Monday, August 24, 2015

Waldo Lake Camping 2015

Hello!  We're back from camping, we were there for 12 days.  It was beautiful warm weather the whole time.  Not one drop of rain.  We did have several hazy days as there are forest fires burning in Oregon and the smoke is bad.  We sailed in the middle of the 12 days, but I had to put the photos at the top as I think they are so bright and pretty.  Kristi took these with her Canon PowerShot SX50 HS with a good zoom and shared them with me.  Below are my sis and I.  We've sailed together on many lakes and rivers over the years that we've had our Sunfish sailboats. 


Below, I'm on the left, my brother Rob in the middle and my sister Roberta (they're twins) on the right.  My younger sister Denise doesn't sail, she's a kayaker. 


Many readers have heard the story about my pretty sail but if you haven't, I'll tell you the story.  A video distributor in Portland, Oregon attended a video conference in Las Vegas, this boat was commissioned to promote the movie "Tequila Sunrise" starring Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell.  To try to win the boat you tossed your business card in.  The man won it, and without knowing it's value, he put it for sale in the local newspaper.  Sis called me to give me notice of it in the paper.  I call, ask him is this was his best price, he knocks it down in price and I say, I will come and look at it.  It was less than a third of the value!  I go, see everything brand new in the box and say.. "I'll take it!".  I put the whole thing together myself, all lines were tied according to the set up directions and it had all the correct quality of lines in the box.  I love that boat!


But let's backtrack a bit.  We headed to the lake on Wednesday August 12th and when we got there "our" favorite spot was taken.  The campground was very full!  But we talked to the people in our spot and they left the next day so we were able to get "our" campsite and set up.  Here we are the next week when Kristi and the boys came to join us for 4 days.  We took our chairs out in the water and watched the boys have fun swimming and kayaking.



Hayden is using my kayak and Caleb is using Denise's - they did very well in them!  They look so cute!  Can you believe how crystal clear the water is?  It's one of the clearest lakes on the planet with a visibility depth of 120 feet and is purer than distilled water!


From left, my sister Denise, Caleb and Kristi and my sister Roberta.


As I say, Dayle and I drug our camp chairs out in the water to cool off and enjoy watching the boys - it was fun!  



We finally got to set sail and I headed to "Amy's Blue Lagoon", named after my daughter by my sister.  :-)  There really isn't much that makes me feel this elated, I love the clear water and being propelled by the quiet winds with only the sound of water rushing by the hull as I guide my sailboat across the beautiful clear lake with the sunshine warming me as I go.



We enjoyed arriving at the lagoon and gliding in on the sand.  We then all took a refreshing swim and sat in the sun on the bank before heading back out to sail across the lake.  Dayle took my camera from me and got this photo of my sailing along.


On our second night at camp, I prepared 3 Russet potatoes for baking by washing, drying and buttering them, sprinkling them with salt and wrapping them in foil.  We baked them at 450 deg. F for one and a half hours.  It takes longer to cook things at the higher altitudes and we were at 5,414 feet above sea level!  Dayle BBQed the steak tenderloins and I made the asparagus.  We treated my sister Roberta to dinner with us.


On Friday my niece Jessica was getting married, so the day before I painted a Sumi ink painting of irises for her card.  I also painted a birthday card for my nephew's wife Amy as we would be celebrating the next Monday at camp.



I love to be able to paint cards that I give to loved ones.  


At 3:05 on Friday, I drove my sister and I from camp to Corvallis to attend the wedding reception of my niece Jessica.  My brother Robert and his wife D'Ann's youngest daughter.  Here she is with her bridesmaids.  Her sister and my brother's other daughter Johanna is next to her on the right, we're so excited as Johanna is expecting a baby in December.  Aren't they cute?


Jessica's friend made the wedding cake for the event!  


Here is the happy couple with my brother, his wife and all five of their children.  A wonderful time was had by all as we celebrated their marriage.  My brother got 30 pizzas and they had drinks on ice in big galvanized wash tubs and the event was held in an open barn-type structure at a park.  We didn't get back to camp until 11:30 pm!


