Fall Is in the Air

 This was the view from our neighborhood on Saturday morning.  I definitely miss fall in Maine, but this is pretty spectacular too!

Birthday Boy

My baby turned (GULP!) 14 last weekend, and at 6' 3", we definitely can't call him a baby any longer!  He is happiest when he can be free and unfettered in nature; exploring, camping, hunting and fishing are unquestionably his preferred activities.

Thane has matured so much this year.  His moral compass is firmly intact, and we continue to receive random phone calls from various Jr. High staff praising his helpful, respectful and caring nature.  He's also started to be a big help (rather than hindrance!) to both Jordan and me.  

Never fear, he still hasn't lost his corny sense of humor or his stubborn streak.  If only he'd lose some of his appetite...

Happy Birthday Thane - we love you so much!!

The Pursuit of Excellence

 

We found out earlier this week that Annabel lettered in academics last year.  We are super proud of her hard work! 

Thane, as usual, prefers to excel in other avenues.  Here he is with the elk he shot on Monday night.  Jordan got an elk too, and we are very happy to be able to fill our very empty freezer (we were down to our last 2 bags of burger).  

Great job to you both!

BIG Weekend

 

It's been a pretty big weekend here at the Lentz' house.  First, Annabel went to homecoming with a really great young gentleman!  They had a wonderful evening.

 

Not to be outdone, Thane shot this bruin up on the mountain.  We're not sure what we'll do with the hide yet, but we've already fried up some meat and it's good!  We've also frozen the fat to render down for lard at a later time.  I'm hoping for some amazing pie crusts this winter.           Stay tuned...

Emerald and Rougher Lakes

On Friday afternoon we picked up Thane from school, met up with friends Troy & Melissa, and headed back to the Coffeen Park trailhead to camp for the weekend.  After setting up camp, Melissa made us a wonderful dinner, and we sat around the fire making s'mores and visiting.

 

We at an early breakfast on Saturday, tightened up our packs and headed up the trail to make our way over Edelman Pass to Emerald Lake.  This was a pretty rigorous hike, but we took our time and enjoyed the sites along the way.  We found a cool old mine (see the boys at the entrance above), and really appreciated the flatter sections of the trail (like this beautiful meadow below):

From there it was a pretty rigorous trek up some steep sections of rough trail until we finally made it to the pass.

The pass was super steep, but every well earned step was worth it when we finally crested the top and caught a view of the scenic Emerald Lake.

It's not hard to see how the lake got its name!

We rested and packed in some calories, and then Jordan & I explored the area while Thane fished.  Thane's patience was rewarded with several beautiful cutthroat trout.

The nearby Rougher Lake didn't live up to its name, as the water was smooth and absolutely gorgeous!

At the other end of Rougher Lake, we were treated to a panoramic view of the west side of the Big Horns.  That rocky ledge off to the distance on the left in the photo below is the Shell side of the mountains where you pass on your way to Cody and Yellowstone.  It's another 6.5 mile hike to get there, and Jordan & I have added this to our hiking list - but maybe with a restful night or two of camping up near the lakes first.  We'll need to recover from the Pass!

Back to School

 

Tuesday was the first day of school for these goobers.  Annabel is in 10th, Thane is in 8th, and I am in euphoria with a quiet house to work in again.  😂

Busy Weekend (aka - I'm Getting Too Old for This!)

We've had an eventful - but wonderful! - weekend.  On Friday night, Jordan and I drove down to Casper (2+ hrs each way) to attend a Lindsey Stirling concert.  If you don't know about Lindsey, you should find out fast!  Lindsey is an incredibly talented violinist, who also happens to be an amazing performer.  She played and danced for an hour and a half straight, including several songs where she flawlessly played suspended from the ceiling - twice UPSIDE DOWN!

Despite getting home well after 12:30am, we were up bright and early to hike up to the Cloud Peak Wilderness.  After about 3.5 miles of a beautiful walk through the forest, we came to Geneva Lake.  We walked along the lake and then hiked up several hundred feet to get a birds eye view.

At 5+ miles in, we were ready for a lunch break.  We stopped at Crystal Lake to eat, a tranquil little spot with crystal clear water and an abundance of jumping fish.

Feeling refreshed, we made our way up next to a meandering creek over Geneva Pass.  The view is incredible!

