Nate's Birthday in the mountains

I've been negligent in posting about the trip to the Sierras since it's been so difficult to describe. How do you convey that after four days of simply playing by water and eating -- constantly -- would turn into one of our best family trips ever? Dan, who shares Nate's birthday, joined us for the first night and encouraged us to drive to Lake Alpine and rent a boat so we could better survey the place where Dan & Gina spent a good part of their childhood vacations. It was magical. The huge smooth sloping rocks dotted the shore around crystal clear lake water and green pines. The only things not green or blue were the fire ants that held Nate & Julie's fascination. After Dan left we braved the smoke and reported fires in Big Trees State Park to spend the next two days down at the river. The first day we picnicked and played in relative seclusion in one of the most beautiful rivers I've seen anywhere. On the second day we returned to the park, but played in a more popular creek where volunteer bug catchers descended on the area and showed us the many insects they collected. We then spent the day talking with a young family from Texas before heading back for home.