Trillium Lake...our favorite campground

We spent the weekend at Trillium Lake. It was just our family on Friday night, then the Slaters came and joined us on Saturday. It was a camping trip filled with lots of critters.

Christopher was given the title of 'Salamaster,' as he was able to catch the little guys like no other. They really are just so cute!

Looking for crawdads and salamanders. This was Hunter's fist time to try out the water. He is a lab, after all. I think he liked it. He is a good puppy!

Nate getting all crazy with a salamander on his chest.

Chris and Catie fishing at dusk. We sure picked a weekend with beautiful weather. Site #6 wasn't too shabby, either.

The only crawdad that was dumb enough to crawl into our trap. Tuna fish is not a good bait at Trillium Lake. Chris did find another one that he cooked on the fire grill and ate the tail. mmmm

Dinnertime!

This was a trip filled with resourcefulness. Dan was so proud of his Survivor torches that he made out of burlap bags that the firewood came in, and some sap that he dug out of a tree. The boys couldn't wait to light them...and they actually stayed lit!

The lone egg that was left over. Rather than let it roll around in the ice chest, I thought that we would do some inquiry science. What will happen to an egg that sits over the coals? Well.....if you poke at it after it's been heating up it will EXPLODE! Boom! We had egg flying everywhere.

Playing in the lake. Oh, silly cousin Will!

More playing in the lake...

They caught a trout! And I do mean 'they.' Chris and Nate's fishing lines had crossed somehow, so they both reeled in this little guy together. (about 7 inches) We were all about catch and release, so he did not find his fate over our campfire.

Roasting marshmallows. What a fun camping trip!

Hawaii!

The Moore's had their first real family vacation last week, and we chose the lovely Honua Kai in Maui as our destination. It was the perfect getaway with amazing water features and situated right on the beach. Paradise.

At an open market, the boys picked out a coconut and had a man from the island cut open with a machete. Then, 2 straws were placed in it to suck out the coconut water. Chris tolerated it, Nate thought it was gross.

Snorkeling in the lazy river pool. Although the river didn't move along, it sure was pretty. There was also a big slide, waterfalls, 5 hot tubs, a big pool, and a kiddie pool. There was a great spot for everyone!

We found a great beach down the road where the boys could try and scoop fish, as well as look at sea life on the rocks. Tons of fun, but those fish were just too fast to catch!

Under the waterfall.

Shaved ice! Pineapple for Christopher, and Root Beer for Nate.

Dan and the boys at the beach entrance.

Dinner out at Duke's. yum!

Chris running in the waves. He really loved the ocean~Nate, not as much. Chris went out and snorkeled with Dan about 100 yards off the beach. He LOVED the experience.

Honua Kai lobby. What a beautiful place!

Nate did get in and snorkel the ocean water here.
Granted, it was only 2 feet deep. But he felt like a real ocean man!

Chris messing around on Ka'anapali beach. Awesome waves!

Sunset on Ka'anapali beach at Black Rock.

We watched the lighting of the torches and the jump into the ocean at Black Rock. You can learn about this tradition here.

Heading out of the lobby, and down to the water.

Buried alive!

Shadow family at sunrise.

As we were getting off of the airplane in Portland, our vacation had come to an end. But the captain must have thought that these two traveling boys were kind of cute, because he told them that if they stood aside and waited, that he would take them back in the cockpit to check it out. He even took off his hat and placed it on their heads for the photo op.

Way cool, Hawaiian Airlines! These boys were beyond thrilled to end their vacation this way.

Aloha!

"Dude, we got a Flex!"

This video should have been posted at the top, as it was the first part of our trip. We were at the car rental spot waiting for Dan to bring the car around. The boys didn't know it, but we had upgraded to a Ford Flex (Dan and the boys are obsessed with finding these cars on the road, so they are very familiar with them) They thought that we were going to get a Ford Escort...so the excitement is very real. The coolest car, on the coolest vacation.

Stu

My dad passed away last week, and it's been a week filled with emotion and so many memories for all of us. It's funny how the most random memories will come to mind when you're thinking back over all of the years. Stu was a quiet, unassuming man. He was more of the listener than the talker. He will always be remembered for his Stuisms~one liners that were snips of wisdom or opinion. Some of them were pretty damn funny. He loved his work and his family.
The memories that I have of my dad from my childhood are many. I remember him driving his blue El Camino. He would cram all 4 of us kids in there to get us to school, all the while balancing a cup of hot instant coffee on his lap. He never spilled it.
Stu was in the electronics business, and because of that, we were always the first house on the block to have 'new' gadgets.....like a microwave, VCR, 2 telephone lines to our house, and cell phones (when they were the size of a brick and had to be plugged into the lighter in the car).
He loved the country oldies, especially Johnny Cash and the song A Boy Named Sue. He never did learn all of the words to that and many other songs, but he would move his mouth along and try to have us believe that he was singing. We knew better.
On Saturday mornings, when my mom would be at work, we would wait for the sound of the vacuum cleaner banging into our bedroom doors. It was is way to let us know that it was time to get up and start cleaning the house.
There was also the time that many of us in the household were sick with the flu, and my dad decided that he would help out and make breakfast for everyone so he (for some reason) decided to make peanut butter waffles. You can't imagine how incredibly awful peanut butter waffles could make the house smell. I think we all puked an extra round because of it. The thought of that recipe to this day makes my stomach turn.
I will never forget the rafting trip down the North Santiam where my dad took the 4 of us kids, plus a neighbor friend on a rafting trip. We were not prepared for the adventure, and we got totally lost and ended up in some remote wilderness and had to hike our way out before dusk. Luckily, we stumbled upon a random house and they allowed us to use their phone to call my mom to come and get us. What an experience!
He then got a real boat for our family and that is how we spent our weekends from the ages of about 11-15 at various lakes like Detroit and Foster. Of course, the propeller would always get chopped up on the rocks, and he would spend half the trip cussing over the damaged blades.
He also taught us all to love fishing, and I will always remember the time he took us to a spot where they had just stocked hundreds of 12" rainbow trout. I think that we brought home about 80 of them. I think they were all illegally caught.
My dad always ate all of our potato skins...which was perfect because we didn't like the skins. He always made us drink all of our milk. I didn't like that so much.
One of the greatest lessons my dad taught me still holds true to this day and I put it to use occasionally. When I would refill his coffee cup to the rim with hot coffee and carry it to him, he always told me not to look at the cup...if you don't look at it, it won't spill. It really works.
Stu was a speed reader. He could read a book at the speed of light. This always amazed me. He loved mysteries and suspense thrillers.
Stu's typical outfit was his jeans, a plaid shirt, and his loafers. One shirt that he wore proudly was known as his 'L.P.' (low pocket). This was a shirt that I gave him for Christmas one year that I found for a great price. The only problem with this shirt was that it had the pocket sewn quite low, so when he reached across to get his ciggs, he didn't lift his arm up..it was parallel to his reach. He wore that shirt proudly.
My dad was the master of being able to fix, build, or install anything. He loved it when a project called for his assistance. When all of us kids bought our first homes over the years, Stu was like a kid in a candy shop in anticipation for the work that lay ahead. He would add outlets and cable wires for every room of every house. ("A chicken in every pot!") When I bought my first house (a 1912 fixer) he was pretty much at my door each Saturday morning by 7:00 ready to go. Together we installed wood floors, tiled the bathroom, changed out lights,electrical wiring, painted, new wax ring for the toilet; the list goes on and on and on. After I got married, he and Dan built a bedroom/bathroom addition on to the house. Those were great times. I will always savor those memories, as we were a really good working team and he taught me a lot. He would tell me what tool he needed out of his bucket, and I knew what he was talking about. All he ever wanted in exchange was an egg salad sandwich and a Grapefruit Soda. Well, maybe one extra for the drive home.

I will miss you, dad. You were a rock in my life and I feel so blessed to have had you. I'm certain that if there is any handy work needing to be done in heaven they will call on you. Don't forget to use the fluke. You know how I always was about saws and electrical.

My Dad

Stuart R. Slater May 13, 1943-June 29, 2011 SALEM - Stuart Raineford Slater, of Salem, passed away on June 29, 2011 at the age of 68 due to complications from a staph infection. He was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing. He was born on May 13, 1943, in Salem, Oregon to Dale and Lyle Slater. He is survived by his sister Karen VanCleave, and brothers Kevin, Marshall, and Alan. Stu was a graduate of North Salem High School, class of 1961. Stu spent all of his years in Salem, where he owned and managed his business, Slater Communications and Electronics. On September 28, 1963, Stu married Cheryl Albada Slater, his wife of almost 48 years. Together they raised four successful children; Greg (Susan), Portland; Kathy (Dan) Moore, Portland; Mark (Claudine), Portland; and Susan Cotter (Seattle). Stu's greatest pride in his life was his family, and he loved the time that he spent with his seven grandchildren; Grace (12), Ella (9), Caroline (6), Christopher (7), Nathan (7), Catie (7), and Will (3). Stu had a mild stroke in 2005 which slowed him down a bit, but he never lost his drive to wake at the crack of dawn, and get going with each new day. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke his words were listened to. Stu will be remembered for his one-liners that are known to his family as 'Stuisms.' These were words of wisdom that his children and their friends would always chuckle about and quote through the years. Stu was a real handyman who loved to fix, build, or tinker in all kinds of projects, with the Country Oldies station playing on the radio in the background. If you would like to make a donation in honor of Stuart's life, the family asks that it be made to www.salemhospitalfoundation.org on behalf of the incredible doctors and nurses in the ICU who cared for him in his last days. A celebration of Stu's life will be held on Saturday, August 13th at the family home in West Salem.