Lewis and Clark Caverns

Leif took Monday off work to spend with us, so we went to Lewis and Clark Caverns. It was Eliana's first time in a cave, and it had been several years since Leif and I had been up to the caverns. While it was difficult to get pictures inside the dark cave, it was beautiful and we enjoyed seeing the speleothem. Eliana was awed and saw all sorts of shapes and images in the formations. It is great to have such a wonderful place so close to us!

From Lewis and Clark Caverns

Looking at the speleothem.

From Lewis and Clark Caverns

Lost in conversation

From Lewis and Clark Caverns

From Lewis and Clark Caverns

From Lewis and Clark Caverns

From Lewis and Clark Caverns

Eliana called this one "The Ice Cream Cone"

From Lewis and Clark Caverns

Father-Daughter Backpacking Lava Lake

Eliana and I are backpack camping at Lava Lake this weekend.  This is the fourth year we've come up here. I'm writing this on my phone ask she plays in the alluvial sands of a glacial creek.

This year she hiked all the way by herself. Last year I got impatient and carried her up the last switchback. Last year I made her hold my hand through some of the rougher parts of the trail. This year I didn't think about it until after she decided to run, tripped over a rock, and landed hard enough to scrape, cut, and bruise her arm and belly.  Band-Aids were liberally applied.  This year we stayed for two nights; in the past we've only stayed one.

While we were eating lunch today, she hid my water bottle behind her back and asked me where it was. After solving her riddle, I asked her for the bottle.

She asked me what the magic word was. I said "please."

She said, "No. It starts with a 'P'."

"Pretty please," I guessed.

"No. Another 'P'."

I gave up.

"Peace out, girl scout!"

Of course.

"Say it, she commanded."

I did.

"You have to think girly style", she advised me as she adorned me with her floral sun hat.
I'm a pretty lucky dad.

Tooling around the pond...

Yesterday I lost Leif and Eliana for a while and when I found them, they were tooling around the pond in kayaks. It's fun seeing Eliana big enough to do things like this, and it's especially fun to have this pond in our front yard! A great way to spend a summer afternoon!
(By the way... this is a video, you just have to click on it to play. It's not very obvious...)

From Wickland Family Blog

Catchphrase

Eliana has picked up "Um, awkward..." with just a bit of a Valley Girl drawl as her new catchphrase in response to most any situation.  I still find it hilarious, but Elizabeth, having heard it a few hundred more times, is in a rather different place, particularly as the child interjects it after each sentence in Eliz' narrative.