Yes! I'm blogging! Girls camp is over and I have a few extra minutes to sit at the computer. My work computer crashed so I haven't been able to work the past 4 days that I was supposed to work - so I actually FEEL like sitting down at the computer!
Summer came to the Treasure Valley FINALLY! It was a very cold, wet spring. We didn't get our garden completely in until the first of June. We were waiting for a semi truck full of mulch to arrive, which it finally did 2 weeks late because of all the rain. We were then able to do a final tilling and get everything planted. The kids got out of school on June 3 - it sure seemed late this year! Hunters kids didn't come down this summer like they normally do. Porcupine ended up coming down for 2 weeks in the middle of June and we had a good time having him here. On June 29, 2011 we left at 4:00 a.m. (actually it was 3:58 when we left the driveway... Hunter bet me we would leave on time, and since he was driving... he won). Martin commented that it was the first time in history we had EVER left early!! We had a nice quiet drive to Brigham City where we stopped at my cousin Kathryn's house and met Tortoise and Hare. I think we surprised Kathryn being so early and all (see, even SHE didn't think we'd leave that early!) but we showed up as her kids were getting up and we shared a brunch: Ssugared cold cereal and tuna sandwiches and macaroni salad. Guess what my kids ate?!? We spent a couple of hours there letting the kids run around in Kathryn's beautiful back yard. The little critters were enamored by the creek and throwing rocks in it. We climbed back in the car with me at the wheel and Hunter threatening anyone who made noise with their lives... another quiet 4 hour drive, and we arrived at Cove Fort.
Hunter and I both love history, and church history is even better! Cove Fort was built by President Hinckley's ancestors - his Grandfather, if I remember correctly. It was built as a protection from the Indians, but there wasn't ever any kind of a battle at this fort. It was mostly a stopping point for people headed to southern Utah and California. We enjoyed listening to the stories and walking around the updated version of the Fort.
A chute made for hiking up the oxen to put shoes on them. I grew up around cattle and horses and didn't know that the pioneers shoed their oxen. Very interesting!
We made it to Cedar City to see Mr. Zucherman and Wilbur that evening. (Wednesday). Mr. Zucherman's work schedule was all messed up, so he ended up not going to work until around midnight. We spent the night at his house, with all of us trying to hide from Wilbur who wanted to sleep with us... it was a long night. I had a little talk with Mr. Zucherman about making Wilbur sleep in his OWN bed from now on!! :) The boys ended up getting creative and making a barricade of chairs so he couldn't get into the living room. The next night was better. :)
So Thursday Hunter's brother, Brian met us at Mr. Zucherman's house. We went in 2 rigs up to Cedar Breaks. Man was it cold there! Yak and Lemur were super excited about getting to ride in Uncle Brian's truck and that's the last I saw of them in my car for 3 days. We drove all around, got out and did a little hiking, played in the left over snow banks, and ended up at Panguich lake. I was so exhausted from only getting a few hours of sleep the previous week, I slept in the car while everyone else played in the lake and worked on their sun burns. Later we drove to Panguich and visited Brian's brother-in-law and got to tour his home that he is restoring - fun! Brian tried to treat us to dinner, but I convinced him that a giant ice cream would be better, and we were directed to the best ice cream place around and indeed, it was the best! Yummy, yum. We all got sick on ice cream, except Brian and Hunter, who went up the street to Arby's and got sick from their food.
Thursday night Bee went to work with Mr. Zucherman. She stayed up nearly all night while they drove to Vegas and delivered gas to St. George and Cedar City. Mr. Zucherman said she was great company and was happy with the quality time they got to spend together. When they got back to Cedar City, around 10:00 in the morning, we headed to Vegas following Brian (and my little boys in his truck - oh, Hunter was in there too). Martin drove the whole way to Brian's house and did a fantastic drive in the Vegas traffic.
We arrived at Brian and Meryn's home and were greeted by 100+ degree blasting hot weather. Holy moly, it was hot! The kids were eyeing the pool as soon as we got there. It didn't take them long to change into their suites and jump in! The Vegas Astle's have a BEeeeeuutiful pool in their back yard, complete with a waterfall you can jump off of!
Even Lemur jumped off... again, and again, and again! Someone would hang out below the waterfall and grab him when he came up. He soon figured out that he could jump onto a noodle with someone there close by in case he needed help.
