love over and around us lies.

 

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.  Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.  ~John Muir

Isn’t that a great quote?   It is exactly how I feel about the hikes we’ve been on this summer.  I love the dry dessert air of Utah and Idaho.  Hiking in it makes you feel alive and invigorated (rather than hot and sticky like summer hikes in New England). 

Every year at Bear Lake my brother Tal and I have a tradition of sneaking off early to go on an early morning adventure.  We go up a mountain (usually four wheeling, but this year all of our 4 wheel drive vehicles were out of commission so we hiked) and we talk about our goals for the year ahead.  It was Tal’s idea and I’m not sure exactly when it started, or why I got to be the lucky one Tal picked but I’ve sure loved those mornings.  A mountain top, slanted morning sun, crisp air and a remarkably perceptive, motivational brother is the perfect recipe for clear thinking.   We talk about far we’ve come in the past year and what we want to focus on for the year to come.  Some years I’m better than others at actually following through with all the ambition I feel on those mornings.  But pausing the pace of my life to see the big picture always feels right and gets me a little closer to who I want to be.  

This year we hiked up to “single tree.”  This is the only tree on the sage brushed mountains for miles around.  It is stunning.

 

The day before Jeff left the lake we left all our kids with their aunts and uncles and took off on what I thought was going to be a little walk.  This is where we ended up:

This picture doesn’t make that mountain look nearly as steep as it felt.  I think I’m a pretty tough girl, but I was whining like a baby while trying to follow Jeff up this mountain.  We were walking on the four wheeling paths below and suddenly he got the urge.  The urge to go off the trail and make it to the top of something.  The urge to move his body in the same ways he did while serving his mission in the jungle of Guatemala.  And, as worried as I was about twisting an ankle or getting back to the kids, I didn’t want to get in the way of that urge.  I’ve felt that kind of raw urge to do something hard before and it feels pretty amazing to indulge it.  So we went straight up.  Off the trail.  And this is what awaited us on top:

  sparkling beauty as far as the eye can see.  open.  perspective.  wind. triumph. 

 You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know. - Rene Daumal

My third hike of the summer was just a short little jaunt Charity and Charlie and I took up Toll Canyon by my parents place in Park City.  We walked slowly, finding meadow upon meadow of brilliant wildflowers (see my collection below). This hike made me want to pack up my home in Boston and move to Utah that instant.  Nothing can beat those dry summer days.  Toll Canyon is bursting with beauty, around every bend.  Wild flowers, brooks, clapping quakenasps, vistas.  I have so many memories of that canyon.  Sledding down it in the winter with friends, horseback riding up it with my dad and our horribly obstinate horses.  I feel surrounded by God’s love there. 

    

I love the beauty of the big picture and the details.  God is great.

For the beauty of the earth

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies:

‘Lord of all, to Thee we raise

this our hymn of joyful praise.’

The natural world is such powerful evidence of God’s love for us, his children. 

Hazel–Bear Lake 2011

Hazel had an ambivalent year at the Lake.  When we first got there she was THRILLED out of her mind, happy as a little clam running around with her group.  On the second day I asked her how she was doing and she said, “I’m having so much fun I can hardly believe it!”  I was happy because in past years she’s had a bit of a hard time navigating the dramatic dynamics of her girly group.  A girl trio can be hard to manage, right?  This little group did great throughout the first week, but then the drama started seeping in.  Hazel is the youngest of “The Babes” (grandfather’s name for these three cute girls).  Even though she’s only a few months younger than Claire she’s a whole grade behind her, and two grades behind Eliza.  Because she’s the oldest at home and at school, and pretty much of the boss of most of her kid interactions, being the youngest is a trick that she spent all summer trying to figure out.  Her cousins did their darndest to make sure she was having a good time, bless their little hearts, but when things didn’t go the way Hazel wanted them to she’d stomp off and do her own thing.  This put into motion a strange cycle where she’d start to feel left out, storm off even more often, feel more left out etc etc.  I spent lots of time worrying about how to handle this and I’m not sure that I ever came up with a solution.  Instead,  I realized that this is Hazel’s territory.  I can help her a little here or there, but ultimately this is her life, her mortal experience.  There’s stuff she’s got to figure out how to navigate, on her own.  When I’d try to intervene it would just undermine her confidence even more.  So, I bit my tongue.  Worried silently and to my sisters. (can you see that bit of anxiety in her smile?  sort of makes my heart hurt)

