Campfires and Cousins

Last Wednesday evening, the Goldsberry family gathered up Mueller Park canyon for a weenie roast.  Everyone had kindly arranged their schedules so we could be included.  Thanks, fam.

The weather was perfect.  It was so fun to visit with family members we hadn't seen in years.

 And you just gotta love a campfire.  The flame...  the heat...  the lingering aroma that begs a shower.

Along with hotdogs, marshmallows, potato salad, and watermelon.

Seriously, the perfect meal for such an occasion.

Oh, and rice krispie treats... a personal favorite.

 (Grandpa and Calle)

 All my siblings came.  I don't think we've all been together at one time for 5+ years.

 The cousin pic.

These cute girls (Mar, Hannah, and Evelyn) had fun with the camera as darkness fell.

We closed up camp at the designated hour (10 pm), said our good-byes, and headed back to Grandma's house, with a resolution to get together more often.

The very next day we were on our way to the Syddall reunion up Fairview Canyon (which happens to be along the very same route we took to Manti, just two days earlier).

 Lex and Justin

 Shi and Grace

 Mar, Kade and Justin

Cole.  'Nuff said.

Jessie refused to let me take her picture.  I caught her off guard and snapped one anyway.

Me and the mountain man.  I'm lovin' the scruff.

 MORE marshmallows.  More campfires.

We rested...

(Austin and Britt)

went four-wheelin'...

(Tay and Hunter)

...and a select few went shooting.

(Angela's next action movie will be released this fall.)

We came away with some amazing fish stories, too.

4 days, 3 nights, no showers.  

Then it was time to say good-byes once again.  But not before the photo shoot.

Another cousin pic... with Grandma and Grandpa this time.

We decided that NEXT time, we'll take the pictures on the first day of camp, rather than the last.

The trip home was long.  And eventful.  The car-top carrier we had borrowed from our neighbors (then inadvertently drove into our garage with it on the car the day before our trip... ooops), flew open on highway 6 between Price and I-70.  A 2-lane road.  Sleeping bags, a tent, and a tarp were scattered down a stretch of highway.  Lucky for us, we were able to recover all our strewn belongings (run, Bill, run) before a semi ran over them OR someone was injured or killed trying to avoid them.

Phew.

Bill looked amazingly calm once everything was back together, don't you think?

We ran into ultra-slow (stop and go) traffic along I-70, extending our presumed 7-hour drive to 9-1/2. 

We missed our Trek fireside, the purpose for our somewhat early departure from the reunion.

It's good to be home.

Ya'll come back... change is coming.