The next day we hung up the crocheted rainbow colored bunting that I crafted last year while at camp.  I have realized that I need to get a longer piece of oilcloth for the table.  :-)


Our camp from the road.  Behind us is the Shadow Bay, our beloved lake cove.  Dayle drives the Dodge dual wheeled pickup hauling the trailer and I drive my Ford Flex hauling the two Sunfish sailboats and the kayak.


I love how the colorful buntings brighten up our camp!



There are MANY chipmunks at the lake.  I also saw many that were almost black, a first time for me to see them.  I was charmed by my grandson Caleb who calls these "Chick-munks".  :-)  Kristi took this photo.  She made us all some S'Mores - and Caleb calls marshmallows "S'Marshmallos".  :-)


Dayle and I walked down to "the point" to watch the sunset and I snapped this photo of a big heart made out of stones on the beach.  Sweet.



The point is the ONLY place at camp where you can pick up a cell signal and make a call on your cellphone.  At least there is one place where you can communicate with family and friends during the nearly two weeks we are there.


I zoomed in on the little island in entrance to Shadow Bay, do you see the stone "fort" that has been added on over the years by people.


This is my sunset photo I took that evening.


On Monday, Kristi and the boys arrived and also my younger sister Denise.  We made teriyaki chicken yakisoba noodles with vegetables (carrots, broccoli, onions, celery, pea pods, bean sprouts  and cabbage) and Denise brought fresh shrimp prawns which she cooked outside on Kristi's Butane cook burner she brought to make her coffee upon.  What a delicious meal we all shared!



My nephew Joel and his wife have four boisterous little boys and our grandsons and they had a wonderful time playing together.  My sister Roberta, our guys and 3 of their cousins enjoying a visit to our trailer.  :-)


My younger sister Denise decided to stay the nights while she was there at the O'Dell Lake Lodge.  So, on Tuesday we followed her down there to look around and have dinner in the restaurant in the lodge.  This is the view from our table.  Nice, huh?


There are horses for rent there and I was happy to see them ride by while we had dinner.


Sis and Kristi and the pretty rock fireplace in the dining room.


Dayle and the boys on the boat dock.  


Denise, Kristi and the boys walking down the dock.. the boys held hands which I thought was adorable.


Kristi captured a photo of the boys from behind.  Just sweet.


As we drove back to camp the sun was setting and Dayle suggested I take a photo of the mountains across O'Dell Lake as the last rays of the sun hit the peaks.  I love the layered shades of color in this image.


Kristi caught the bay on a quiet morning.. we keep all our boats off the beach and on the rocks on the side.


Dayle was asked to take a group shot of my brother's family.  


We usually get a group shot, but this year it didn't work out - so I asked my nephew Joel to take a photo of the rest of us.  :-)


Dayle snapped a photo of Kristi and the boys and their tent in which they stayed at night for four nights.


I activated my sourdough starter and took it to camp.  It was a happy foamy starter!


My first stack of sourdough flapjacks (pancakes) and MmmMMmm they were delicious!  If you've never kept a sourdough starter and made these, you really should give it a try.  You make the batter the night before and in the morning it's all foamy, then you beat eggs, milk (or buttermilk which I used), salt, sugar, oil together and fold it into the batter, then you dissolve baking soda in a bit of warm water and fold that in and it all really starts to fizz and bubble.  Let me know in comments if you'd like me to post the recipe and story next post.  It's easy to make a sourdough start from water, flour and some yeast.  It's like a pet which you feed and water to keep active.


Later in the week I made a batch of blueberry sourdough flapjacks and they turned out yummy, too.


Our last days at camp were quiet, this is a shot of the bay from our kitchen.


I have been working on a special wedding gift for my niece and her husband.  Cotton neat ripple in cream and beige.  I have quite a ways to go!



My blog and real life friend Gracie subscribes to the British Country Living - she then gives me the whole year in a bag.  I **LOVE** these magazines!  They are SO much better than the US version.  Much more content and great photos.  I get so inspired and learn so much from these issues.  I then share them with my sisters and SIL at camp.  Thank you, Gracie!  


