Friday, June 25, 2010

picture this....

The years fly by quickly...and soon we are left with only memories.  It seems that in time the memories become a little dim...and so it is nice to document our lives with words and pictures.  And though I take many photos...we have not had an official family photo taken in almost a decade.  The grands have all arrived since that time....and so our kids organized a family photo session this week.  Do you know how difficult it is to co-ordinate fourteen people's schedules with that of the photographer...and have sunshine at the appointed time?  We managed to do just that!

We all met at a beautiful spot in the hills nearby...the same spot where we send our young cattle to pasture every summer.  I certainly hope they appreciate their summer camp...since not many cattle have surroundings like this. 
We crossed the bridge...and headed up the hills in search of the cattle.

'Watch your step' took on new meaning...as the cattle had left their tracks.  The photographer had no problem maneuvering her way around as she grew up in this neighbourhood.


This little city girl had no fear...and thought she should help them find their next bite!


These are campers that love a visit from home every now and again!

Our photographer took group photos...and individual ones of all the grands...and Grammy snuck in a few of her own from the sidelines.

Once she was all done...we just made ourselves right at home and had a watermelon and rollkuchen picnic beside the lake.

The kids pumped water they way it was once done...

...and went rafting on the lake...

...and some of us just watched the entertainment from the dock. It really is a lovely spot...and is part of a farm belonging to friends of ours.  They have always been so generous with their 'park'...and we have been here for weddings, celebrations and picnics many times over the years.  As for our cattle...they too return year after year.  It is a hidden jewel in our hills...but we are so glad we know about it!


Enjoy the weekend...

27 comments:

  1. What a very beautiful, peaceful place to gather as a family.

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  2. Such a perfect spot! How special to have such a place that's part of home:) And with such cuties no wonder all the photos are fantastic! Looks like a total success!!

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  3. A beautiful setting and a beautiful family :)

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  4. Beautiful people and a beautiful place! And a watermelon and rollkuchen picnic to end the photo session..perfect!

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  5. Absolutely beautiful and I am sure the family picture will be too. What a gorgeous setting.

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  6. This is a wonderful spot for a family gathering! I'm sure your photos will turn out wonderful!

    Dairymary

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  7. The picture will be a treasure in the years to come - a moment in time - and the memories of the day will be shared whenever the young generation gets together to 'remember when....'

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  8. what a beautiful location! I'm sure the pictures will turn out wonderfully, but i do know what you mean about the challenge of coordinating so many schedules :)

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  9. It really is a lovely spot for fun and photographs! Great shots Judy. So glad everything fell into place nicely!

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  10. Talk about arranging a time for fourteen people to get together for a family photo shoot! That's what we did in LA last week! Since it looked like those three days would be our only days together this year, we did the same while we were there. It will be fun to compare photos!
    Your setting is beautiful and so special that it's pretty well in your back yard.

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  11. You are right, after high school/college grad and wedding photos, professional pictures seem to slide down the list. Good job organizing a reunion for picture purposes. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to learn that the photographer puts your family's pictures in the shop window to draw future customers!

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  12. PS: I'm glad you told on this blog that you "borrowed" the setting. A few generations from now people could be asking when the family owned property with a lake like that!

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  13. Beautiful, sunny, with brilliant green pastures, looks like all the right elements came together for a memorable day :)

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  14. What a wonderful day. It is a beautiful spot. Those cows don't know how lucky they are to go to summer camp!

    I would love to see the portrait of the whole family when it's ready!

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  15. All your candid photos tell a wonderful story, Judy, as does your narrative.

    I'm sure you will treasure the professional photos and all the nice memories made that day!

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  16. I never would've guessed that you had such a delightful little spot as this. It looks far more as if it belongs in my corner than yours. Hope that we may get to see the official family photo one day soon.

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  17. I just reread that and oh I sound $notty. I only mean that meandering little streams, wooden bridges, and rolling hilly pastures look like my corner. Does that sound better? No. Obviously, it looks like your corner, too, which means that you have it all!

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  18. Judy, seeing these photos of your sweet family makes me smile. How very blessed you are.

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  19. Sounds like a wonderful day for your family. We are headed to the beach next week. We try to take a family picture there every year, but more often than not, it never happens. But, I can dare to dream that maybe this year.....

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  20. Your blog reminds me of reading Anne of Avonlea as a child, and nearly tempts me to move from Hawaii to BC! The setting is absolutely picturesque. What a privledge to be able to enjoy such a senic setting. I'm envious of your cattle's 'Summer Camp'!

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  21. You have found the perfect spot...It is a prize jewel of those of us living here in the valley.
    And what a way to end of a perfect family get together...Food and a Favorite at that.
    I think I know where you can use some of those shots.

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  22. Beautiful photos Judy, you did well to get them all together I know too well how hard that is.Well done!

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  23. A perfect spot for family photos! You'll treasure them.

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  24. Can hardly wait to see the family photo! It WILL be gorgeous! Our Delesky clan gets together there every year in July and it is absolutely the perfect spot for our gatherings irregardless of the weather. We do a full on church service with a time of worship music, a children's feature and a sermon, we even had a baptism last year. I especially like the spray fountain in the middle of the "lake". The kids of course always have to have canoe and paddle boat "wars" and see who will end up in the water with the leeches! And yes, we should all take more pictures!

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  25. It is Friday evening and it has been a very busy week. It blessed my heart to sit and visit some blogs this evening, and when I came to yours, it added peace and beauty to my week. What a beautiful family God has given to you. The green hillside with water and cows seems to me to be the perfect spot for family pictures that you will treasure for a lifetime. I really enjoyed my time spent here, and was made aware of the fact that family pictures are always worth the work and energy they take to make happen. The picture of you and the cows showed me that this family sure does have a young looking grandma:)

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  26. I so enjoyed the series of pictures and seeing your grandchildren in this lovely place. the cows were an added bonus. What a nice idea to have a Family Portrait done!

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  27. What a gorgeous location! I am jealous of so many things in these photos I do not know where to begin. I think mostly it is the lovely weather and scenery along with the cows. I miss the cows!

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson