RIVER RATS

the mister and i went to his family place on the river this weekend. i haven't been there in a long time and it was heaven. saturday we got a little hike in, played with piper in the sunshine and got a little tan!
i love going down there. it's secluded, the river is a stone's throw away and you can relax and let your brain take a time out from the every day routine. that's a beautiful thing.
we are planning our annual trip to the russian river in the wine country (california). we are going to attempt to drive this year. it will be monumental for us as we have not had the time or resources to take a legitimate "road trip" together in the past. it's long overdue and i'm pumped. it takes about 11-12 hours to drive down there from portland so we are thinking we'll split the driving days in half...tackling oregon to the boarder on the first day then the home stretch on the 2nd. we'll be able to stay there 5 days this year and that is (again) something to smile about. we are crazy about the russian river and also crazy about our friends that invite us every year. that place is a dream; every detail from the river, the old cabin and it's screened in sleeping porch, the outdoor shower, the rickety walk down to the landing...the lazy river you can swim in, paddle down, float on...wine valley surrounding, quaint little town center with amazing shopping and restaurants. what more could you possibly want in a vacation? i don't know. i think it really is the best.
i just found out today that my parents had to put our family dog down this weekend. she was a fourteen year old yellow lab named Brylly. such an amazing dog and we loved her every day for 14 years. she was spunky and definitely a part of the family to the fullest extent. we'll miss her.
hope all is well out there in the worlds of all of you.
we had this great thunder storm last night and it reminded me that summer is not so far away after all...

mo