My own Mr. Bony & Happy Halloween!

After several years of helping the kids in the class make these in one of our centers, I finally just had to make one of my own. Very good project for dexterity. I found I could use some work on mine! Happy Halloween!

PS Here are some other fun Halloween pictures - a class picture and one of Brenden in the big cauldron!

Tasia #5 & Koen #1 - Happy Birthday!

Tonight we went over to Lenae and Derek's to have a birthday celebration for the two latest birthdays in the family - Tasia's #5 and Koen's #1. Tasia had requested a "brown party" so everyone who had it wore brown clothes. We had brownies, chocolate ice cream, chocolate licorice straws and chocolate cookie things. You could even have chocolate milk to wash it all down with. It was a good time and nice to have everyone there for a little visit. We sure have cute grand kids! Happy birthday you two!

Yosemite, Bakery & Aliens

 

Sequoia & Kings Canyon

 

UEA...time for a visit to some amazing places

While in recovery from some illness, swine flu or otherwise, UEA school break gave us a chance for a long hoped for visit to Yosemite. Since the east entrance at Tioga Pass was closed for snow on the day we wanted to use it, we decided to take a southern route and come up through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National National Parks & Sequoia National Forest/Giant Sequoia National Monument. We left Thursday am plied with Tylenol and Dayquil. We arrived Sequoia Foothills Visitors Center entrance and drove to the Potwisha campground for our first night. It was perfect weather, about 67 and we had a great night there. Next morning we headed out to see the sights after breakfasting in camp. We saw some really cool things including Auto Log, Tunnel Log, Cresdent Meadow, Moro Rock, Tharp's Log and the Big Trees Trail. We also visited the General Sherman's Tree - the world's largest tree. While we were there we also ran into a little black bear. We lunched on the back of the car while waiting for a road stop for a controlled burn. We loved and were truly amazed by the REALLY BIG Sequoia trees and all the other amazing scenery. It was extra pretty because of the fall foliage too. It wasn't crowded at all. We then headed off for King's Canyon where we visited General Grant Tree, one of the world's largest living trees. It was also declared the Nation's Christmas Tree by President Coolidge in 1926. On a little hike we also saw the Fallen Monarch, the Gamlin Cabin and the Centennial Stump. Then we drove the road all the way to the end of Kings Canyon and visited Roaring River Falls with many photo stops in route. We headed into Fresno for the night. Saturday am we headed off to Yosemite entering at the the Wawona Rd/Hwy. 41 entrance and headed off to one of the best views in the park - Glacier Point. From it you can see 4 huge waterfalls, Half Dome, Sentinal Rock, El Capitan, the whole Yosemite Valley, etc. Truly amazing vistas. Then we headed into the valley and did the hikes to Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite Falls, Mirror Lake and further also seeing many beautiful stone bridges and the beautiful river. It was just about dark when we got done with our hikes, so we headed out of the Park via El Portal road via Hwy. 141 and spent the night in Merced. We did our Sunday food shopping that night. Next morning we enjoyed a really good sacrament meeting and then headed back to Yosemite. We really enjoyed the trip there through the beautiful Merced Valley canyon and stopped for a picnic lunch along the way. In the park we walked through the Ahwahnee Hotel and then took the road out of the park via Tiaoga Pass which had opened back up. We had many stops en route to enjoy more amazing vistas. We stopped for quite a while at Olmstead Point where you could see back into the park and see the back side of Half Dome. It is truly a commanding feature of the whole park. We saw climbers on the way out too. Just as we were leaving the park, it started to snow again. We got out in the nick of time and were so glad that we got to see that part of the park before it closed up again. We found a nice campground several miles outside Bishop and ate picnic dinner and spent one of the windiest nights camping that we ever have. It was a really nice spot, but we nearly blew away. It was just windy, but not really very cold. We breakfasted in Bishop and visited the so cool Erick Schat's Bakkery there. It is one bakery that everyone should visit. We bought our lunch there (Mulekick sandwiches)and put it in the ice chest and headed on to the Extraterrestrial Hwy. and home. We didn't see any UFOs, but did see a lot of desert. We got back home in time for dinner Monday evening and were ready for our own bed and some rest from a fabulous, beautiful trip!

The fine day with Grandpa & Grandma

 

One fine day with Grandpa & Grandma

We had a fun day with Brenden. He loved his bath, slept through a ride in the stroller, swung outside, ate yummy food while pulling funny faces and making funny noises, snoozed some, played with toys (some that his dad used to play with), and was just a good boy the whole time. Our only troubles were Grandpa trying to put a mitten on for a sock - "what's that funny thing sticking out from Brenden's heel?", a blast from the past that ended up on the shirt, a fountain of youth that ended up on the rug, and a small battle with the Fisher Price record player...the record player is harder than Brenden's head. We had one fine day together! Still, he was pretty happy to see mom and dad come back.

