2017 Kopczynski Reunion

Kyle Mills, a photographer for the local Lewiston Tribune, wrote an article about his impending move to Colorado in today's paper.  I really like the quote he used at the end of his story:
      "Birth certificates show that you were born, death certificates show that you died.
       Photographs show that you really lived."

And lived we did all week at Zeke and AnnMarie's lovely vacation home on Payette Lake in McCall. The Kopczynski's have always treasured pictures and their were guys with great cameras trying to capture all the precious moments of our week together.  I'm guessing Larry, Duane, and Don each took about 2,000 photos.  I uploaded many of Duane's photos for this blog post, and also some from my friends on Instagram.

Karen Stubbs made decorated personalized mugs for each of us, along with the welcome note.  Personal nameplates decorated every door in all three cabins and a laminated one for Larry's family tent.  The 90 degree days provided great opportunities for kayaking, paddleboarding, swimming, and tubing!

The children impressed this grandma with their courage and skill as they maneuvered the paddle boards in the water, made rough by the number of boats enjoying the lake all week.  The children, 11 of them, always the center of attention, ranged in age from 3 - 12.  They enjoyed each other and Grandma Marilyn commented that she didn't hear any complaining or tattling all week.  Mom Jamie said her boys never once asked for screen time!  What a gift to be outdoors every day!
The kids loved face painting - themselves and others! 

 Time for Rock Painting

                                And blowing bubbles

Riding trikes and getting wet on the deck!

And swinging!!!

There was time for a kid hike to Josephine Lake

And a trip to Ice Cream Alley

Time for serious discussions - maybe about a wedding or the challenges of teaching school

Time for birthday celebrations

And touching toasts to Dena

And Bradleigh for her approaching 21st birthday

Time for the "middles" to celebrate Jeremy's birthday at the Shore Lodge

A time for cupcakes

Time for pinatas

And gathering the candy from the pinatas!

Even a little time to study for the next test to become a financial advisor!

Larry had time to make his famous jerky

And these guys had some special male bonding time around the Traeger!

A time to act silly

A time to watch the older kids, and to snuggle with Grandma!

And wear Grandpa out with all the practice walking!

A time for fireworks

There was lots of time for smiles and laughter!

A time to reflect at the end of the day!

And, now I reflect on the gift of this week.  And, what I want to say to all who might read this, "do you know how blessed we are to have enjoyed this special place and relaxed time that we had with each other?"  Again, made possible by Zeke and AnnMarie's generosity and vision.  You created, planned, and endured the chaos, so we could just be together!  Borrowing John O"Donohue's words I'd like to offer a big thanksgiving to Zeke and AnnMarie.  

"May the shelter and nourishment of all the good you have done, the love you have shown, the suffering you have carried, awaken around you to bless your life a thousand times."

All the photographs show how we lived the week.  Now it's time to reflect on all the treasures hidden in our hearts as we recall the tender moments of love and concern.  And to once again smile when we recall the funny and hilarious moments.  Perhaps John O'Donohue was spot on when he wrote:

May the angel of memory surprise you in bleak times with new gifts from the harvest of your vanished days.

None of us want to imagine the harvest of our vanished days, but it happens and I recall how our Dad used to sit for hours looking through the scrapbooks and photo albums that Mom put together.  Those books became angels of memory that brought surprise and joy to him.  Maybe that's why I write this blog - to one day give me the surprise of my life, lived with love, joy, and hope!

Memorial Day 2017

Memorial Day always evokes lots of emotion in my heart. The flowers, the flags, the old and the new tombstones reach in and tears start forming as I realize the sacrifice, the lives lived, the dreams never fulfilled.  Today brought lots of all that, but mostly joy as Larry, Connie, and I drove the long and scenic route to the Camas Prairie.   Larry promised us breakfast and sourdough pancakes at Peck, Idaho, so Connie and I were all in for the adventure and opportunity to spend time with him. He drove us up the hill where he'd purchased a piece of property years ago and planned to build a dream home out in the country.  Gratefully, now, he realizes that would've been a hardship on the family because of the distance to schools, ball games, and all other activities of a big family.

