California - Lake Almanor

Lake Almanor has got to be the best vacation spot. Where else can you get everyone - even the men and boys - to paint their toes? (Sorry, for those of you with foot aversions.) We made a pact that "what happens at Lake Almanor, stays at Lake Almanor." But, since no faces are visible, there's no way to prove who is in the picture, right?

We did a whole lot of playing in the water, which included a lot of floating around. (Jayden, Allison, and Dallin)

More floating (Cameron).

And, more floating (Landon and Jayden).

It was surprising to see Landon actually row and steer the Kayak all over the place. He was so proud of himself to be able to do it on his own.

This picture was thrown in just to prove that I was actually there. We did a whole lot of sitting around and didn't care how we looked doing it - the best kind of vacation.

Each evening was spent playing games - dancing to the Wii (see following video) and Marisa's fun games with Oreos on your head and nasty-tasting Jelly Bellies.

Lake Almanor is like no other place on earth. The water was so high this year that it came right up to the lawn. The kids played hard, the men worked/played hard, and the women relaxed hard. It was hard to come home to the regular routine, but we have some great memories to look back on. (The view from the deck.)

What we did at Lake Almanor:

Played in the water

Ate a lot of really good food

Sat around and did nothing

Relaxed with a book on the deck

Chatted

Walked to the Point

Danced to the Wii

Hung out with family and friends

Laughed

Played card games

Slept in as late as we'd like

Stayed up as late as we'd like

Water skied

Knee boarded

Jet Skied

Canoed

Swam

Got sun - a lot of it

Hiked to the largest boiling lake in the U.S. (see upcoming post)

Generally had a great time, as usual.