Fort Huckleberry

July is huckleberry season at the cabin. The patch is literally out our back door, so we decided to take advantage of it. The mosquitos are out of control in the huckleberry patch, just as they were last year. This time we came equipped to do battle with them. Here is a picture of our little pickers ready for action.

Here's a picture of Elena helping me pick berries. She picked for a solid 15 minutes.

Luis, on the other hand, picked all day every day. His son Alex would deliver food, water, or beer and an empty bucket every hour or so. We had to drag him off the mountain each evening for dinner.

This is a banner year for huckleberries. There were lots of really big berries.

On Sunday afternoon Karen instructed me to keep Alex and Elena out of the cabin so Marcus could take a nap. I took them to the flattest spot I could find in the huckleberry patch and instructed them to build a fort. Alex and I discussed defensibility and weaponry. Elena added flowers to make it pretty. She also stashed huckleberries inside to share with any friends that might happen along. She is such a girl! Here is a photo of their fort. They are inside, but you really can't see them.

Here is our haul from the first weekend of huckleberry picking. Seven gallons.

Luis and I returned the following weekend without kids. My parents also joined us. It's amazing how productive you can be without kids. Seventeen gallons!

Luis and I set our trophy berries aside, so here is our bragging rights pic.