Sheesh. July is over. And our sad little blog has sat unattended for a month. I have some decent excuses: 2 summer online classes, projects at work becoming more intense (plus my annual performance review), baby sister visiting for 2 weeks, still getting settled into our house, plus the normal chores of cooking, cleaning, pet care, and down time – wait, what is down time? I suppose we should start back up with where we left off…
June 24-26: Dudes Camping/Fishing trip for Shaun, his brother Grant, and his dad – trip report to follow.
July 1-3: Shaun went to Venice Beach for the weekend with his college bro’s.
July 4: Shaun & Jen day tripped to Lake McSwain with the boat.
July 8-10: Shaun & Jen backpacked in Carson-Iceberg Wilderness off Highway 4. In the snow. Trip report to follow.
July 12: Jen’s little sister Maddison (11 years old) flew into town.
July 16-17: Shaun, Jen, & Maddie backpacked to Burgson Lake in Carson-Iceberg Wilderness off Highway 108. Trip report to follow.
July 19: Jen took an Exam. Jen & Maddie went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo.
Yes, that is a man being catapulted into the air by dolphins. Madness!
July 21: Jen & Maddie went to Yosemite. Later that night we went to the Stanislaus County Fair.
July 22: Checked out the local Modesto music scene with Maddie & Shaun at a show put on by Off The Air. They set up all-ages events in Downtown Modesto that showcase interesting indie bands.
July 23: Jen took an Exam. Spent the day in San Francisco & night in Livermore.
July 24: Spent the day in Santa Cruz at the Mystery Spot and Beach Boardwalk.
July 25: Maddie flew home to Washington.
July 27: Shaun picked up his brother, Grant, from Livermore to join us on their annual Family Camping trip. Jen finished her finals for her 2 summer classes.
July 28-31: After work we headed out Highway 88 towards Lower Blue Lake in Eldorado National Forest. Spent a long weekend with Carol, Mark, Grant & Ashlee. Trip report to follow.
There you have it. Now on to August…
mt. friendship 
Can’t wait to see the pics from the Lower Blue Lake camping trip.
Shaun, we’re up in Portland headed for Mt. Rainier for some biking, hiking, maybe backpacking, and some paddling. We should be cruising through CA somewhere in November. Perhaps we could meet up on an overnight stay in your area. Alex