After the busy week a lot of the family left and it was quiet - so we did some "caravan/trailer" housekeeping and tidied up.  The weekend crowd was on the beach and it was busy and loud, so I took the opportunity to read and rest and crochet and chat with my sister, brother, SIL and Dayle.


I sure do enjoy the color that my crocheted blankets and pillows bring to our little home on wheels.  I can thank Lucy at Attic24 blog for her inspiration to bring bright colors into my crafting world.  


Can you say.. photo bomber?


Dayle made us a lunch of fried potatoes and onions, bacon from Gartner's Country Meat Market (yum!) and farm eggs over easy.  


Dayle walked out to the point to call the kids and check in and snapped this neat photo of the sunset on our last evening at camp.  



On our last morning Dayle grabbed my camera as he went out to walk the dog and captured Shadow Bay in a quiet moment.


Quiet waters.



This is the beautiful view we had for 12 days.. we love it here.


Dayle packs up the things on the outside of the trailer and I secure everything inside.  We worked together to take down the shade canopy and pack it and the camp chairs in the truck.. then we headed down the mountain.  It's a 3 and a half hour drive home.  We're all cleaned up and enjoying our easy chairs.  Now I'll have to catch up on my favorite blogs!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

40 comments:

  1. So glad you had a great time. That looks like a very restful place. We once had a camper on a permanent site in the mountains and I loved every minute we could spend there. There wasn't a lake but there was a creek that babbled all the time. That clear water is amazing.
    Hugs,
    Sharon

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  2. Yikes! My comment disappeared...hopefully you'll find it:)
    I was saying, love the furry photo bomber too! Glad you had a great time up there in God's country.
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  3. I love your yearly journey here. Your sailboats are so pretty.

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  4. Looks like a lovely get away for you and family. Thankful you weren't close to wildfires. I checked where you were.... 😄 your photographic tour was so fun. Thanks for sharing your vacation with your friends. Sorry I won the seashell necklace you wanted from Jane's blog. Next year I won't be in the drawing. Have a good relaxing time from your vacation!! xx--xx.

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  5. Amazingly beautiful. The water does look so clear. And the bright sailboats against the water is just lovely. You sure make the whole camping thing seem easy. I imagine after all these years you've got it down to a science. Love your colorful space and the bunting. Best wishes, Tammy

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  6. Idyllic! Such a beautiful place and to share it with family is wonderful, such great memoires made to recall and relive in the cooler months. A great camp set up loved the bunting. Beautiful bride and wedding party.

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  7. I'm not surprised you love it there Teresa, it is just idyllic.....paradise away from the rest of the world.What happy memories you must all have of your family time together. Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos x

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  8. Love your blog love your photos and yes would like recipe for sourdough starter. You have inspired me in many ways Teresa x

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  9. Wow Teresa, it's such an utterly beautiful spot. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time, and I bet all of those little boys were in heaven. The water looks glorious, good to see that such good care is taken of it. The bride looked beautiful, and I love the photo with the five siblings all together. Your camp was a very pretty set-up, the bunting was such a nice touch. A fabulous relaxing break I think, with some really wonderful food. CJ xx

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  10. That is my idea of a perfect holiday. I love water and sailing, outdoors, camping, I'm just baking a sourdough spelt loaf now, crochet on the go, fabulous family. Good food, and the most exquisite scenery anywhere in the world. I want to visit. i still love that you have a whole real sofa in your "little" trailer. It's huge by UK standards, no covered thin foam built in convertible seating for you! Fabulous post to read on a dreary wet Tuesday in lil ol England! The cotton ripple for your niece is just so beautiful too. Fiona x

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  11. Looks like you all had a fantastic time. Great weather, great food and lots of lovely crochet. Even a wedding to go to. I have just cancelled my subscription to Country Living (UK version) as I was finding it too full of adverts. I can always buy the odd issue if I feel like it.

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  12. I really enjoyed reading this post Teresa. What a beautiful place you visited and your pictures are gorgeous. I almost feel as if I was there with you :) xox PS .. your colourful crochet blankets are exquisite.

