Meanwhile Back At The Homestead . . . .

While Dave and I were basking in the cool mountain air at the cabin on the 4th, Drew was chillin' with his homies on the LaSal mountains here in Moab. It was their "one last blast before life as they knew it ended and they went off to college, missions (in Drew's case) and basically entered the dreary life of an adult" campout. They had been planning this camping trip for a year, and rumor has it they had a good time.

Here Drew is making a hammock out of rope. From scratch. He didn't sleep in it. I can't imagine why.

Here is the whole gang on the tip top of Mt. Tukuhnikivats. Did anyone notice girls in this picture? Yea, Drew kept the fact that they were camping with girls a pretty good secret until just before they took off. Good thing I trust him . . .

They camped two nights - the night before the big mountain climb, which was Thursday, and the night after they climbed, which was Friday. Messy little campers they are. Drew insists they cleaned the place up before they headed home on Saturday.

These are the "guys". You've met them before. They are the same guys who were in Drew's graduation photos. That's Charlie on the right . . I mean left. I'm left/right handicapped, a sore point with my engineering minded husband. Anyway, Charlie, the one in the bright orange shirt, he's off to Columbia University in Chicago to become a famous film director. We are practicing saying "we knew him when . . " Of course you recognize Drew, who is working hard getting his mission papers ready to send in. Next to Drew is Nathan and then Tristen. Nathan and Tristen are going to college right here in Utah. They are going to be roomies.

And these are the girls, Kira, Hailey and Dana. Drew found out an important fact of life from these three. There is such a thing as "boy points"!! See, if you get up early and make the girls breakfast and then take it to them in their tent - BOY POINTS!! If you hold their hand and help them across the slide rock on the way up the mountain. Score!! BOY POINTS!! He did not know about these before.
Drew used the beauty and majesty of the view from the top of Mt. Tukuhnikivats to write some of his book. Yep, Drew is writing a book. He's been working on it for a few years now. He figures if Charlie is going to be a famous movie director, he's going to need someone to write books that can be made into movies that he can direct.

And that is how Drew spent his 18th 4th of July. Boy, I'm going to miss this kid.