As October came to an end and the work season was winding down in Stehekin, I took the boat out and got on a plane headed for the Carolinas. It was a pre-planned trip for me to visit with family and friends while Steven finished up some work, chopped wood for the winter, hunted, and hunted some more. The first few days were spent with family in NC and I was able to see my mom, Kyson, and Heather. We all spent the weekend together at my mom's beach house in Atlantic Beach. It is a new acquisition and so cute! Kyson is truly amazing and he just captivated me as he toddled around the living room and kitchen babbling away. He is such a good baby and eats everything! I know all my speech pathologist friends would be impressed to know that he was only 11 months then and would eat everything in chili by himself...beans...hamburger...diced tomatoes...peppers...onions..cheese..and crackers!! I was amazed. We just talked, played, took pictures, and did a little shopping. After a few days there, I headed to SC to see more friends and family. I went to Orangeburg first to see Steven's sister, Sharon, and their family. The boys are so big and Cameron is walking now! More pictures were taken and time spent together talking over dinner one evening. It was so great to see them! After that visit, the photo sessions began! I had a ton of fun taking pictures for Christmas cards and all the pictures have been processed now, CDs mailed, and photo orders completed! A big thanks to all those families that signed up and were willing to work with me on time slots available. A big thanks to God for the great weather too! I may post a few photos once I get Christmas presents completed and in the mail. I also had time to visit with friends and people from work...thanks for all the meals people provided and to Mandi and Heather for sharing their homes! Before I headed back to WA, I drove back to NC to visit for a few more days. Mom and Steve had a pig pickin' scheduled so I could see all our friends from the big community of Conetoe and family members. Plus, it was perfect timing for a little birthday party for Kyson. He LOVED his birthday cake and lots of laughter was shared as he ate and played in his cake...see photo below. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone as mom took me to the airport on Sunday morning, but great because the trip was so wonderful. I made it back safely to WA and Steven met me at the airport that afternoon. We did stay in Wenatchee for a few days (thanks Rick and Vicky for sharing your house) to get some things done. It was nice once we made it back to Stehekin....to a nice clean house thanks to Steven.
He continued to come back in pursuit of warmth and food, so I contacted Vicki, who works with the park service, to see if we could trap the bear. Sure enough, they were actually trying to trap him for the past two weeks and take him to a rehab facility for the winter. I helped set up a 
