Camp Nelson-August 2014

Don 't let anyone tell you that the mountains are cool at this time of year. Not the Sierra Nevada mountains and not on the west side of said mountains.

It is cooler than the Central Valley. That much is true.

But cool (as in weather temperature) it is not.

Cool as in the neatest place to be. Yeah, then it is cool.

For the second time this year I was able to make it to my beloved family cabin. The Kid and I drove 4 hours to meet brother Bill for dinner and to spend the night.

A long way to go for dinner and sleeping under the stars you say?

Not when it is Camp Nelson.

We walked to the swimming hole and watched Bill's dog, Georgia, swim her little heart out. 

Well, she couldn't really swim.....no dog paddling....more like dog wading.

 The river is very low.

 But it is cool in every sense of the word.

And the swimming hole remains. Someone (bless their hearts) added rocks to the dam that keeps this pool deep enough to allow real swimming.

But Georgia was too big for us to lift her over the dam and she couldn't make it over the rocks without slipping. So she was content to  wade. Rambunctiously and with great dog purpose.

And then she walked home with her "daddy".

We ate barbecued salmon, baked asparagus, sticky rice and enjoyed, with great awe, a full moon that made flashlights unnecessary. We talked and shared stories and enjoyed each other.

Was it worth 8 hours of driving in 24 hours?

First, there is time with my brother. And then, well.....

Take another look at these pictures and tell me it wasn't.