Camp Sherman 2017

No sooner had Audrey and Kate unpacked their suitcases from their Alaskan adventure then it was time to repack them for a trip to Camp Sherman for the annual Gutzler family gathering. After soaking up plenty of screen time on the car ride down, they got settled into their Lake Creek Lodge cabin (#13 again this year), met up with the full complement of Gutzler/Taylor/Williamson cousins, then headed over to the "food house" for a delicious dinner prepared by Mark and Sharon (one of their last, as Mark and Sharon later announced they would be hanging up their Camp Sherman chef hats).

This year's camp theme was "Harry Potter." Sharon secured some Harry Potter robes, wands, necklaces, and glasses for the kids, and mixed up some butterbeer and provided a pinata in the form of a Golden Snitch. Audrey worked with Dad to prepare a series of Harry Potter-themed activities the kids participated in over several days: a Sorting Hat ceremony; a game of Quidditch utilizing pool-noodle "brooms;" a "torchlight" march to "Lake Hogwarts" (the fishing pond); a taste-testing of gillywater (mint water), butterbear, and pumkin juice; and a potions class in which they made Felix Felicis (glitter slime) and Tiger's Eye (a customized potion created with random ingredients harvested by the kids). Audrey served as "Head Girl," explaining Harry Potter to those who hadn't read the books. Aunt Marcia added to the fun with rock-coloring, shirt-making, and rootbeer-tasting activities.

Aquatics featured prominently this trip. The kids spent a good portion of each day in the swimming pool. They also hiked along the Metolius River to check out the old family cabin and the nearby swimming hole, stopping for ice cream at the Camp Sherman store on the way back. They made good use of Lake Creek, catching fish, crawdads, and insect nymphs; taking a short creek walk; and floating down the creek on pool floaties. Audrey and Mom went to Suttle Lake one morning so that Audrey could try stand-up paddle-boarding (she enjoyed it, despite the windy conditions).

On the last night, the kids enjoyed s'mores and sprinting. On Friday Audrey and Kate said their goodbyes and headed home, dropping Kate off at a friend's bounce-house birthday party in Beaverton on the way.

Snow Daze

Audrey and Kate were treated to an extended winter vacation over the last week with four days off from school due to snow plus the three-day MLK holiday weekend. The girls made good use of the eight inches of snow that fell last Tuesday and Wednesday, playing with their cousins and neighbors to build a snowman and igloo, holding snowball fights, and sledding down Ellie and Madi's driveway. In addition to playing in the snow, on Wednesday they ventured out to Starbucks and had their neighbors and cousins over for hot chocolate and karaoke. On Thursday, they went with Lily and Cora and Elli and Madi to the Rose City Golf Course for more sledding, and soaked in the hot tub.

On Friday, for a change of scenery Dad chained up the van and everyone went into work; Kate with Dad and Audrey with Mom. It ended up being a weird day, with Anna and Audrey having to evacuate the building due to a possible gas leak and Kate coming down with a stomach ache and fever at Dad's office. Audrey skipped her dance class, Dad ventured out for cat and Chinese food, and the girls wound down the day by watching "Storks."

The weekend was mostly low-key, with Kate fighting off a fever and no one feeling super-ambitious. The girls watched "The Three Amigos"with their cousins on Saturday night. Audrey spent most of the day Sunday with her friend Hannah, while Kate went with her cousins to get manicures and pedicures. On Monday, the kids got in some more sledding on the neighbors' driveway, Kate went to the doctor, and everyone had hot chocolate and cookies at Elli and Madi's. On Tuesday, Mom and Dad had the day off, and the girls played in the snow a final time just as the snow-melting rain finally started falling. Hannah came over to play with Audrey, and the girls got ready for school the next day (which did finally re-start after a two-hour delay).

 

 

Junior Chefs

Over the past few months the girls have taken an on-again, off-again interest in cooking. It started with watching cooking shows on Netflix, including "Cupcake Wars," "Chopped" and "Chopped Junior," one episode of "The Great British Bake Off," and now "The Worst Cook in America" (Audrey's developed a small crush on Bobby Flay). They have also taken cooking classes together and separately, and some weeks help Mama plan for and prepare a dinner. Audrey offered to make pancakes this morning, and clearly has learned something about presentation.

Camp Sherman Trip 2016

Audrey and Kate traveled to Camp Sherman this week for the annual Gutzler family gathering. A move to a different cabin this trip was a source of some concern for them at first, but was quickly forgotten once settling in and meeting up with cousins Lily, Cora, Liam, Elsa, and Wyatt. The group did not venture too far afield from Lake Creek Lodge (save for a shopping trip for Audrey into Sisters with Mama, GG, and Morgan). They were content to stuff themselves with lots of yummy food and sugary drinks supplied by great-uncle Mark and Sharon (margarita mix--sans tequila--proving a surprise hit), dress up in superhero garb supplied by Sharon, play in the pool, walk to the Camp Sherman store, and pose for lots of photos. New activities tried out this year were catching crawdads and baby fish in the creek to be "pets,"roasting marshmallows for s'mores in a new fire pit, a short creek walk, studying amphibian life along the fishing pond at dusk, and the kids getting some limited freedom to wander the resort on their own. (More Camp Sherman photos here.)