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  13. I always enjoy this post telling us all about your fun days at the lake. What a wonderful thing to be able to spend this time each year with your siblings and kids. Memories are being made by everyone. I love it. The lake looks so serene although you can see the haze from the wildfires can't you? I am glad you're safely home and recharged and ready to resume your life.
    Blessings always Teresa,
    Betsy

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  14. Oh gosh, that was a FUN post to read!! I enjoyed everything about it. I can see why y'all love it there and return every year. I do want you to post about those sourdough pancakes. I swear I am making them this time! I need to find Dsyle's honey wheat roll recipe too. I remember how good those were. I have it in my recipe binder. Boy, those 12 days you were there really flew by, didn't they? Glad you had a wonderful time and wonderful weather. Wish all this fire and smoke would resolve itself soon. Thanks for sharing your trip!

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  15. Welcome Home! I have missed you, even though I wanted you to be having a good time where you
    were :) And once again I have enjoyed your account of your stay at Waldo Lake...reminding me of my own good memories of your special spot thanks to visiting your site last summer...in the rain :) Your current crochet project is so lovely and I am sure it will be a treasured gift as are the beautiful cards you paint. Looking forward to seeing you soon, my dear friend. xx

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  16. Looks like you had a wonderful time. As the above commenter said, idyllic. What a pretty bride. I like the bridesmaid dresses -- pretty together but each has its own personality.

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  17. Welcome back, Teresa. I really enjoyed reading about your trip. What a beautiful part of the world. Being cut-off from technology must be pretty liberating, too! I'm fascinated by your sourdough and would love to hear more about it when you have the time. :)

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  18. Yes, please - I'd like you to post your starter & pancake recipe(s).
    LOVE your photo boomer - it's always a treat to see sweet Buddy!!!

    And thanks for the great pictorial. It's always fun to be along for your adventures.
    The wedding party looked beautiful - each & everyone.
    So happy that Kristi & the boys were able to share in this retreat. She's worked so hard with her many projects - she must have completely enjoyed the respite.

    We're due for some much needed rain this weekend. Take care and be safe.

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  19. Teresa.. I LOVED each image. Each paddle on the lake. The sailboats, the kayaks, the kids, the bride and party, the FOOD, I want to try sourdough starter now!! I have to reread this post it was amazing and I missed you

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  20. Lovely pics as usual...especially of the sail boats! Looks like you all had a great time.

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  21. Waldo lake is now on my LIST
    I love quiet water
    I love your bunting so much!
    I love the bride and groom..they look at ease and happy

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  22. I had to write 3 separate comments because I love this post.
    I love the horses on the beach and I want to ride them. !~

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  23. Oh my stars, what an amazing place. I am positively green with envy, and longing to go for a lake swim!

    Yes please to the sour dough pancake recipe, they look and sound delicious :)

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  24. I am always amazed how some people can cram so much fun into a short period of time. You sure made the most out of your vacation time and sure got more great photos. I bet not only is the water nice and clear, the fresh air lets you sleep well at night. Sourdough, oh yes, I have a good recipe and mine is for bread. I clipped it from a magazine ages ago and it has the starter and of course what you add later to make the bread. It smells heavenly when the bread is baking and all was well and good until a few weeks later I stepped on the scales and saw the weight gain. I had to stop making it. Hot from the oven with butter was my favorite way to eat that. I imagine to make the pancakes you would add some different ingredients. I always saved a bit of the starter in a pottery bean pot with a lid and into the fridge it went until the next batch of bread. You have to "feed" the starter, guess you would know that. Thanks for the hint about listing the blogs I follow. I do recall there being a choice like that when I set the whole thing up back at the start. I have a long list and it is often a lot of time spent searching through the list for recent posters. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving good news of your return home. It is good to know you had a safe and fun trip.
    (((HUGS))) Susanne :)

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  25. Looks like the perfect kind of time to me! LOVED seeing it through your photos!

