Mini-bike races

Last weekend was our annual Grape Stomp weekend. Things were a little different this year. Mostly because there was no grape stomping; it was canceled. We still got together for a fun weekend, though.

Abby and I wracked our brains to come up with a team competition that would be just as fun as stomping grapes. After much searching, we (Abby) finally found something that we thought might compare. She got the idea from work: Mini-bike races. We literally raced bikes designed for five-year olds.


I tell you what, it was a tight squeeze for all of us to sit on and peddle these teeny-wheeny bikes around. THEY WERE SO SMALL! And, they had training wheels on. Of course it was these nuances that made it so funny to be a part of and watch. Most of us guys are over 6 feet tall... These bikes weren't made for us, and at one point we had to temporarily stop the races for mechanical repairs. We were putting some serious wear and tear on them.


Usually, we stay with the Champouxs (pronounced shampoo) when we go grape stomping. This year, we rented a fatty 4,000-square-foot "cabin" in Cle Elum. Abby found a place for all 16 of us. It was incredible. When 16 people and two infants can all stand in front of the fireplace, you know it's a little more than a cabin.


It had a dinning room table that all 16 of us could sit at.


Here's a shot of the front of the cabin.


And one shot from inside the cabin.


On Saturday afternoon we spent a few hours at the nearby lake. The weather was awesome.


It was the perfect opportunity to float paradise (our giant 10-foot diameter donut float).


We played Bunco on Saturday night. Abby and I bought a prize to give to the winner. I think that if Taylor had known what the prize was, he would have played with a little more enthusiasm. : ) The prize was... are you ready for this... a SNUGGIE! What's the snuggie? It's the blanket with sleeves. Congratulations Emily!


When we weren't competing or eating, we were enjoying many of the luxurious amenities the "cabin" had to offer. Here, Abby and I are enjoying the amazingly comfortable patio furniture.


The big surprise of the weekend was what Brett showed up with. You notice anything in this picture? Kinda looks like he had a run-in with a vampire. Hahahahahaha. Brett said, this is my first hickey ever. I quickly corrected him and said, "You mean your first three hickeys ever?!"

Happy 41st anniversary, Mom and Dad Marion

Bob and Marty Marion, married August 31, 1968.


Instead of an anniversary card, we thought we'd give you a blog post. After all, how many cards have you received over the years for your annivesary? Probably more than you can count. We're willing to bet that this is the first blog post that has been dedicated to you on your anniversary. And, unlike cards, you can't throw this one away. Here's wishing you a fantastic 41st anniversary.

Thanks for painting such an amazing picture of what a Christ-focused marriage looks like. You're the best!

Abby and Dustin

I really love your peaches...

Abby and I traveled to eastern Washington the previous two weekends to go camping and visit family. On our way we stopped at roadside fruit stands and purchased six boxes of peaches and two boxes of nectarines. Do you know just how many peaches and nectarines that is? A LOT!!! To be fair, we did give one box of peaches to Abby's grandparents, and we gave one box of peaches and one box of nectarines to my parents. But still, that leaves four boxes of peaches and one box of nectarines for us. I know what you're thinking, "How can two people possibly go through so many peaches and nectarines?!" Let me tell you, it's not easy, but we manage.



We preserve a large number of the peaches by canning them. Look how beautiful they are in those jars.


Of course a lot of them get used in Abby's baked goods: blueberry/peach muffins; blueberry/peach pancakes; blueberry/peach pies; nectarine tart; peaches on crack (a name I gave to peaches baked with cake batter); peach/coconut desert; and so on and so forth. She's a baking machine. I'm pretty sure I've gained several pounds just trying to plow through everything she's baking. Anyone want to volunteer to help me eat all these baked goods? We also top our breakfast foods with peaches: yogurt and peaches; oatmeal and peaches; cereal and peaches. And, if I haven't had enough peaches over the course of my day, I'll eat a few all by themselves. : ) In case you can't tell, I/we love peaches.

Oh, and while we were buying, eating and canning all those peaches and nectarines, we also bought upwards of 100 ears of sweet corn to eat and freeze. It's been a busy two weeks of eating, freezing and canning. You're probably asking yourself why do we do it? That's simple; because there's nothing like fresh fruits and vegetables in the summer... and in the winter. Store bought frozen and canned goods just don't compare. Plus, it's a fun challenge to preserve and store food.

For my friend Tim - Happy Birthday!

I wanted to give a Happy Birthday shout-out to my best bud Tim ***holla*** HAPPY BIRTHDAY ***holla***. He turns 28 on Sept. 1.



Abby and I drove to Bellevue on Saturday to spend the evening celebrating his special day (a little early). James and Ingrid and Jessica were there as well. The rest of the crew were working or traveling and were unable to make it, unfortunately. We had a lot of fun celebrating and catching up.

(Abby, Tim, Jessica)


(Ingrid, James, Dustin)


Here's wishing you another fabulous year, Tim. If you'd like to send him a Happy Birthday wish, you can reach him at timree@gmail.com.

Caught that dirty, hole-diggin bugger

(Warning: Not for the faint of heart or mole lovers. View at your own discretion.)

Abby and I returned home from being gone all weekend to find several new mole hills in our backyard. For some odd reason that was the last straw for me. I couldn't take it anymore. I'd had it with the mole. I was tired of pounding down the mounds and never actually taking care of the problem.

So, immediately after work on Monday I drove to the country store and walked straight to the poison and trap aisle. I was through messing around. I meant business now. Price was no object. There were no if ands or buts about it; I was going to buy the best trap money could buy. There were two traps to choose from: a plastic, hokey looking one; or the metal jaws-of-life, I'm-gonna-crush-anything-that-gets-in-my-way looking one. Which one do you think I chose? Of course I brought home the bone crusher.

I reviewed the how-to instructions with my neighbor (Mr. Pest Control) and then proceeded to set it up under ground in the mole tunnel. Personally, I didn't expect to see any results for a few days. I wasn't very patient; so the next morning (less than 12 hours later) I checked the trap. What luck! The trap went off over night. Instead of pulling it out of the ground and checking to see if I caught anything, I went back inside and had breakfast. I kinda figured that the trap mistakenly went off and that I was going to have to reset it. To satisfy my curiosity, though, I pulled the trap out of the ground before leaving for work, and to my surprise I found a mole ensnared in the trap. And boom goes the dynamite!
That I'm-gonna-crush-anything-that-gets-in-my-way looking trap only cost me $13.26. Best $13 I've ever spent.

Grandparents!

Dustin and I had an awesome trip to Lind this past weekend to see Grandma and Grandpa. They are seriously fantastic grandparents and we had such a great time being able to visit with them. Grandma made some of the best butterhorns (her specialty) and Grandpa shared his wonderful veggies from his garden.
We are so incredibly thankful for them and just wish that we lived closer!

No stomping this year

If you haven't heard yet, there is no grape stomp this year. This is what is posted on the Chateaux Champoux Web site:

"To all our great griends and fans of Chateau Champoux and Champoux Wines. All events for the rest of 2009 have been cancelled. Paul is recovering from West Nile Virus and all our focus is on wellness, rehab and a full recovery. We will see you next year... We have heard, felt and seen your love and concern. "
Paul & Judy Champoux

Anne Marie, maybe you could give us an update? How is Paul doing?