“If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends.” ~ John Enoch Powell
Our family vacation has come to an end. We have arrived back home. It has been a great journey together as a family to spend time out amongst nature, and away from the worries of daily life. Being out on a river, in the middle of Idaho, really was being disconnected from the real world. No cell phones. No computers. No houses. No roads. Just the river. And our boat mates. And our river guides. And the occassional other boat. A few animals. Nothing else.
It’s amazing how bright the stars are in the absence of the normal lights we have everyday from the cities we live by. What an awesome view of the world to look into the night sky, surrounded by literally millions of stars, and really experience the vastness of this universe we are part of!
We have survived on the river! But this is just part of our journey that continues as we go through life. The river of life goes on, and we are thankful for the opportunity we’ve had as a family to spend this time together with each other. This has been an experience we’ll always remember, and a family memory we’ll always have!
Hi Lance: You have four kids? Wow! They look like a fun bunch. Spending time out on a river with your family sounds incredibly awesome. I’m glad you had a great time!
@Marelisa — Well, she’s a kid at heart (and actually, I’m sure she appreciates being called a kid), but the fine young lady in the back is my wife. She didn’t get the height gene, so she is quickly becoming one of the shorter ones in our family! So it’s only three kids. And it really was an awesome time!
um, yes.
how does your wife juggle 4 kids and look so YOUNG
so glad you had such a great time.
life is about living—-not blogging about life, huh?
being away from civilization sounds wonderful to me! When I was a kid, we lived in Colorado and every summer the family would pack up for a camping trip. My dad would drive to some primitive mountain and there we would all bond for 2–3 wks. It was amazing!
Welcome back! I LOVE boating. In our case, a small cabin cruiser, not a canoe, but there is something about being out on the water that puts everything into perspective.
Lance: That’s awesome!!! I’m glad you had a great time on your break away from all of life’s both big and little interruptions. It’s needed every now and then ya know…
no technology whatsoever, no industrial sounds, no cars, just you, the sky and nature. back to your roots, as i would say to see how those before us lived. i’ve yet to take a trip like that, the closest i’ve been to something similar is going away to the islands and you know they’re full of noise! it sounds so nourishing to the soul.
you have a lovely family. it was nice to finally put a face to the lanceman.…
best,
rebecca
Very cool! Have a nice weekend!
I really like the description of your trip you have given. Wonderful.
Lance,
You are poet and a romantic, I’m glad that I have the opportunity to follow you and your family through your journey of life.
The river nurtures many lives and it seems that the river managed to refreshed your collective spirits.
Hello Lance! Welcome back! You really took me there with your description. I just wrote on Ribeezie’s blog that I didn’t want to go anywhere — but now I’m getting misty-eyed about being out in nature and looking at the stars. Maybe I’ll wait for summer, though.
Hey Lance
Sounds like you guys had a great trip. I am glad to see you back safe and sound.
Lance,
It is so nice of you to share that photo, so we can now put a face to your name! Please tell your wife that I am also vertically-challenged and our son towers over both me and my husband.
When Robbie was younger, we took several family vacations to national parks. Did lots of hiking, but not boating. Best.vacations.ever. Nothing like being in nature with the ones you love!
You sound very refreshed. Welcome back to the blogosphere!
Hey…you sound like you just came home from a grand vacation! I like how you describe about the night sky and viewing the vastness of it. Great photo too! Your family looks awesome!
@MizFit — I guess that makes me one of the kids!! Well…she says that too sometimes, but hey, I’m alright with that. I’m gonna keep acting like a kid for a long time to come!! Life sure is about living!
@Annette — Being away from civilization was wonderful and refreshing to the soul. Sounds like you had a great opportunity to do this as a child, and that is great as well. I bet it really created some special childhood memories for you!
@Urban Panther — A small cabin cruiser, now that sounds like a sweet ride out on the water! I find the water very calming usually, and that does help to put everything into perspective.
@Ribeezie — It was a much needed break, and now it’s good to be back. What was really nice was that we had no interruptions while rafting, and that really was one of the great parts of the whole time.
@Rebecca — It was so nice to really be away from everything. I really came back refreshed, and I think it was because of this. Thank you for the wonderful comments about my family! And this was us after four days out on the water and without showers!
@Mark — Thanks, it really was a cool trip!
@Bamboo Forest — Thanks!
@Chris — Thanks so much for your comments! The river sure can nurture us, and for me, it was a refreshing experience for my soul. And, it also just ended up great a great time to re-connect with everyone in my family.
@Robin — The stars can be amazing when you see them in total darkness. It’s something I don’t experience where I live because of the glow of city lights, and that’s what made it so powerful for me.
@Rachel — Thanks! It was an awesome trip, one we’ll remember forever.
@Linda — Well, thank you. Our two older kids like to regularly compare their height to the mom since their both very close to her height. She usually humors them and plays along! I’ve got height on everyone yet, but we’ll see if that lasts or not.
National parks are lots of fun, and great memories. Sounds like you’ve enjoyed several together as a family, and that’s awesome!
@Evelyn — It sure was grand! And the sky was just so awesome and big and vast. It really was amazing to me. Thanks for the compliments on my family — they get their great looks from their mother!
The river is a great metaphor for life. “We have survived on the river!” and isn’t what we do every day. We survive and continue to extract joy from this existence. It’s easier to soak up the love of family when we take away all our distractions. Thanks for the excellent perspective.
So jealous! Looks like you all had a fabulous time. Something we’d love to do someday. My kids are fascinated by the kayaks at REI.
@Karl — We do survive every day! I like how you’ve said that. It’s the river of life we are on…
@FitMom — REI is such a fun store to visit, if I just had more $$$!! And a climbing wall to boot…
Hi Lance,
It’s such a blessing to be able to spend quality time like this with family. That’s a beautiful photo! I remember the last time I saw stars so bright, I was on a plane, by the window seat … the cabin lights were off and we were flying in the night sky and I was awe-struck. I can imagine how beautiful the “vastness of this universe” must have been when you’re on that boat — even more so when the pace is much slower, and when you’re surrounded by nature and family.
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@Irene — It was a wonderful vacation, thanks! The stars were just incredible!
Hi Lance,
You had me with “no cell phones”. That had to have been an amazing trip. Welcome back.
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