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  26. I only live about 50 miles from Waldo Lake and never even knew it existed! It's definitely on my wish list now, as I did read that it has some of the clearest natural and fresh lake water in the world! Who knew? And Odell Lake Lodge.. it looks so beautiful and I've never been there either! Funny how we can live in a state our entire lives and not discover some of the hidden treasures. Loved your pictorial essay of your trip.... your photos (and Dayle's) are gorgeous and so crystal clear. it makes me so want to go there. The fire in Warm Springs, OR has made this entire area of central Oregon smokey and hazy and as I drove over the hwy 58 pass a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to see so much smoke as I headed up to La Pine. It is so fortunate that the Waldo Lake area hasn't been tarnished by wildfires. Thanks for your wonderful post!

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  27. I so enjoyed following along with your travels this summer. All your photos made me feel like I was right there with you. I've never been down south or to the Grand Canyon, and now I want to visit all that much more. So happy you shared your adventures with all of us!

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  28. What a wonderful family vacation. I truly enjoyed reading and going through your photos. Yes, I hope that you do give us the recipes for your sour dough starter and for your flapjacks. We are doing a low carb diet, but on the weekends we splurge and enjoy a carb breakfast. Your photos set my mouth to watering, LOL. We have owned four different sailboats, but I have never sailed a Sunfish or any single-handed boat. You are making me want to give it a go. I've also been thinking about a kayak, my problem is I'm not so sure how easy they are to get in and out of with my bad back. I have one of those, where I can go forever lifting and working and have no problems and then I twist it out putting on my socks and then I'm in pain for two weeks.
    Thank you for sharing your camping trip with us. Now I'm going to google Waldo Lake :)
    Your blogging sister,
    Connie :)

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  29. Hello again Teresa! Such gorgeous photos here, it looks such a blissful place to stay and such beautiful water to sail on :) Loved your pretty flower painting and wonderful colourful crochet bunting...you have many talents! So glad you had such good time with your lovely family too. Great to see you back again.
    Helen xox

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  30. What a wonderful time you all had! Welcome back! I loved seeing what you did on the trip. Your foods look wonderful. I had to chuckle because I live at 5500 feet all the time so I've had to make a lot of adjustments in cooking, but you should have seen me when I first moved here from the east coast, where I think I lived at about 200 feet! It was comical and sad how much food I ruined. The wedding looks so lovely, congratulations to your nieces, on the wedding and coming baby! I loved the photo of you smothered in little boys. You're such a fun person for kids, I bet. It's great to see you back home again, take care and enjoy the rest of your summer!

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  31. Oh, such gorgeous pics, Teresa! Looks like everybody had a great time! And I have to tell you, I love the pic you got of the boys holding hands as they're walking away from you. <3 Your bunting looks great, and I also love the color your crocheted items bring to your little home on wheels! :)

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  32. I loved every word and every photo. It looks like it was a fantastic trip that everyone enjoyed so much. From the beautiful views, the gorgeous water, the beautiful bride and all your family memories. I am thrilled you had such a fabulous time.
    Meredith

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  33. So many wonderful and beautiful things!!! Too many to comment on, but I am so glad that you had such a great time and such wonderful weather too. Congratulations to the beautiful bride and groom! I hope they have a wonderful, long and happy marriage!!! Love your bunting and crochet too, oh and the sunsets are wonderful!! xx

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  34. Wow Teresa, I can see why you love it so much there, the views are breathtaking. How lovely to be off-grid for a couple of weeks, and it's wonderful to see your family together like that :)
    Jillxo

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  35. Thank you Teresa,
    Thank you so much.
    I was in every photo and every word in holydays.
    Have a good week-end !
    Julie

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  36. Amazing time and spectacular photos!!! xoRobin

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  37. Hi Teresa, looks like another wonderful family gathering...In Lanzarote on holiday too at the moment cat/house sitting for a German friend bit hot for us really we usually come in the Winter months have fun xx

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  38. Just caught up Teresa! Looks like you had a wonderful time. I love the Chipmunk!

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  39. Teresa, absolutely beautiful photos! What fun you must have had!!!
    xo Kris

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  40. Lovely pictures Teresa! I've really enjoyed my mini break while reading this account of your camping holiday. I'd love to see inside more of the trailer too, it looks so comfortable with a real sofa in there and dining chairs. I've had a year's sub to Country Living and I also enjoy passing it on so as to share the joy!

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