 This place served us a great breakfast and we enjoyed visiting with Teresa Carter, a woman who stayed in my AirBnb in November.  Once our tummies were full we drove toward Orofino and took a steep drive, 25 miles, up the hill to Nezperce.  Connie and I had never been on this road.

Here's the view of the Clearwater River from the top of the grade and one can see bits of Orofino and Greer grade in the distance.  

Lovely Blue wildflowers along the highway.

We made our first stop at the Greencreek Cemetery, lovingly cared for by local Greencreek retired farmers.  A new addition is a kiosk and row markers for all people buried in this cemetery.

I'm always grateful when flowers indicate lots of family members stopped by!

Father Ken Arnzen, a beloved priest had a sense of humor, preserved on his tombstone.  

The Cottonwood Cemetery, and this section in particular, a blaze with various shades of pink, Mom's favorite color.  Thank you to the angel who cleaned all the grass away from the concrete below the headstones.

We found all the Kopczynski graves, even the old ones!  

And those forgotten by most people.  I understand Lori Mader places a rose on all graves that have not been visited during the Memorial Day weekend.

We had an enjoyable visit with Ben Bross, Vince and Mary Lou Hattrup's grandson.  He filled us in on some extended family news along with Cheri Orr Seubert.

Larry delighted us with stories of haying the Bert Lute land and I loved this view, highlighted by the bright yellow canola field in the distance.

 We made one last stop at the Ferdinand cemetery, paying our respects to a former brother-in-law and family friends, Hubert and Clara Frei.

 The colors of the day and the conversations, filled with care and compassion, filled my heart today.

"Let us never forget."

LaTrek's Annual Riggins Hiking Trip

I've always enjoyed hiking with the Moscow women's hiking group, the LaTreks, and this year I
invited my friends, Alyse and Jaymi, to join me. We drove to Riggins and all 22 of us eagerly exited our cars and began the glorious hike up the Rapid River trail.  We packed our lunches and enjoyed an 8.2 mile hike up and back along the river.  The sounds of falling water delighted us as well as many wildflowers and even some bird feathers.  I've learned that there are many modes of hiking, from "fast, let's keep going," to "oh please stop so we can sip some water or take a few pictures."  Alyse and Jaymi both like to keep going!  And they don't mind being alone, preferring the more quiet, contemplative hiking.  I like visiting with the Moscow ladies, although it's quite challenging to hear conversations with the roaring river close by.   We enjoyed a great day with no rain and were able to set up our happy hour on the patio of the Salmon River Rapids hotel.

Becky organized the hikes and took her responsibility seriously to make sure we were all safe and accounted for before we left for the hotel.

Anne Wann took this picture after lunch.  Back row:  Charlotte, Chris, Becky, Helen, Toni, Alyse, Christine, Jaymi, Linda.  Front row:  Elizabeth, Irene, Theresa, and Mary Jo.  Some ladies turned around before we got to this point in the hike.

I love hiking behind Christine - she takes baby steps climbing hills and always says, "we're almost there."

 Anne and  Charlotte

 Irene and Charlotte

I snagged the flower pictures from Mary Jo's facbook post.  These are buttercups and trillium!

The second day we hiked the Wind River Trail, opting out of the Bullion Mine trail and it's many switchbacks.  The trail followed the river and was quite wet and surrounded by foliage.  We did not let the 80% prediction of rain stop us and actually we made it in and out with barely a drizzle!

Becky, Mary Jo, Chris, and Irene

These ladies are making the final ascent to our snacking spot!

We were laughing because none of us knew what direction we were facing!

After our snack, some ladies hiked down to this bridge and then back up the other side.

Love the hear the sound of the rushing water.

More of Mary Jo's lovely close up photos of the Indian Paintbrush and snails.

I took these pictures of the Manning Bridge - seems like the contractor made little progress since we were there last year.  No offense to my nephew, Zeke's company, RSCI, because the replacement bridge seems to be a major engineering feat in this narrow canyon!

This picture taken near the top of the Whitebird hill heading down toward Grangeville!  

Can't finish this blog without remembering Good Friday and being grateful for all the light and goodness that I shared with 22 women the last few days!  Because God loved us we are able to love and enjoy the quirkiness of each other!