There is a little ledge under the waterfall that you can sit on - it was kinda fun to sit back there in the shade and hang out.
The water felt as good as it looks! Friday night Brian and Meryn got us tickets to see Donny and Marie at the Flamingo on the strip. The 4 of us went down there and were reminded as to why we would NOT take our kids to the strip. We found a parking garage attached to the Flamingo and went in for dinner and the show. We had FABULOUS almost front row seats at a table and were served a virgin pina colada and a strawberry daiquiri by an obviously fakely endowed waitress... who reminded Hunter of the maid with the squeeky boobs in "Private Eyes." (Hope you've seen that show... if so, that comment is funny.) Anyway, 3 of us REALLY enjoyed the show. The 4th person in the company survived, and I think he secretly enjoyed it - at least he went, right!?!
I promised Meryn I would not post this on Facebook, so please don't copy and repost it... if you do, I might have to hurt you or she will hurt me! We had such a great time visiting the Vegas Astles! I hope we can go again. It was great getting to know Meryn and Nathan, and seeing Calib and Brian again. We got to see Josh in Cedar City, so now I've met them all. Bee (and I) were super excited when they gave us Nathan's saxophone - it had never been played! Wahhoooo! Time to dust off the sax books and strike up the band!
We left the heat of Vegas and met Mr. Zucherman and Wilbur in St. George. We first went to the Brigham Young house - his winter house - and then to the visitor center at the Temple. We spent a few hours at the visitors center and walking around the beautiful Temple grounds.
On the 4th we had breakfast with Mr. Zucherman's ward, then went to the parade in Cedar City. You can see that Yak didn't particularly like it very much. After all the noisy vehicles were gone he settled down and enjoyed himself. It was Yak and Lemur's first parade. They got lots of candy and even an otter pop! After lunch with Mr. Zucherman, Monkey and Martin went to work with him.
The little boys got to go for a ride in Grandpa's big truck and LOVED it!! Martin and Monkey had a good time going with Grandpa... sleeping most of the time according to Mr. Zucherman, but waking up enough to watch some fireworks here and there.
Bee stayed home with Wilbur watching movies, and Hunter, Lemur, Yak and I went to Kolob Canyons. We picked this "finger canyon" that isn't hiked as much as the other ones with groomed trails, and headed off on another one of Hunter's "walks." We didn't take water, snacks, or a diaper bag... it was just going to be a "little walk," remember...? So 3 hours later we had hiked 4 miles. Hunter did get to the end of the canyon. Lemur, Yak and I almost made it, but short little legs were getting tired so we headed back at Yak's pace and Hunter went ahead to find the end and then caught back up with us. It was a spectacular hike! The red cliffs rose above us thousands of feet there at the end. Once we told Lemur to look up. He did, and looked up so high he fell right over. It was so funny. It was dizzying! We saw lots and lots of lizards and that was really cool. It was a perfect way to spend the 4th of July! All by ourselves... no people... enjoying a "little walk."
So Tuesday the 7 of us loaded up and went to Zion Canyon. We actually stopped at the ghost town "Grafton" before we made it to Zion. (pictured below). We spent the day walking around the ghost town, driving around Zion, going through the huge tunnel, and playing in the river.
We took a back road from Zion up and over behind Kolob Canyon down to Cedar City. It was a beautiful drive on a dirt road. We stopped here to get out and walk around. There was lots of volcanic rock, tons of beautiful wild flowers, and a pretty aspen forest.
We headed home early, early Wednesday morning. We again drove a quiet 4 hours to Brigham City where we stopped and had breakfast at some mom and pop little cafe. It was then time for Hunter's nap, so another 2 1/2 quiet hours later we made it to Twin Falls where we stopped at Shoshone Falls. It is quite spectacular; I had never been there before. We went to the lake just up river from the falls and played in the water for a while... a far cry from the clear blue of Brian's pool! It was cool and wet though, and that was all that mattered.
After lunch at Costco (hooray for the $10 pizza and cheap ice cream!) we drove another quiet 2 1/2 hours to home sweet home. The kids were REALLY, REALLY good in the car and it made for a very nice family vacation. Thank you to everyone who hosted us and put up with 7 of us sleeping on your floor!
