Goofing around

Obstructions

So while driving up there, I saw some hunters and they mentioned there was snow up top but I figured there wouldn't be much as it was still pretty early in the season. It was only a few inches deep but did actually get a little hairy in a few spots. I wasn't too worried though becuase I was following someone else's tracks. Unfortunately the tracks ended in a narrow dangerout area but I checked the snow and decided it wasn't took deep and decided to keep going. I am glad wifey was not with me becuase she would have sensed how nervous I was about getting stuck and stranded. Miss E had no idea and was just enjoying the ride. I came across this tree in the road and had to curse myself for not bringing the axe that my dad just barely gave me. I was able to push it partially to the side and drove over the rest. Big boulders were all over the road but fortunately none of them blocked the road so that I could not pass but it still made me nervous. This is the same road I got stuck on a few years ago with my brother so it brought back bad memories. We ended up getting through with few problems but I figure that is it for this year.

The Views

The first pic is of the Three sisters and the second picture is Mt. Jefferson. The peak in the third pic is barely visible unless you know what you are looking for but it is Three Fingered Jack.

More falls and the snow

As we continued the drive, we came upon more waterfalls and then finally hit some snow. She loved the snow and probably could have spend all day playing in it.

The falls and back

On the way back, Miss E decided to take leaves and clean and dust the trees.

Arrival at the falls

She loved sitting down on logs and even found one that she pretended was a motorcycle and then decided it was a train and that I needed to sit down with her so we could go "choo choo". Upon arrival at the waterfall she had her classic OOOOh reaction which is always so fun to watch. She didn't want to get too close though but that was probably because it was a bit steep wiht a drop off near trail.

Trip to the falls

So I told wifey that once gas prices got down to $2.50, I was going on a drive in the mountains. That time came faster than I thought and I was able to return and take a drive in the mountains which used to be one of my favorite things to do but it has been a long time because I couldn't afford the gas. Miss E has only taken one drive in the mountains on the back roads and has never been for a hike before. She did better than I expected and wouldn't let me carry her except when she got scared because it was too steep. I decided to take her on a short hike to some waterfalls. The hike was just over a mile and she did most of that herself0-even the uphill part which was fun to watch. What really made me laugh is that when there was an obstacle in the path, she did not go around. She went over it. She climbed over rocks and fallen trees that she did not have to climb over.

growing up fast

I love these kids

First Fish

Miss E caught her first fish ever on Saturday when my dad came into town and we decided to hit the lake. If you will note in the bottom right of the top picture, I brought a barney cushion seat for Miss E. She sat in this for a few minutes when we got started and then she told me she was scared and I held her in my lap for several minutes while she worked out her fears. She has been in the boat a couple times but it is nerve racking for her every time because there has been a large gap in between each trip. I finally was able to put her back in her Barney seat and she sat there expressionless while Dad and I set up for fishing. My dad immediately caught three fish and I was gettning frustrated because I was at zero and last time I went fishing my friend caught around 15 and I caught four. Fortunately after a few minutes I started catching them and it was on. I never caught up with him but in my defense I was captaining the boat and dealing with Miss E but my dad doesn't take that as an excuse and I suppose I wouldn't if I was him:)

Miss E has never seen me catch a fish before so I was not sure how she would react. At first she seemed intrigued but did not want to touch the fish. After a few fish she asked to touch it and responded, "It's cold". I can't quite adequately explain how cute it is when she talks though because it sounds more like "Iss cold". Anyway, she touched them for a while and got comfortable and moved to the side of the boat and watched me for a while then she wanted to help and started grabbing my pole. I had to explain that we had to wait for the fish to bite which of course meant nothing to her. We finally got a bite and she helped me bring it in for her first fish. I was so happy for her and had my dad take this picture. She then spent the remainder of the time getting in my way, dipping her hands in the water, grabbing my line, splashing me with water, and laughing as I brought in a fish that splashed water all over her.

When it was over my dad had caught 21 and I had 17. Not too shabby. It was one of the best days I have ever had fishing. Not because the fish were big but we were catching them nonstop and it was fun to spend time with my dad and Miss E on a beautiful Oct day. This one will be in my memory forever.

I forgot to add that Miss E is getting very bossy and on the way back my dad got out of his seat and leaned back to talk to us and she turned to him and said, "sit back down" I had to explain that he did not have to sit down if he did not want to but it was pretty funny.

Getting Miss E to smile

She didn't really want to smile so I told her to show her teeth and...there it is.

Pumpkin Patch

She did like the pumpkin patch. She likes little pumpkins much better and has some trouble with the bigger ones.

Farm Animals

So we decided to take Miss E and Bonesteele to the pumpkin patch/animal petting. It did not go well. We thought Miss E would be excited to see some of the animals from her books but when the calf started mooooing, she freaked out, "Wanna go home. Wanna go home now". She can be seen smiling in the first picture which I can't really explain but what you see in the second picture is more representative of how she felt about the animals. In the third pic you can see Bonesteele not really caring about anything.