The weekend before Memorial Day weekend, Patrick and I joined 6 other couples from our church small group for a Couples Retreat at a "cabin" near Sonora. I hesitantly say "cabin" because it was a very large, clean, lovely, young rental home with plenty of modern conveniences. The aim of the weekend was to take time out to relax with each other and spend a few moments reflecting on our marriages as a group and on our own. Friday night entailed a late dinner and lounging as we trickled in at various times, and Saturday's highlight event was a 4-5 mile hike around a nearby lake.
Just about to embark on our trek: Patalie on left, Tony & Rosa next to us (they were pictured in the previous blog), Debbie (the church's "first lady") and daughter Kacy, Michelle & BJ, Matt (Kacy's husband), Carrie & Brian, Pastor Jeff, Eddie & Missy.
Not far into the walk I took advantage of the high perch and turned around for a picture.
We came from the left, and crossed this dam to the point where I'm standing. Waterfalls cascaded down to the right.
I've also seen this flower in Yosemite NP on a rockslide we climbed. Not sure what it is, but the orange was quite vibrant on such a sunny, lovely day.
Pastor Jeff showing off. If Patrick tried this I would yell at him. Debbie probably stopped bothering long ago though! :)
My view from the bridge Pastor Jeff was walking across. Looking up the hill first....
....then in the other direction, back toward the lake.
I loved this flower! That it had two different color buds on the same stem was intriguing to me, and the pink-yellow combo is so fun!
Doesn't this look fake?! So weird. Several of its branches looked like this, as if it was half made of resin.
Eddie & Missy about to jump across a bit of a gap back to the trail. I've got a shot of Missy in mid-air that is kind of neat, but I liked the tranquility of the scene in this one.
Crazy lookin' plant we came across! I feel like it belongs on another planet or in a futuristic world, but our friend Sarah immediately recognized it in the photo and informed me it is called Snow Plant. It has a symbiotic relationship with a fungus on its roots to get nutrients since it has no chlorophyll to produce food of its own.
Patrick and I brought the kayaks with us for their long-awaited debut in California, but we didn't take them out on the big lake since we wanted to join the rest of the group for the hike. Instead, we took them out on a small lake behind our cabin. It was fairly peaceful out there, but unfortunately it was kind of lost on Patrick. He was feeling bad because Pastor Jeff went out in the kayak for his first time and tipped/rolled around several times due to a misunderstood instruction. But Pastor Jeff's pride and iPhone were the only casualties, suffering minor injury, and the situation became the epic joke among the group for the remainder of the weekend.
The view from the middle of the lake Sunday morning. I went out there during our time set aside for self reflection, but my thoughts would periodically be interrupted. Those geese in the distance, for instance, made quite the racket as they came in for landing.
The trip there was too short, so our group would like to go again, perhaps for a 3-day weekend when the opportunity arises (and when a few more can go, since 2 couples had to sit out due to baby births). In any case, it was a nice breather for the meantime!
1 comment:
Wow, those look great. Looks like you had good weather as well. Amazing the plants God has created. His creation is truly awesome. Looks like a place that would be worth the second trip you are considering. Thanks for sharing.
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