Then we worked our way down another mile or two to Robinson Lake, where we were treated to spectacular views of Black Tooth Mountain, which we can see from our home.

This hike is part of the Solitude Trail, a 63 mile loop around the major peaks of the Big Horns.  We are planning to take a week to hike/camp this trail, hopefully next summer.  In all, we walked over 15.25 miles yesterday, a personal record for me.  We made an elevation gain of 2118 ft, and hiked up over 10,000 ft above sea level.  It was a long day - a little over 12 hours from start to finish.  I'm not gonna lie: I am a little sore, but we are inspired to try the full loop next year.  Just maybe with a good night's sleep first!

Reaching New Heights

 

My folks came to visit last week and, boy, did the weather cooperate!  The last time they visited there was a wildfire in the mountains, and the visibility was near zero.  This time we were blessed with clear skies and temps in mid-70's.  

We took advantage of the mild weather to tour the nearby Brinton Art Museum with its western art and Native American collection.  We also enjoyed the beautiful grounds, where the flowers were in beautiful full bloom.

Annabel joined us for a morning hike up the scenic Tongue River Canyon, a favorite!  This was immediately followed by a large, well deserved brunch.

My parents always treat the kids to ice cream when are together, and Annabel & Thane were very happy to continue the tradition with yummy cones in Kendrick Park.

The highlight of the trip was our road trip to Billings, where we got to see the Blue Angels in action at the Yellowstone Air Show.  Getting to watch these incredibly talented pilots in action was a bucket list item for my Mom, and we were delighted that we got to partake.  

In fact, Thane now has visions of being a fighter pilot dancing in his head!  He's just shy of 6'3" at 13 years of age, so we'll see if he'll be able to stay under the 6'5" height restriction.  At this rate, we're not holding our breath!

We are so grateful that Dad & Mom came to visit, especially since they will be moving out of state in a few short weeks.  Come again soon!

While the Kids Are Away...

After Michigan, I flew to Fargo, ND, where Jordan picked me up on the way to a vacation at the family cabin in Minnesota.  Our time at the cabin, as always, was very relaxing.  Jordan and Uncle Steve wasted little time in getting on the water to fish.  This year they were aided by their trusty canine companions Peggy & Freya who were happy to alert them to any and all fish presence.

 

They must have been a lucky charm, since Jordan caught one of the biggest fish anyone in the family has ever caught (thanks to Uncle Steve's expert guiding skills, of course!)

 

I'm not gonna lie, it was a little strange to be at the cabin without Annabel & Thane, who were on opposite ends of the country.  In fact, our family missed being in all 4 U.S. time zones at the same time by a mere couple of days.  Mason and Xeni came for the week (we missed Drew too!), along with Xeni's boyfriend Jacob. 

 

 

This year we went blueberry picking, and then spent a very warm day canning syrup and jam and making blueberry pie.  But it was worth every drop of sweat!

 

 

As always, Ant Sandy does the bulk of the work and makes our stay at the cabin so delightful.  Personal chef, chauffeur, chambermaid, seamstress, laundress, decorator and pet sitter - this woman does it all!  We can't thank you and Uncle Steve enough for your boundless hospitality.

 

As if the cabin weren't enough, they even let us stay at their home in southern Minnesota, where we got to spend a little time with GG, the Tschida's, Aunt Glenda and Mitch.  Another wonderful year in the books - thank you!!

Tranquility

 

After my Gramma's funeral, I got to spend a few days in Michigan visiting family.  One highlight was getting to see my sister and Jon's new farm much sooner than expected!  Their new place is awesome.  It needs a lot of work, but it has GREAT bones.  

 

 

While they renovate the old farmhouse, the Lash farm is modest with only chickens and turkeys at present.  These foul are all well loved - Luke even reads them bedtime stories!  They get plenty of exercise too, as evidenced by the exciting chicken races we observed. 

This peaceful bit of earth is such a refuge - so tranquil after their last home in a suburb of Phoenix.  The boys are thriving - including precious Cody.

It's easy to see why Kim & Jon fell in love with the farm.  I can hardly wait to visit again!

Annabel in Oregon

While Thane was in Maine, Annabel headed west to the Oregon coast for her summer adventure.  Nestled in a picturesque spot right across from the beach, Annabel served as a junior counselor at a Christian camp with one of her besties.

