Sharc, the Park, and Goody's--Day 2

Yesterday, we decided today would be a good day to take the kids to Sharc (Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic & Recreation Center). We wanted to be there at 10:00 am, when it opens so we could "get a spot."

Alora spent the first night at Sara and Wayne's house with Shelby and James. She came home right as we finished breakfast. We were finishing getting ready when Sara and the kids arrived. Quickly, we grabbed our towels and passes then headed out. The only thing is that neither Tom nor I looked at the map to see exactly which circles and streets to take. So, our simple 5 minute drive turned into the 15 minute scenic route but we eventually made it, yay!

The Sharc was fun. We laid in the sun (before it became an incredibly hot blazing ball of gas), rode the lazy river, swam in the pool, and the kids rode the water slides. Sara had gotten a spot near the fence and some bushes so we had some shade for Tom for the first part of the day. She tried to get a spot under one of the huge umbrellas but by the time we got in, they were all taken already. Right before we left, the girls found an indoor pool that is 7' 3" deep. They begged Sara and I to go in it with them and we happily obliged. I even jumped in and got my whole head wet! The kids LOVED having treading water contests, synchronized sinking, and all around tons of laughs.

The building in the background is where the deep pool is.

This place fills up fast!

Tom liked his temporary shade.

The girls and I spent time drying off in the sun. Once you were wet and out of the pool, it was a little chilly at 10:00 am with a slight breeze. Brrrr!

Alora enjoyed going to Sharc a lot and couldn't pick a favorite. :)

Kylin really liked the deep pool. It was her favorite part.

It was about 1:30 when we got back home so we made some lunch and relaxed for awhile. About 3:30 the girls and I decided to go for a bike ride. It took awhile to figure out which of the bikes we could ride. There are a lot of them in the garage, but not all of the bikes are adult size or in good enough condition to ride. We figured it out and then stopped by to invite the Kruittains. Sara and James were happy to go with us.

Sunriver has TONS of bike paths and you can ride pretty much any and everywhere. We rode to Fort Rock Park. There was a lot of uphill going to the park...in 95 degree heat, but we made it. On our ride, I had my first deer sighting. It was having a little snack across the street from the bike path. The Sunriver map jokes that deer are the "official lawn ornaments" of Sunriver. From what I have seen heard, that's true. Everyone keeps seeing them, but me.

Fort Rock Park, across from the playground.

Alora and James played on the playground at the park while Sara, Kylin and I sat in the shade. That is until I joined Alora and James on this bad boy.

"Spin us, pleeeeaaaassseeeeeee!"

They asked me to spin them so I did until I couldn't resist hopping on and going for a ride, too.

On our way back home, we checked out the volleyball court to see if it was in the shade. Sure enough, it was. Sweet! We plan to have a volleyball game tomorrow before dinner. While we were enjoying running our feet through the cool sand, we had some little friends come visit us. In total, four stopped by, but I wasn't fast enough to catch all of them with my camera.

Alora and the finches playing in the volleyball court sand.

After the park, it was time to get ready for dinner. Sara, Wayne and Madison came over and sat on the deck with Tom and I while we waited for dinner time. We've done shared dinners where each household hosts a night. The first night Sara and Wayne hosted. We had lasagna, Caesar salad, and garlic bread. Tonight was Cathy and Bill's turn. Their house is directly across the street from ours'. Our night to host is tomorrow, after the volleyball game.

Hanging out on our deck...it's 5:00 all the time today!

Can you see the road? It's out there...closer than you might think, too. This end of our deck is in the shade in the afternoon, which means we can be outside in the breeze at dinner time, yay!

Cathy made shrimp rice and salad. It was a delicious meal. There were lots of laughs and stories shared. Then, I realized Cathy was only wearing one of her diamond stud earrings....yup, the ones she just got made from her Mom's diamonds. We started searching everywhere but have yet to find the earring. Cathy was of course very upset. These earrings are the last thing she has of her Mom's. I am still hoping it turns up. Positive thoughts about it would be greatly appreciated!

Cathy's husband, Bill, and his daughter, Kayla, went to search where they had been earlier in the day. While they were gone, it was decided that Cathy deserved ice cream, with chocolate sauce, nuts, whipped cream and a cherry. As soon as Bill and Kayla returned, we loaded up the cars and headed to the Village to get some good old fashioned ice cream at Goody's.

My family went with single scoops in waffle cones. Alora and I had Oreo Cookie. Tom had PB Cup and Kylin went with a classic Vanilla Bean. Side note...I was happy to get Oreo Cookie ice cream because earlier in the day, we went to the Marketplace a few blocks from our house and I wanted Oreos, but not at $4.99 for a package. Let's chalk this one up to divine intervention. That's how it works, right?

Mmmmm....ice cream!

We sat on the small wall outside Goody's, ate our ice cream and people watched. Then, we ended our night in the Village in the new Kids Play Area. Lucky for us, it was 10:00 pm and there weren't any kids there until after we had been playing for a bit.

Tom is "stuck!" Alora, help pull dad out of there!

James was King of the Mountain.

I love this picture! Tom and Alora are with James (in the background), Niko (in the blue hoodie), Shelby (by Tom's shoulder) and the photobomber Keiran.

Meet Sampson, the 12-year old puppy we met. His owners came to play, too and we all took turns petting Sampson. I didn't realize how much I'm missing Piper until I pet him. Piper, if you're reading this, you're still my most favorite puppy!

It was getting late and I was finally feeling tired. When we got home, Tom and the girls went in the hot tub for a little while, and I turned in. Tomorrow, we are hoping to be able to go to the Lava Cave nearby. It's supposed to be the hottest day of the week, so hanging out in a hollowed out lava tube that is 20+ degrees cooler than outside sounds like a great idea, don't you think?