos.  Becky hit it off immediately with the owner - a real horse-lady - who 'gifted' Becky with a massive horse vertebrae for her science class.  (It is still "curing" in the bed of our truck!!:)