july 31 was the year anniversary of my sister's family accident. she & the boys were too injured to fully participate in the memorials, and kris also believed tom would have much preferred a celebration of life. so she invited their friends to a campout on the moyie river on the canadian border. many of their friends from san fran, DC, and portland joined us for an amazing 4 days
camp was conveniently at the take-out for tubers and kayakers
jamie and his cape
the boys
kris and ben
emma and norah sporting the bene tattoo (tom's his nickname)
friends in s.f. spent all year making 3 quilts for kris and the boys, using tom's old shirts as well as shirts sent in from across the country by friends. during the campout we finished the bindings
the finished quilts (amazing, simply amazing) and the crew
fire and convo during a set break- we spent a long night dancing to a fabulous local band
kris and brett, tom's classmate, great buddy, and our bro.
june, una and i getting ready to float the river
so many memories & missing her 2nd half got a bit overwhelming for kris, but these amazing people had her back, as they've proven again & again & again
tom's best friend jamie hugs mark, while little nephew jamie reaches out to his namesake. mark was their 'dorm daddy' at sterling college, and got them into all sorts of trouble, and has been instrumental in keeping all of these classmates in touch. the prayer flags overhead were those hung at kris and tom's wedding
the best toy ever? tubes! i think everyone in camp was eventually caught, piled, & tipped by these kids.
mom and gordon on a hike
camp clothesline
extreme tubing prep
norah, norah, ben and jamie- they were all neighbors in bethesda and are bestest buds
kris hangs with jamie as he warms up after playing in the river
