Ahhh...Tahoe!

There is something about Lake Tahoe that I just love. The mountains...the lake...the air. Most of all it reminds me of McCall, Idaho...a personal favorite vacation spot. And because we weren't going to McCall this summer because of our trip to Canada, I had to soak in every moment. As usual we headed up on Thursday afternoon, it should have been morning, but that is another story. We camped, we ate, we cooked, we swam, we jumped, we played, we golfed, we sang, we laughed, we cried...all with some of our closest friends. It's a family tradition I hope we never stop doing.

Camp Shelly in Lake Tahoe...it's the best!
Sitting at our campsite around a blazing fire Alec so joyfully built.

It was Steve's birthday while we were camping. I so carefully and secretly packed up ice cream, Ann Harker's famous carmel sauce (which is one thing Steve did ask for his birthday), whip cream, candles, and ingredients to cook apple crisp in the dutch oven for his birthday treat. He was one happy 41 year old.

Amy in front of our very functional family tent. However, it really only sleeps Steve, me, and Amy. The kids love to set up their own tents. It's fine by us...more room in our tent. Only down fall...more tents to put up and take down.

Prusso's always have something up their sleeves...Jeremy put together a mini zip line for the kids...Amy had a blast just zipping down the hill.

Alec had a blast this year because his best buddy Taylor and family came up this year. He usually is the only "older" boy around. The played a lot of ping pong, jumped off the poll many times, when rock jumping, and hiked.

The girls (Lily, Natalie, Kaya, Rachel and Cammi) in their pink camouflage Deharo shirts given to them by Dustin. They were trying to catch crawdads (sp?) to cook and eat at camp. Unfortunately, so many were caught the night before by the boys, there were none left for the girls to catch.

This year the girls found a spot behind the Harwood's camp site and had a blast playing store at "Stump City" with rocks, wood , etc. Oh...how dirty they got.

Alec jumping for the post about 75-100 yards (the actually yardage is still being debated between Steve and Emily) from beach...it's a favorite to do over and over every summer. This year the task of climbing it was difficult...the rungs and rope holes were a little hard to manage. But, as Emily and I decided...it wouldn't be so rewarding to jump off it, if it wasn't a little dangerous to climb up.

Yes...that's me.

Amy loving the beach. Didn't play as much in the water this year. Rachel and her both canoed with dad. Rachel snorkeled for buried crawdads the whole day.

Alec and Taylor found a large piece of drift wood. They tried to climb on and sit together on it. It never worked.

Last minute I threw in some markers and coloring books for the little ones. Good thing I did because it was a hit with them all. The glitter lip gloss Amy snuck up there was also a hit. What's camping without a little dress up make up?

Rachel's new found love is scootering. This is her on our last morning refusing to get packed up. She loves Camp Shelly.

The annual trip up to Emerald Bay look out before heading home. It is very beautiful...but do we really have to do it every year Steve?

Amy actually looking at the camera.