The funny thing is that it seemed to bother me more than it bothered her.  She could definitely feel the weird tension and pulls but she wasn’t crushed by any of it.  She just did her own thing for a while and then tried to re-enter as gracefully as she could.  And you know what?  It worked out.  She figured it out. She’s amazing. She left happy, her group in tact with mostly good feelings about the summer.  I just wish I wouldn't have spent so many of my precious Bear Lake moments worrying.

I’m so thankful that she has these two dear girls for cousin friends.  They are such good good girls, so full of fun and spunk and kindness. Half way through the summer they rejected their name “the babes” and renamed themselves “Eclaizel.”   I can’t wait to see who they all become and how their group evolves and changes.  I have a feeling they’re going to be a big part of my Hazel’s life. And that makes me happy.

Hazel’s group was pretty darn serious about the group contest to win badges on their flag by doing good deeds.   They probably organized these shoes 20 times.  They were constantly asking what they could do to help and quite a few times while cooking or folding laundry or some other task I found 6 little hands massaging my shoulders and legs and arms.  Although they didn’t end of winning the competition, their determination really got the rest of the groups going. Perhaps Hazel’s biggest highlight of the summer was Grammie Camp.  She got to go last year so she knew all the delights she was in for.  She loved every minute of it.  Read all the details here on my mom’s blog.  I love the things my mom is engraining in these girls. 

While they were at Grammie Camp they decided to buy Uncle Eli this water gun for his birthday.  Love those thoughtful little girls.  As predicted by me, Hazel was a favorite among group #5.  Those little girls could not get enough of her.  She was always helping them, reading to them, playing with them.  I loved watching her mother and befriend those little girls all at the same time.  Here’s Hazel with “the other Hazel.”  Hazel Jo is my cousin Lindsay’s little girl.  They were born just a few weeks apart and were both named after a grandmother we both loved.  They love seeing each other every year at the lake.  And below she’s with “the other Hazel” and her cute cousin Cami who is an amazing little soul who has been battling leukemia this last year.  Hazel and I were both so impressed with her sparkly spirit.Hazel loved the water this year.  She was so much more confident and happy.  Played in those sparkling waves for hours.  Had some great adventures on the raft.  I relived my own childhood at Bear Lake as I sat and watched her bask in those long unstructured days.By the end of our time there Hazel had really come into her own.  I feel like she learned so much this summer about making friends and relating to new people.  Every few days there were new social dynamics that she had to navigate, new friends to meet and incorporate and she did a really good job.  When I wasn’t worrying I was pretty darn proud.

Hazel also loved all the adult attention she got up there.  I think it was really good for her to be showered with so much love by so many adults that she looks up to.  Especially Aunt Chi Chi.  They are kindred souls. Other highlights for Hazel this year:

She lost her first tooth.  I think I already mentioned this on the blog…..but it’s worth saying again since it feels like she waited an eternity.  She was so thrilled when it finally popped out.

Art projects.  That girl can come up with a craft in no time, with no supervision or help or even supplies.  Not sure where she got her craftiness from, certainly not me. Digging.  The last week we were there Hazel got super into digging.  She got all these kids going and they built a ginormous hole.  The beauty of the place.  I feel like this year Hazel got the Bear Lake magic.  She pointed out beautiful things she was seeing, things I didn’t even see.  I love it that she shares a love for the natural world with me.

I love Hazel.  I love watching her big spirit grow into itself.

Charlie–Bear Lake 2011

Charlie probably had the best time of any of the Shumways this year at Bear Lake.  He was so locked into his cousins that I barely even saw him all month.  I kind of missed him.  This group just clicked.  Unlike some other groups (namely Hazel’s) there wasn’t any drama with these guys, just a lot of rough and tumble craziness, some serious fort building, some clever lizard catching, tons of digging in the sand and damning up the hose water, some mischievous exploring and pretty much non stop fun.I think Charlie’s expression in these pictures pretty much says it all.  Aunt Shawni brought this awesome paper airplane book which pretty much won them all over.  Camden was pretty much the “president” (as he called himself) of this group.  He’s by far the oldest of the group, but still treats all those little guys with tons of respect which makes them feel so cool about themselves.  He was such a benevolent leader, always getting them going on doing their chores, participating in the games and events, trying to make sure everyone was happy and obeying the rules.  I love that kid.  Don’t you love Camden's reading pose?  I’ll say it again, I love that kid. And so does Charlie. This group also took their jobs SERIOUSLY.  They won the badge contest (Aja awarded badges to groups for proactive good behavior).  They were asking what they could do right and left, working their little tails off to fill up their flag with badges.  Don’t you love how they did the dishes?I think these guys are also Grandfather’s biggest fans (which is saying a lot because he has quite a following).  Check out that hair…..I think it’s time for a serious haircut, don’t you? 

Charlie also had an awesome time with his uncles at the lake.  I wish I had pictures of him with his other uncles.  He looks up to those guys so much.  He helped fix the boat with Uncle Jo and he went on all kinds of adventures with Uncle Tal.  Oh, I love my brothers.  I love it that they love my kids…..and I’m especially happy that my boys will always have these brothers of mine to look up to.

Other things Charlie loved at the lake this year:

• Grammy Camp.  Every year my dear mother takes each grandkid group over the age of 5 up the the Lighthouse for a special overnight “camp” where they work and play and eat and learn all kinds of stuff.  This was his group’s first year attending Grammy Camp.  He watched Hazel go last year and has been looking forward to his turn nearly all year long.  Even with his high expectations he was not one bit disappointed.  He loved every minute of it.  Click here to see my mom’s post about it, complete with pictures.  
• all new people.  Unlike Emmeline Charlie loved it when new people came to the lake.  He’s just a super social guy and likes charming people over and making friends.  We had a lot of new people coming in and out this year and Charlie was just fine with that.
• Trying waterskiing.  Ok, he didn’t really love that…..in fact, he hated it.  But I was so proud that he tried.  The biggest problem is that he still doesn’t really know how to swim and he didn’t realize that the lifejacket really will keep him afloat.  The boat pulled him up and over his skies and he just held on tight to the rope. I ran after him screaming for him to let go of the rope, but I think he thought that the rope (rather than the lifejacket) was what was keeping him afloat.  Poor guy got a big helping of lake water. 
• Riding the wave runner and riding in boats.  This guys pretty much loves anything with a motor.  Hm.  Wonder where that came from!
• Digging in the sand.  I didn’t really have to apply too much sunscreen to this guys body because he was nearly always covered from head to toe with sand from all the digging he did.  He spent hours and hours each day building with sand and then running the hose over his creations to see what would happen.  His curious brain is chewing hard on how things work and I love it.
• Swimming.  After spending nearly the whole month in the sand Uncle Tal finally convinced Charlie to swim across Pirates Cove (the marina) with him.  Once he mustered up the courage he loved it (he’s still wearing a life jacket, can’t swim on his own at all, but at least he was in the water). 
• Playing Tennis.  He got Grandfather and Tal and Noah to give him some tennis lessons and now he’s in love with the sport.  I think it’s time to find some places to play tennis around here.

• Freedom.  Oh, the glorious freedom at Bear Lake.  Every 5 year old wants the freedom and unstructured time to run and explore and just be, and that’s pretty much what the Bear Lake experience is. 

We’re hoping Charlie can survive the next 11 months till we can go and do it all over again.