Paisley's Mosquito Fest

Paisley is a tiny town (pop. 140) about 45 mins. from Lakeview where Mike has been working a lot lately. They have an annual MosquitoFest community fair to raise money for mosquito abatement (spraying). They have a parade, horseshoe contest, rodeo, and barbeque. We went up for the parade, went fishing at Withers, and had a great day. Here are some pics from the parade:

And last but not least, every parade needs a kid dressed up like a mosquito, right?

Bucket Boys

Is Daddy that strong? Holy Whuh.

Someday soon the boys will be too big for buckets...

Fishing at Strawberry

After our Fourth trip we had the fishing bug, so we went out to Strawberry Reservoir near Lakeview for bass. They have a ton of small, smallmouth bass that someone stocked there, and they're a blast to catch. We got our limit there one evening (all about 11" long) and had a great meal. Try as we might, Dominic didn't land any fish with his Spiderman pole there yet, but we hope to go again soon. Oh, and here's Kirsten modeling the latest fishing gear for the new L.L.Bean catalog! (ha,ha)

Fourth of July in Michigan

For the past 3 summers we've had the tradition of flying back to MI for the Fourth of July and getting a cabin with almost all the Tighes for a week in the U.P. We've got a fantastic place on a small lake in the Hiawatha National Forest that sleeps all ~30 of us, and it's just great to see everyone playing and together each summer. Here are some pics of this year's adventure.

Patrick in the lawn by Miner's Castle on Lake Superior, then eating noodles at Grandma and Grandpa Tighes':

A loon in the cabin lake as we walked up:

Dommy and Paddy in the same wagon Daddy grew up with, then playing in the sprinkler with cousin Ella:

The Fourth parade in Gladstone, then Cousin Paul in Lake Michigan:

The fireworks show in Escanaba (over Lake MI) was fantastic as usual!:

Sentry Eagle in Klamath Falls

In late July we went to the Air Show at the Air National Guard Base in Klamath Falls. As things often go with little kids, it didn't go exactly as Daddy had planned. We got there at midday and almost all the events were earlier and later. We got to tour the F-15Es that Daddy sees everyday above his head while working timber in the mountains, then watched all the F-18s and F-15Es take off for a big dogfight scheduled later in the afternoon. It was so hot and the boys were "cooked", so we left before the dogfight began. We did get to see like 20 of them take off ("It's really loud, Daddy" said Dominic) and tour the medical helicopters and jets, though. Pretty impressive! Check out Dominic's form as he handles the joystick for the Blackhawk!

Kiddie Pool/Backyard Fun

Summer has been a blast this year at the Tighes. Paddy is bigger and enjoys the pool, and Dominic still fits well and likes to jump in. They are also getting the hang of the cheap slip'n'slide we put out, but Daddy's usually too wet to take photos then! Here's Paddy eating yogurt, about to get hosed off, then both boys playing in the backyard on a warm day. Although it's been a much cooler summer than usual, we've had lots of nice swimming days for the backyard and community pool. Dommy and Paddy have both done swimming lessons this summer, but also play in the water each day with our daycare person who comes over Mon-Thurs to our house.

Camping At Junipers

In mid-July we took the boys out camping to test things before camping anywhere serious. We went to an RV park on the edge of town (Lakeview) that's owned by a friend. They have tent sites and a trout-stocked reservoir and it was free and easy. It was nice, but got a little colder than we planned for at night! Daddy was going to just use a thin blanket and Paddy would be in his pack'n'play, but after an hour of shivering we all cuddled up under the two sleeping bags (all 4 people). Mental note: bring more warm sleeping bags next time we camp in Oregon! Here are pics of Dommy taunting the cattle next to our tentsite, then Paddy getting changed in the tent hotel at the RV site (Junipers RV Resort).

Cheeseball fotos

Random fotos of Dommy posing like the real Statue of Liberty (Mike took the pic in NY last month): (although I think he took some artistic license with the Sing-a-ma-jigs!)

Here's the future rocker with some of his best licks:

It's nice to be on the Pacific Flyway!

Although Lakeview is on the edge of the high desert, one of the perks is springtime on the Pacific Flyway. We get tons of migratory songbirds visiting the feeders, including evening grosbeaks (black, orange and white), western tanagers (red head with yellow and black bodies), lazuli buntings (like a little bluebird with an orange breast), and we've been seeing juncos and Bullock's orioles regularly too. Not great pictures, but pretty cool birds to this Yooper!

Riding "Rooster" and the Branding

We went out to the Schullanberger's last weekend to enjoy our first "branding" party together. The boys loved being out, even if it was a cold, rainy day. Dommy got to ride a horse by himself for the first time, with our friend Amy Markus holding the reins. Here are some pictures of Dommy on the horse, first with Colin Markus, then by himself. Next is Jason Markus branding a calf, and Paddy supervising everyone!

Here's a short video of Dommy riding a horse for the first time, with our friend Amy holding the reins: