Hello, Dear Family

I don't know if things ever actually wind down or if they just change, but I'm feeling as if my summer chores are drawing to a close and the persistant buzz of my distant family is calling to me through this wonderful medium of the internet. Faithfully anxious to read all of your blogs, I find myself, on occasion (wink, wink), neglecting my own. So here I am, family, at your mercy. Will you even notice that I have blogged, and if so, will you bother to read my belated and somewhat rambling thoughts? I do indeed hope that I hear from you.



I know pictures are worth a thousand words...well this is about a thousand.



Pictures I'd post if I had a camera:



**Two days after Youth Conference, and two days before our Annual Missouri Summer Trip***



The Family of Legs...



First photo op: Twelve Legs started the hike...(four belonged to Crowdin, the very little dog with a great big, brave heart and teeny little feet). After leaving one car at the bottom, JB, Charlie, Dad, Mom and Crowdin arrived in the second car at the top of a three mile hike in Bear Canyon for family night. Beautiful, perfect night. It was 8:30 pm at the top of the trail.



Second photo op: Crowdin's legs running back and forth between the boys who were down the trail and mom and dad taking it a little slower because the trail was a bit more rugged than mom realized. (Crowdin, the very little dog with a great big brave heart and teeny little feet, must have walked nine miles in those three).



Third photo op... We believe they were big legs, probably four, belonging to a bear, as evidenced by what bears leave behind on trails.



Fourth photo op... The four legs crossed casually on the Oldsmobile, Achieva when Dad, Crowdin, and Mom made it back down to the car.



Fifth photo op...The 4 seconds in the night that didn't actually involve legs, when J.B. said, "Where are the keys, Dad?"



Sixth photo op... Ok, the other .2 of a second when it dawned on 4 out of 5 of us that the keys were either lost in the dead of night somewhere on the trail involving a bear ... or in the Hyundai, Sonata at the top of the trail that really was more rugged than mom realized. (Either way, the whole "back up the three mile trail" idea didn't seem viable after 10:30 at night.)



Seventh photo op... We're all aware that the Ellison's don't even own a working camera, let alone one that will take good leg pictures in the dark of a forested night but, hey, we may as well think big. This would have to be a whole "compare and contrast" picture of Mom's and Dad's leg's forging forward, focusing in on Mom's and Dad's faces at precisely the moment one of them said "This will be a grand adventure, honey."



Eighth photo op... One mile down the road, twelve legs still walking, three out of five of us singing, "Look at the stars. Look how they shine for you." Well... admittedly it was just Mom singing, but three out of five were still smiling.



Ninth photo op... Another mile down the road, at a public campground, 11:30 at night. Yay!!! the 12 legs were bound to be rescued by the campground host...the 12 legs were waiting to be rescued by the campground host...the 12 legs were willing to be rescued by the campground host... "Hellooo, are you there, Mr. Host?" "What'dya Want!?" Can't think of anything bad enough to say about the campground host's legs that wouldn't get out of bed to help our 12.



Tenth photo op... Two miles down next road. Technically legs were still involved because legs were still moving, although somewhat less skillfully. Whatever is said by cell phone companies about 911 calls making a connection even when normal calls will not... Is a Lie. However, a 911 call will make your phone flash red and beep, beep, beep, beep.



11th photo op...Two miles further, though smiles and conversation were still portraying a semblance of cheer, legs would have stomped on any camera in the vicinity... besides those useless cameras, in the useless phones, sending out useless beeps... Hope is sometimes merely a tragic misconception.



12th photo op... New road, new opportunities. Some traffic on this road. For instance, the car travelling the opposite direction that honked a friendly honk as it passed the family of legs and waving arms walking their dog with no more teeny little feet on a mountain highway at 1:00 in the a.m..



13th photo op... Less than a mile, a truck coming around the bend in the right direction and headed right at the family of legs and waving arms. Best ridiculous photo award... Mom's renewed vigor as her legs jump out of the way of the truck as it comes to a stop by the family.



14th photo op... Work truck's entire back is a tool box, so what's with the big box taking up the middle seat next to his gear shift? He offers to carry one set of legs back into town.



15th photo op... Look on dad's face when mom says, "I guess that will have to be you, honey."





16th photo op... Has something to do with honking loud and long at 1:30 in the morning and a campground host's legs who wouldn't get out of bed to help a dozen stranded legs on family night.



HeeHeeHee... Love You Guys