Time Travel

One of our morning activities was to play Hoot Owl Hoot with Nate and Julia.

This game is cooperative, meaning we all win, or we all lose.

Nate expressed the agony of defeat very well.

This pleasant little face was the winner of that round.

All in all, we won most of the time, and I learned some serious strategy from Carolyn.

I cooked lunch on the grill and we ate outside.  While looking for relish in the black hole I call my pantry, I found this.  Older than Nate, but I felt quite victorious.

Ditto with the olives.

The fact is, I grill a pretty mean hot dog, with cheese, and I was happy everyone enjoyed lunch.

In an effort to provide some new scenery for Nate and Julia, Carolyn and I took them to Pioneer Village, run by the Sons of the Pioneers.  The kids weren't too excited about this.  We promised them we would only stay 15 minutes, and then we'd come home and go swimming.  Ha.

The docents were excellent.  You are looking at an antique curling iron, which would have been heated on the stove.  The kids were engrossed.

Nate was curious about the outhouse and asked if he could open the door.  The docent sweetly suggested he knock first.  When no one responded, Nate pulled on the handle.

This was pretty funny.
Which of course reminded me of a story about my dad.  Ask me if you haven't heard it.

We spent half an hour watching the blacksmith work.  Interestingly, much of what he knows he learned from youtube videos.

This guy was fantastic.

While we watched, he fashioned this steel leaf, and then gave it to us.

We learned quite a few interesting details in the carpenter's shop. I happened to know that Ben donated the saw on the left, with the curved handle, to the Village.  That saw used to belong to his great-grandfather.

The kids had a great time, no question, but Carolyn and I were having fun, too.  After talking with two docents about foundation stones, I had to hunt to find the kids.  They had traveled back in time.

One of the docents visited the site of the site of the Provo Tabernacle when archaeologists were uncovering the First Tabernacle.  Many foundation stones were uncovered while he was there, and he talked the city into delivering them to Pioneer Village.  He uses the stones to face the concrete foundations currently under the buildings in the Village.

After almost two hours at the Pioneer Village, we promised the kids we'd only spend 15 minutes in the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers museum next door.  I had so much fun watching the kids that I forgot I even had my camera.  Julia was on a scavenger hunt.

Before we left, I bought her a bonnet.  This was a better solution than making her one, which I had promised to do while we were at the Pioneer Village.  We were there so long that swimming became out of the question.  And the kids knew it as they were asking to stay longer.

Back at the ranch, Dave supervised a snack for Julia while she worked on an art project.

I made my own curry recipe for everyone.  The purpose of this dinner was so we'd have leftovers ready after church tomorrow.  I'm already hungry for that.

Day of Hiking

Big Springs Park was wonderful today.

We had big plans for a fun hike.

I found it interesting to realize how often we visit Big Springs, winter or summer.

Everyone loves a good bridge.

Julia has stood on these very stumps before.

Nate practiced his jumping skills.

The day could not have been more beautiful.

Julia and I ended up being the scouts.  This was a big responsibility.  Nate ran between us to share messages.

However, at some point, Dave and I ended up on our own hike, while the rest of our group tracked down the beaver dams.

We came upon a kaleidescope of butterflies.

I wasn't always sure where we were, but Dave assured me that we weren't lost.

While I waited for him to find a better path for us, I looked for beautiful things.

There is a reason Big Springs has this name.

I was delighted to find so many flowers so high in the mountains.

And even more butterflies!

Dave beat me to our picnic table by 30 seconds.  Everyone waved when they heard me call out.

Underneath the potato chips is the best ham sandwich ever!

The kids played in the stream, which was hilarious.  In Utah, mountains streams are simply melted snow.  I think they get that now.

This afternoon's project was to make marshmallow guns.  Way fun.  Future visitors will be armed upon entering our home.

Cupcakes For Dinner Again

We had a fun breakfast this morning.

Few people have enjoyed my new peach rolls.  This was today's breakfast.

Dave took Julia out to study the hummingbirds.

Sometimes the little birdies will buzz people if they stand still.

This morning, mostly the hummingbirds were hungry.

They were very active.

I try to be artistic, but with hummingbirds, everything happens pretty quickly.

Both birds are coming in for a landing.

This was a fun event.

For the record, Dave can win any staring contest.

All of a sudden, some of us found ourselves on a walk!

Well, mostly we walked.

It would be a truth to say that I was the only person who walked the entire way.

We took a lot of breaks.

We walked to my favorite bridge.

We found a puppy who was happy to play with Julia until I walked up.

Julia borrowed Mom's phone to take a few pictures.

I pointed out a cottonwood tree to Dave.

All of a sudden it was time for a science lesson.

These are wonderful walking companions.

We found a cherry tree.

We all had a sample.

In the end, Julia got a ride.

A trip to the pool was next.

These kids always have a great time together.

I can't explain this picture.

Or this one.