Priest Lake IS summer to me and our family. I look forward to our visits to the lake like a kid on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa. This year did not dissapoint. For the first time in years we had the Johnsons, Whitfields and Grandma and Papa all up at the same time on 4th of July. Priest Lake is red-vine licorice for breakfast, early morning water skiing (or water ski observation in my case), jumping off the dock, taking boat rides and diving into the dark mid-lake water, watching Graham do the aforementioned 25 times, Popsicle on the deck, Kim's famous lasagna, BBQ lunches around the famous Eric-made hexogonal table, walks to Hills for a little adult time, Huckleberry daquirries at Elkins for some more adult time, visits with neighbors, hooded sweatshirts on cozy nights, days on the beach where the boys spend hours throwing rocks, fishing trips with great snacks and conversations, adventurous monkeys who sneak out into the woods to hide at night, reading on the dock in the sun which inevitable turns into naps on the dock, game nights, laughs in the hammock with Papa, endless exploration, and memories to last a lifetime with family. We are so lucky that Grandma and Papa invite our crazy crew up to such a serene place. I feel so incredibly blessed that my boys' childhood memories will be filled with adventures from this truly special place.