Monday, August 16, 2010

O'neil Park Camp Out

We had a lot of fun camping out at O'neil Park this weekend. It is located in Trabuco Canyon near the base of the Saddleback Mountains. It was only 30 minutes from our house in Irvine which made for a quick and easy camping trip. We met up with some of Sandy's childhood friends for a reunion. Back when they were kids, they all belonged to an organization called the OCO (Orange County Optimists) which was a youth sports/social group. The common thread was that they all played basketball.

1) Here's a group shot. There was a total of 6 families.


2) My lovely wife. Sandy has this habit of tilting her head to the side when I take a pic of her. I have no idea why.


3) "Daddy why are you taking my picture when I'm trying to eat?"


4) Isaiah and Janet work on the bbq.


5) Kids always make the funniest expressions.


6) The kids sit and eat, while the hungry parents stand around and watch.


7) Janet grabs some pics of the kids.


8) No worries. The broccoli balances out the nutritional value of this meal.


9) I had asked Ethan what he was eating.


10) A group shot of the kids lounging by the fire pit.


11) Look! I found a stick.


12) Caden points at the moon or maybe he had a booger on his finger. I forget which.


13) Future pharmacist extraordinaire.


14) Joe's face turned surprisingly red from that "coffee".


15) Julian ponders adding more lighter fluid to the growing fire.


16) Hark who goes there? I am Ethan, keeper of the light!


17) Jordan plays with his Cars light fan. Evidently he has a collection of over 100 Cars from the Pixar movie. Impressive!


18) Kevin, Makenna and Kayla get a taste of pyromania as they throw combustible objects into the fire.


19) Lyric plays with her flash light.


20) Melissa rocks Caden to sleep.


21) Shannon gets her flash lights ready.


22) Ethan is fascinated by Jordan's toy. Be careful Jordan, you might not get this toy back.


23) Julian enjoys the warmth of the fire while drinking his "coffee".


24) The kids spot a bug crawling around in the dirt.


25) Jordan does not seem to like bugs.


26) The laddies chatting it up by the fire.


27) Risa looks quite comfy in her picnic chair by the fire.


28) The kids had a lot of fun running around in the dark with their flash lights and lanterns reenacting the Blair witch project.


29) Just because the sun went down doesn't mean we can't still play in the dirt...


30) We were treated to live music when Isaiah brought out his guitar. Sitting by the fire side and listening to his music under the stars was simply awesome. He's really an amazing singer. You can sample his music HERE.


31) Makenna evidently inherited her father's vocal skills too. She joined him to sing as well.


32) Like father like daughter.


33) One of the few moments when they are quiet and can get along perfectly together.


34) After a night of roughing it in the wilderness of orange county, a cup of hot coffee goes a long way.


35) Risa watches the kids from the cool shade.


36) The kids line up on a log.


37) Lyric joins in on the game of collecting rocks.


38) Makenna, Ally and Lyric are having fun.


39) It's amazing how kids can sometimes be easier to manage when they are in a big group because of the "herd mentality."


40) School is in session.


41) Makenna enjoys a warm hug with her daddy.


42) Ethan, Megan and Ally have fun running through the bushes.


43) Jordan joins in the fun.


44) Ethan looks for bugs in the bushes.


45) Caden picks flowers for his mommy.

My life one click at a time...