Fall Shasta Trip 2008

Ahhhh.... The adults-only trip to Shasta in the fall.... It is a beautiful thing. The weather was hot, the water was warm, and we were with a great group of people. There was the usual Shasta debachary, and Nick and I felt like we were back in pre-baby times enjoying a care-free vacation.



Group shot!





The Jones Valley Marina. The lake was the lowest I'd ever seen it, and we had to drive about a mile out on where the lake should've been to reach this marina.





Of course we played drinking games, but after about the third game, we switched to being forced to eat this salsa -- the Salsa from Hell!! --- instead of drinking because it was super-super-super hot. Michael made it.




I tried wake-boarding for the first time. I even kinda got up, but then immediately fell down, because I'm not sure if I really want to wake-board. After all, I seen plenty of crashes. Case in point -- check out Nick's crash on video a little further down....




Margarita, sunglasses, boat... Can it get any better?




My brother-in-law -- master sea Captain.


Medusa -- errr -- Erin over the heating vent. She reported her hair was dry in 2 minutes!





Roger wake-boarding. He's a pro!




And I've had this guy's baby?? :)


Yay Shasta!!




Simon, who has never been quite the same after his accident, was very anxious when we were swimming or on the ski boat. In fact, if Nick and I were both on the ski boat, Simon would howl for us from the houseboat until we got back or traveled out of his ear-shot. I was amazed at how well Simon could hear us from great distances. Of course, if we started to drown, I think Simon probably would have just watched us and whined, because for the first time ever he was also reluctant to get into the water and swim himself.




Yahteez! It is tradition to play yahteez on the top of the houseboat in the hot sun -- then all players jump in when someone rolls a yahteez!



Life is so tough at Shasta... This is our new friend Rosie (Michael's girlfriend -- she's a vet!)





Um, I was trying to give the camera a sexy look as Nick applied suntan lotion. I don't think I pulled it off....




Michael jumping in....




Ha-ha. This wasn't from our houseboat, but the cost of gas is one reason we try not to motor around on the houseboat more than needed.




Sweet! Nick found another willing participant to back-flip with!


Awww....




Erin and me!

Speaking of wake-board crashes.... Nick needs a new party trick to perform on his wake-board, and Michael had talked him into trying back-flips on the 'board. There were a lot of crashes, and Nick finally decided to research it a little more before continuing. Surprisingly, the only injury he walked away with from repeated falls was a spained big toe, from where the binding on the board holds his foot.

Live shot of the back-flips with Nick and Darren!

If you want to see yet another Shasta video and more Shasta pics, check out Michael's pictures online at http://picasaweb.google.com/mpriley/LakeShasta . If you have the chance, check out the video of Rosie & I biscuitting. It is the very, very last picture on the left side of the screen, at the bottom. Our dismount is comical, especially with the boys laughing at us.

Only (approx) 355 days until next year's Adults-only Trip!!