Summer has finally arrived, now to beat the heat

So summer has been a long time coming here in Oregon and especially here in the Willamette Valley. Now that it is here, I don't want to spend a fortune on the air conditioner and I want the boys to enjoy the sun as much as they can so how to beat the heat????
So far our best answers have been clean out the pond and venture down to the river.

When we moved out here 7 years ago, we fell in love with the pond, but didn't fall in love with the weird weed that likes to take over, so about every 3 years we have borrowed our neighbor's backhoe and cleared out as much as possible. This year we let the water level drop in hopes of clearing more out and so far it has worked. The boys worked with Daddy and played in the water while working.

This past week we were introduced to one of the local hang outs along the river and since finding it have spent 3 afternoon/ evenings hanging out and making new friends. I can see this being a place to enjoy the river and cool off during the high heat and even exploring in the early fall when the seasons change the water level rises or fall depending on the water control by the Army Corps of Engineers. It should lead to some fun adventures.

It may not seem like much but having someplace near the river to hang out is something I've always liked the sound of. My hope is that we will make a lot of special memories as a family with our friends hanging out together.

P.S. Check out what the rest of the crew thinks of beating the summer heat by clicking the button below.