Bear Lake 2022

 (July 29th, 2022)

Bear Lake is now a tradition and it's going to happen every year. However, we had kids all over the place this summer with FSY, Girls Camp, Ghana, and work, so we didn't have a lot of time to reserve. I've been wanting to try out the day trip at Bear Lake and this was my opportunity. 

We didn't even get up before dawn or anything. We were on the road by about 7:30. But that didn't stop people from napping in the car. (It's hard not to be lulled by the rhythm of the road.)

Did you notice a stowaway? We had Isaac with us. Ivory was driving, so he didn't get to sit by her. He was stuck by me and I made him play some games, when he wasn't sleeping. But the worst part was that Ivory was continuing on up to Idaho after our day at Bear Lake and Isaac would have to drive back with us alone. (Duh, duh, DUH!)

Actually, he wasn't too worried about it. He's spent lots of time with our family and we all like him a lot. Our drive was pretty uneventful. Pearl and I were feeling a bit queasy by the end, but the minute we got out on the sand, we felt much better. Bear Lake does that.

We went up to North Beach again. It's my favorite spot. We unpacked, pumped up boards and got in the water as soon as we could. Robyn seems to be all over the place.

It was a very chill, lazy day. Granny V came down (she was Ivory's ride later) and hung out with us. We brought lots of snacks and games. The table was a great idea and we used that a lot. We played in the sand, paddled the boards, swam a bit, and chatted. Most notably, we did not play Spikeball. I just couldn't bring myself to take it when June wouldn't be there to play. I knew I could probably get a few takers, but most would be reluctant, so I left it home. And there was plenty to do otherwise.

Here's the crew being awesome.

We saw some dragonflies getting to know each other better. Normally I wouldn't take a picture, but Daisy will need it for a bio encounter. (Yep, another year of Bio coming up soon.)

I was pretty sure that North Beach was a NO-DOG beach, but we had a cute pup next door to us. The owners said something about half the beach being dog-friendly. (Conveniently?) He was actually a very sweet, well mannered dog, who only thought about going after our frisbee once. We actually wondered what Grandma had done with Pip, since she usually takes her everywhere, but she told us that Pip passed away last month. That was very sad news. Pip was a big part of our lives for a while. And guess what Grandma did first when Pip was gone? Maybe you guessed it...she cleaned her carpets.

It was such a nice day. The plan was to get some fries somewhere along the way, but we had so many snacks, we weren't too hungry. Eventually the weather started to turn a little windy and cloudy and it was getting towards evening, so we packed up. Just a couple more shots by the lovely beach.

We decided we had to stop by Zipz. It's a must. (And remind me to get the raspberry shake next time. I don't know why I thought otherwise.) The food was pretty good, but it was the slowest I've ever seen it. There were so many people and a sign said they were short-staffed and training. Maybe not the best combo. But we all had our fill. And with the extra wait, we even had time to go shop at some of the nearby shops. Dad and I got some cute hats.

Then Grandma and Ivory went north and the rest of us went south. It was a good drive home as well. We played more games with Isaac and we decided this was a great test to see if we like a guy. Put him in the car without his gal for a few hours and see how he does. He passed. I almost slipped up earlier in the evening. I saw his shirt and it had my initials on it. And I almost said, "You must be wearing that shirt in honor of your mother-in-law." Oops. Not sure why that almost came out, but I caught it in time. (It actually stands for Man Choir.) 

Thus ends another great trip to Bear Lake. This one was short and sweet but just what everyone needed. We sure missed June, but we'll go again next year, after she gets back. One last picture. I found this on Robyn's phone. Pearl is a peach when she gets your phone. You can always expect some delights like this.