Stewart Falls

My work computer died on Monday night. I thought about blogging about it, but it still is causing me such a headache (tomorrow I will have 3 computers at my mom's house after bringing one with me from California, and having 2 sent to me by the company), that I'm trying to forget it. But, because I had no computer, I had no work. So, I decided to take the Addison and Eric on a hike. I wanted to go to Stewart Falls. We used to go up all the time on a little shortcut path we knew. It's a pretty mellow hike if you go on that trail. I remembered something about not being able to go on that trail, but decided to try it anyway. When we got up to where I usually start, there was a big sign that said: "NO TRESPASSING: TRESPASSORS WILL BE PROSECUTED. EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AND DANGEROUS." Ok, ok... we'll do it the right way. We drove around to Aspen Grove and took the real trail. The last time I did that trail was in college with Brian Carol, one of the Kellers, and Ryan Radebaugh. I didn't remember it being too rough, but we were hiking it at midnight back then. I can't remember why. Anyway, it was a good little hike. The last 3/4 of a mile was pretty steep getting down to the falls, and of course, quite an incline going back up. These little boys were such troopers! Addison kept telling Eric that this hike was nothing compared to the hikes in California. I think he was just thinking about the hike we took when we first got there and Tom took us on a "Strenuous" level hike. Eric kept telling Addison (after I didn't have a Band-Aid for the scratch Addison got from a branch) that his mom always had Band-Aids, and his mom would let them rest even if they weren't at the top of the hill yet. And I totally believe it. Amy is always prepared. Anyway, it was a fun hike and the boys came home extremely dirty and (not that they would admit it) tired. I was thinking naps sounded good, but they thought swimming did. Good thing for adopted aunts who are willing to take them!

This picture really pretty much sums up how Eric was feeling on the way up. But, on the way back, when Addison asked him how he rated the hike, he said he gave it a 10. On a side note, I'm pretty sure these two have some sort of understanding of each other separate from the rest of the world because this is how that conversation went:

A - What number do you think this hike is?

E - 10.

A - I only think it's 6.

E - Why only 6?

A - Because of this (points somewhere down towards the ground).

E - Oh yeah. Me, too.

It took about 10 minutes for them to explain to me that Addison was asking Eric to rate the hike on a 1-10 scale, and that Addison only gave it a 6 because his feet were hurting.

So, I've realized that I consistently post some pretty bad pictures of myself. But, today as we were on the trail, I was taking a picture of the boys, and a woman and her husband came by. She asked if I wanted her to take a picture. I politely declined. Then she told me how when she looks back at the pictures she has of her children when they were young, it looks like they were raised solely by their father because she never included herself in any of the pictures. She said it seems like she was never there for any of the fun things. So, I let her take my picture, and post it here along with all of the other bad pictures of myself just to prove that I was there.

They're so cool.