July has been a delightful whirlwind of family gatherings and activities. It has been a hectic pace but we are so glad to have had many opportunities to be with family.
Recent activities included helping Dave and Lois move to their lovely new home. The family helped by packing, moving and unpacking lots of boxes so that the movers could concentrate on transporting furniture including a piano. Below, Myra pauses for a snapshot while packing kitchen items.
Dave and Lois now enjoy one floor living in a beautiful new villa not far from their old neighborhood. Here is a view of their retirement community. Residents refer to the body of water as "Golden Pond."
One thing Dave and Lois definitely won't miss--climbing these stairs to their former apartment!
This month also saw the presentation to David of the family's March Madness tournament trophy. Barb, last year's winner, arranged for a very unique awards ceremony in which the trophy was presented by none other than Slider during the 15th annual family Indians game. Here Slider makes the presentation to David.
Next, we head to New York to celebrate birthdays for Michaela and Nicole and to help usher in August!
On July 26 the Zoll Family gathered for its 15th Annual Indians Game. Barb planned a series of special games and events including a trip to Progressive Field aboard Lolly the Trolley. But the biggest surprise was a visit by Indians team mascot Slider! See the evidence below.
Neighbors Julie, Tony and family joined the festivities.
Slider greets the most experienced (Dave) and novice (Evan with Mom Sarah) Indians fans.
Slider demonstrates how to dance.
One of the organized events was a sidewalk chalk drawing contest. Here Slider reviews the submissions to pick a winner. Slider picks the winners. The winners!
All aboard Lolly the Trolley! The trip to Progressive Field was fun. Unfortunately, the Indians lost to the Minnesota twins.
First,we were delighted by a weekend visit by Jeff, Lexi, Michaela, Nicole and Darrell, all in town for Courtney's graduation party. Then, Jeff made his move to Washington, D.C. to begin his new job at the Treasury Department. Jim helped with the move. Please see The Pearce Family blog (link upper right corner) for excellent entries about both events in addition to the images below in which Michaeala poses with:
GB and Carly...
Granddad, Keith and Margaret...
Nicole and Darrell...
and Kathy.
Below are pictures of the apartment in which Jeff will reside during the week, in between commutes to home. He has just a short walk to the Metro station.
On Sunday, July 20, Jeff and Jim took the Metro into D.C., a dry run for Jeff's work commute. Below, Jeff stands on Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the U.S. Treasury building which is next door to the White House.
Jeff in front of the Hamilton entrance on the South side of the Treasury Building. Jeff models one of his new suits.
One of the most energetic activities at Camp Split Rock was the scavenger hunt. Three teams, each with a digital camera, scurried around camp in a heated competition to see who could strike required poses in various settings the fastest. The discussion continues today as to which photos are the winners. Below are some of the categories and selected entries.
Construct a people pyramid (minimum of three people) in a unique setting.
Form OHIO in the lagoon--knee deep.
Find someone who might be an alien.
Find a good landing sight for a UFO.
Find people at the mini golf who will give high fives to team members.
Team choice--most original/funniest.
Michaela climbs a mountain on her own, or so it appears.
Are those flowers that I see between Jonah's and Amine's toes?
For more about Camp Split Rock see The Pearce Family blog at: http://thepearcefamily.blogspot.com/. See embedded link in upper right corner.
From June 27 through July 3, Camp Split Rock was in session at the Split Rock Resort at Lake Harmony, PA. Activities included biking, hiking, swimming/diving, scavenger hunt, games, river floating, paint ball, golf, a talent show and even bear watching. A great time was had by all!
Meal preparation was a shared responsibility. But Barbara went off the charts by preparing many excellent breakfasts. By popular acclaim, her pancake breakfast was by far the best! Here Micheala examines a special pancake Barbara made for her in the shape of an "M." Michaela wears koala bear pajamas, a gift from Aunt Nicole's recent trip to Australia. One day we hiked nearby Hickory Run State Park and visited its Boulder Field Natural Area. We expected to see many bolders created during the last ice age but we were overwhelmed by the staggering beauty of this vista. Nonplussed, Carly takes a moment for a business call. Michaela walks on the bolders with Melanie and Dad Jeff.Barb reviews a trail map with Jeff and Lexi. At the start of Hawk Falls Trail in Hickory Run State Park.Michaela borrowed GB's rain jacket during a bike ride the group took one afternoon along the nearby Lehigh River Gorge.
Jeff, Lexi and Michaela pause during the bike ride.Jonah and Amine pose in front of a waterfall the group encountered during its bike ride along the Lehigh River. Paintball at the nearby Skirmish range was a popular activity for many campers. Despite wearing camoflage coveralls in high heat, everyone had a great time.In one skirmish Jonah hid in a tree from where he defended his team's flag for a long period of time. An errant paint ball bounced off a limb and hit Jonah. The referees ruled he must exit the skirmish but praised him for his ingenuity. The video below begins with Jonah arriving back at the safety zone. GB (Barb) and Michaela enjoy playing in the sand at the waterfront lagoon on Lake Harmony. In the video below, Amine demsonstrates his prowess at going off the nearby diving board.
This deer approached our villa most mornings, perhaps accustomed to being fed by humans which is discouraged. Fortunately, bears confined themselves to searching through nearby dumpsters at night. Below, Mo and Amine keep a watchful eye on the movements of a mother bear and two cubs.Darrell and Nicole raise glasses in a toast to the fun times at Camp Split Rock.
