Meeting Kinsley

 

Great Grandma and Grandpa

My folks got to meet Kinsley when she was 3 days old!

 

Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks

We went to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks with the Chubbuck Family and stayed 3 nites in the Sunset Campground.   They had their camper and we tent camped.

The Kings Canyon NP was so impressive.  It was an enormous canyon with the Kings Canyon River running through it.  We did a hike to Zumwalt Meadow and soaked our feet in the river before finding another spot on the river for a picnic lunch.

Hightlights included a hike to the General Grant Tree from our Campground.  It was humbling to walk at the base of such a regal tree.

The next day we traveled to the other side of the park and saw the General Sherman and the Sentinel Trees.  That was after we did a tour of Crystal Cave, which was 20 mins down a winding road and then a half mile hike down a mountain on the edge of the world!

We had fun with the kids - played a lot of categories and introduced them to sticky buns!

 

Welcome Kinsley

Our first grandchild, Kinsley Marie, was born on June 8.  She was 6 pounds 11 ounce and 18 1/2 inches long.  Mama, baby and Daddy are healthy and in awe of this beautiful baby.   We feel so fortunate to have this little one join our family.

Kaylene's Baby Shower

On May 2, 2026, we gathered to celebrate baby girl C!  We had a lovely day filled with delicious food, celebration and love.  It was held at Drew and Kaylene's house and it was extra special to have Great Grandmas Anna and Kathy attend.

Kaylene's friend Adrianna knocked herself out hosting.  The food and decorations were amazing!

The favors were strawberry jam that Kaylene and I made with Farmer's Market strawberries.  

All the guests colored ABC pages and they will be made into a book for the baby.

Jim and Drew went to the Burger Pit during the shower but came back to help opening gifts.

We could not be more excited to welcome our first (on both sides) grandbaby! 

 

Grace and I went on a wildflower hike at Pinecrest led by a local college professor.  We hiked about 4 miles and it took about 3 and half hours.  He would be walking down a trail and suddenly jump into the bushes to look at a plant. It was great fun for me.  I learned a lot, including that manzanita is in the blueberry family. 

 

Fish planting 2026

If you have never seen the planting of fish in a lake or river, you should make it a point to check it out.  As fisher people, it is a big thrill.  This was early May at the cabin and was 5000 pounds of trout from Mt Lassen.

Calpine Fire lookout

In April we got to do one of our bucket list trips.  You might think that would be a big European vacation - but it wasn't.  It was 2 nites in a fire lookout in Northern California!   I have been wanting to do this trip for years and it did not disappoint!

The day we arrived, the weather was beautiful.  That allowed us to hike around and check out the area.  That night a storm blew in and for the next two days we had snow and rain.  

The map above was on the middle of the tower and allowed you to plot fires.

This is me modeling my new had that Grace made for me.  You can't really tell in the picture but it has trout on it!

This is the inside of the tower.  You can see it has a stove for cooking and stove for warmth.   We pre made our dinners (veggie super nachos and green bean soup) and brought them with to heat up on/in the stove.

The tower had no running water but a sink that drained out side that you could dump water down.

 Our view was amazing and was even better when a storm was blowing in!  Overall we enjoyed the time in the tower hanging out and playing games.  And we enjoyed exploring the towns in the area.