California (part 2)

The back half of our week seemed to be just as busy as the first half. On Thursday we took a hike (Browns Ditch Trail) with family. Most of the trail was flat, and I carried Eleanor in a baby carrier on my back. She loved looking around and pointing at things. Also, everyone brought their dogs, which she obviously loved. There were trestles we had to cross over which were a little unnerving at first with a baby on my back, but there ended up being so many of them that I got over it quickly. The hike ended at a little swimming hole where the more active part of the group did a little bouldering. Chris went with that group and I stayed with Eleanor at the beach so she could swim (naked, because we didn't prepare for swimming).

Friday morning we rented a boat and I tried my hand at wakeboarding. Chris rode on the banana tube and Eleanor just rode on the boat. She did pretty well and even took a nap for awhile.

My aunt Holly and uncle Mike dropped by to visit us that afternoon, as well. They hadn't met Eleanor yet, and it was wonderful that they were able to. We were so happy to see them, and they brought a bunch of my Uncle's home brews for us to taste. We can't wait until next year when we'll have more time with them during a family vacation.

Friday evening we had a family wedding! My Aunt Eileen got married. Her daughter was her maid of honor and her sons escorted her with the lake as her backdrop. It was a really fun way to end a family reunion. They rented a taco truck for dinner with options for carne asada, chicken, or fish (Chris had all three, and I had the first two). Eleanor mostly liked the rice and beans.

The wedding also provided a great opportunity to take family pictures. We try to get a large group picture every reunion, and we did that this year, too. If I get a copy, I will post it here!

We also recreated the cousin picture from 19 years ago (1995), and then let Eleanor stand in for my grandmother, and then let all the cousins younger than 19 and great grandchildren jump in the picture to show how much the group has grown in the last 20 years.

After the wedding, it was sadly time to pack up and go. Goodbye Bass Lake! See you next time..!

I also realized I have a ton of pictures from our journey home Saturday through Sunday morning, so will share those in a separate post since this one is already long enough!