Backtrack...

Okay, lets backtrack a little and catch up on other things that went on this past summer!

4th of July (Alec, Reilly, Dan, Grant)

McKenna and Mia

Ron and John with Zane

Lindsay and ZaneLindsay and McKenna taking off!
AdriaMcKenna throwing out the first pitch at a Pirates Game here in Moses Lake
McKenna got to help out the Rodeo Queen at the Kiddie Roundup at the fair
I turned another year older!
McKenna getting asked to Homecoming! Each poster has a huge letter on it spelling out Homecoming...she and Jacob will have a great time - more pics on that coming after the big event!!

And that sums up the rest of our summer!

Gardens Bounty

The girls and I love anything having to do with fresh tomatoes and basil...since our tomatoes are coming in, I have made a few things lately and tonight I made THE best spaghetti sauce! Ron would have liked some spicy meatballs to go with it, but to me, this was Pasta Nirvana!

Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil Sauce

1/2 cup plus 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
3 -4 cloves garlic minced
20 or so fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds dried spaghetti
1 TB butter
8 basil leaves, cut into a fine chiffonade
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Add the olive oil and garlic to a pan and heat until it begins to smoke lightly. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, taking into account that the sauce will reduce and the salt will become concentrated. Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher to release all their liquid. Cook for 25 minutes over medium to medium-high heat, until the tomatoes form a semi-chunky sauce.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. When it is three-quarters cooked, drain the pasta and reserve the water. Add the spaghetti to the sauce and cook over med-high heat until all the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little of the pasta water to thin out the sauce. Remove from the heat and just before serving, add the butter, basil and cheese, mixing thoroughly until the pasta is an orange hue. Season with salt to taste.

YUM!

Africa Family Vacation 2010

I know I haven't posted about many things that happened in July, like the 4th, when most of our (Reis) family comes for the weekend and McKenna throwing the first pitch at the local Pirates game...I will get to that, I promise! But let me throw in a few pics of our Family Vacation! This is something that has been happening with my side of the family for many years now. We go somewhere every other year and this year we went back to Africa. Danny could not join us this year, he had a commitment at WSU to work in a Fellowship Program with the Psychology lab and really learned that it sometimes sucks to grow up and be responsible!! He was definitely missed!First stop...spent the weekend in Libreville at a very nice hotel La Residence Maisha...these are my CUTE girls!!
Drive by shots in Libreville

Relaxing in the lounge with my mom, McKenna, Lindsay, me, the kids cousin Alex, Uncle Oscar Grandpa and cousin John

Fly into Bayanga and first thing out of the plane, we get to go on an Elephant hike!

Dirty shoes
Isn't this the best!

Stay at Dzanga Sangha Reserve and hike to view the Mangabay (Monkey) and the gorilla close up...best day ever!

On the way through the village for the "hunt"

My groups hunt team

Lindsay balancing a saber on her head!

Move to Loango Lodge...seriously roughing it now!
Boating over to Akaka Camp

Lots of wildlife

Grandpa...now THAT'S wildlife :)

The girls and I and Uncle Oscar in one of the cabins

This is our really rough dining room!!!

Pte. Ste. Catherine Beach Camp. Unfortunately the wells had dried up and we couldn't stay there, but we went for a couple of day trips and had a private beach and a chef that came with us! Now THAT is what I call camping!!

My girls and their grandpa

The girls sea shell collection...they actually took a couple of live ones home...ewwwwww
McKenna and her Uncle Oscar. Last night at Akaka, boating over to a neighboring camp to see some local dancing.

One of our last stops, Evengue Island, that hosts the Fernan-Vaz Gorilla Project which is a rescue program that plans to hopefully rehabilitate and reintroduce gorillas who have become ophans due to bush meat trade back into the wild.

Another CUTE pic of the girls

Boating over to Port Gentil, our last stop...many of the boats do not survive the water and the weight they put on the boats, and most do not have the safety measures like life jackets to help.

This is how I spent most of the 4 hour trip!!

Crocodile viewing on the way

Danny Is 20! WHAT!!

This past July 7th, Danny turned 20 years old...now I do NOT know where the time has gone, because when we moved to Moses Lake, he was just starting 2nd grade!
Danny has grown into such a kind, thoughtful, good looking man and we are very proud of him! He is doing well at WSU, living there this summer working on his research in the psychology lab. We miss having him home, but I guess leaving the nest will happen whether mom is ready or not!

We love you Danny!

Catching Up!

Well now, I sure have some catching up to do! So let's condense it! School is out, McKenna placed 4th at the Miss Washington Outstanding Teen pageant, the dance recital is over, Dan is working and living at WSU this summer, Lindsay is home and back at her nanny job (so we never see her!), there has not been a "healthy recipe of the month" lately because with everybody everywhere, I haven't really cooked! Or at least not healthy enough to post!! I'll have to work on that!

Most importantly, I want to give my dad a big HUG and KISS and say HAPPY FATHERS DAY to the best father a girl can have!

4th Runner Up!
McKenna, Hanna and the Princess Build-A-Bear Hanna gave her!All together again at Relay For Life
Dance Recital
1st Pointe performance!Closing number
Ron struttin' his stuff in the Father/Daughter number
My Daddy! Happy Father's Day, I love you!