Annabel had a blast making new friends and growing spiritually.  At 15, she is becoming more independent and learning how to problem solve.  Her quick thinking during one fraught-filled night involving a heavy nose bleed that wouldn't stop is testament to her ingenuity! 😂

 

She loved the experience and is already making plans to try to attend longer next year. 

My Darling Gramma

 

A few weeks ago I lost one of the most incredible women I've ever known.  My Gramma could be considered a fairly straight-laced woman.  One of 11 children, she was raised in a very strict, religious family.  She never finished school, but was forced to stay home to help work the farm after her father was severely injured in a fall while fixing the barn roof.  Those were hard times, keeping up the family spread during those bleak war years that came right on the heals of the Great Depression.  It's not surprising then that after her rather severe childhood, Gramma couldn't figure out why anyone would ever want to willingly leave the comforts of modern life to try their hand at farming, let alone prepare and can fruits and vegetables like several of her offspring and grandchildren do.

Gramma could have been bitter about her childhood, but instead she met and fell in love with my Grampa and focused on raising a beautiful family of 1 boy and 3 girls.  Even after finding out that she was expecting a fifth child when her youngest was 14, she adjusted her plans and started again - raising her 2nd son along with her ever growing number of grandchildren.

In her own way, Gramma was independent and had grit.  She didn't learn to drive until she was in her 50's, and she continued to drive into her early 90's, when she finally decided it was time to let someone else zip her around town.  She faithfully took care of Grampa, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, until the very end.  

Gramma was always healthy and lived on her own until she was well into her 97th year.  Even as her world grew dim and quiet with her failing eyesight and hearing, Gramma kept a great attitude.  Sure, there were days when her small world would get the best of her, but after complaining for a minute or two she would brighten up and ask about my or my sister's family - always remembering each by name.  With 13 grandchildren, 34 great grandchildren and 8 great great grandchildren when she passed, it would be completely forgivable to forget a name or two - but Gramma could almost always recount names and specifics about each child.  Remarkable!

Gramma was very special to me.  She lived in Michigan and we lived in Maine, which meant that our paths only crossed once every year or two.  Those visits were precious.  I remember Gramma making us pancakes every morning (such a treat!) and her famous pot roast.  Up into her early 90's, she faithfully mailed my favorite boiled fudge every Christmas.  

But after years of viewing her mostly in her role as a doting Grandmother, we became friends.  After making the difficult choice to leave my childhood church, Gramma and I had lots of discussions about what it meant to leave a church, re-think some of those core beliefs in light of God's grace and embrace a new style of worship.  She'd been through this when she joined Grampa's church after they were married, and she understood the sense of hesitation and even guilt that often comes with those first few months in a new place of worship.

One thing that has always impressed Jordan and I about Gramma was her unfailing love toward family.  No matter what she personally felt about our life choices, we always felt loved and accepted just as we were.  After several discussions with cousins and extended family at her funeral, it was evident that this was a pathos that she extended to all.

Her funeral suited her utterly.  The speaker was an old pastor that had known my grandparents for years, and he perfectly captured her spirit in the ceremony.  A faithful prayer warrior and outspoken about her faith, Gramma would have loved that the service was focused on God and His plan for us to join Him in Heaven.  The service was humorous and filled with Scripture - just as she liked it.  Gramma would have been especially proud at the end - when all 7 of her handsome grandsons escorted her out of the church.

I write this short tribute with tears streaming down my face - tears of sorrow for sure, but mostly tears of joy as I think of her in Heaven with Grampa, her family and her Savior.  She had longed for this day for many years, and I know she's far happier than she could ever be here on earth.  But I do miss her beautiful heart - and her words of love and encouragement whenever we spoke.  It's hard to fathom that she's not just a phone call away.

Gramma - thank you for your legacy of love and faith.  I look forward to the day when I can embrace you again in Heaven.  Until then, you remain dear to our hearts.

Thane in Maine

  

Thane had an amazing opportunity to spend the month of July with some wonderful friends in Maine.  And what a July it was!  Long summer days filled with fishing, boating, swimming, shooting, 4 wheeling, eating and adventuring with his best pal Liam.  

They went to adventure parks, swimming pools, the beach and then mini-golfed and ate loads of lobster, crab and ice cream.  He is one blessed kid!!

We can't begin to thank this crazy clan for providing Thane with the summer of a lifetime - and for treating him as one of your own!  The Yorks will always hold a special place in our hearts.