Fall Evening in Pine Valley

 

Nourishment for body and soul...an evening in Pine Valley.

I'm sitting here with Brenden. He's extremely busy cleaning out a bucket of toys. Each one needs to be examined quickly and tossed aside. Paul and I are tending the Bud while Moss and Christie are at the temple with a future sister-in-law. But, back to the beginning. Since we knew we would be tending today, we decided to do a hike/date last night. We headed up to Pine Valley around 4:30 pm yesterday and did the hike we had done with the grand kids (Old Mill Trail)only continued on until it turned to a bushwhackers trail strewn with beaver felled trees. It was lovely. The oaks were full of color - red, pink, purple, gold, yellow and green. The little stream was still running, the air was cool and we didn't see one person. We had to park our car at the lake - the gate was all locked up. When we got finished with the hike we walked back through the campgrounds along the road. (What a great time to now would be to go camping or for a cookout. You'd have to bring a wheelbarrow to haul your stuff up the road to the picnic or camping areas, but then you would have the place to yourself. I'm thinking about it!) We headed on through the picnic area and to the lake. Fish were jumping like crazy and you could see their tails flipping. Back to the car(about 7:15)we decided we'd stop in at the Brandin' Iron in Pine Valley for some of their delicious beans, garlic bread and salad. It was a great meal and then we headed on home, well nourished in body and soul. Oh, another great thing happened yesterday. When I got home from school I headed over to Hurst's to mail a few packages. In the process I came across their parking lot sale and wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles...they were selling all their cross country skis, boots and poles. These are the ones that we used to rent. They were a fantastic buy with a set of poles, boots and skis only $12.00. I called Paul and he was in that area and hurried over and we got a set for each of us. We are so excited to be able to give it another try this winter. What a great find!

Duck Creek autumn leaves

 

What a great conference day!

Wow, what a great conference. We stayed at home and watched on Saturday and then on Sunday we went to Grandma's. She fed us one of her scrumptious meals for lunch and then we all had a hard time not nodding off during the afternoon session. I think I won the staying awake contest. Paul and Grandma lost. Wasn't Elder Holland fantastic?! Of course, he's kind of a favorite around this house. After it was all over we took Grandma up by Duck Creek to see what was left of the leaves. With the sudden cold snap last Wednesday, they went very fast. There weren't a whole lot left, but she was happy to see what there was. It was freezing up there. Then we stopped by the Borrowman's on the way home to help eat the "tons of spaghetti" they had left from Ryan's dinner. He made homemade sauce with the last of the tomatoes and peppers from their garden. It was yummy and we were glad to be able to help them out with their leftovers! We also got to see their little bull calf...Chuck, as in chuck roast! It was a really nice day.

Genghis has a made a new friend next door.

Last week at church the neighbors informed us that Genghis has made friends with their puppy, Gunner. He's kind of a big,clumsy,slobbering,type friend, so he has to be kept in line. Genghis likes to lay on the wall between our house and theirs and when Gunner comes over to say hi they touch noses and do the sniffing thing, but all the while Genghis keeps one paw up in the air and has to occasionally give Gunner a little tap if he gets a little bit too fresh in his sniffing or nose touching activities. I have yet to see this take place for myself. Genghis seems to look forward to getting out to that area of the yard a bit more now. The neighbors gave me this picture that they snapped.

I love this sign!

Today is the St. George Marathon. I think it's great that people work so hard and feel so good when they accomplish their goal. It's nothing that even remotely appeals to me. Give me a bike ride or a long hike and I might be interested. Paul and I did go out and take a walk this morning and crossed paths with those out doing the Mayor's Walk. While on our walk we spotted this sign...I love it! They've had it out other years too, but I've never gotten around to taking a picture of it before. What a sense of humor so near the finish line! I wonder if the runners think it's funny.

Conference has been great so far. I also got bread raising before it started and into the oven while it was on. Had fresh bread/toasted cheese with banana chilies, apples and homegrown tomatoes with chilies for lunch after the first session...mmm good! Almost time to head back for another feast, for the spirit instead of the stomach. Happy listening to all of you.

Trail Views

 

The trail on the Red Hill...my backyard haven

This morning I just had to desert the treadmill for the trail on the Red Hill. I had already finished my scriptures (I usually read them on the treadmill), so there was no reason not to. The treadmill is great when it's just too blasted hot to get outside, but it's no substitute for the real thing on a morning as cool as today. I am so lucky to have a trail like this right in my own backyard. The distant views are breathtaking...Zion, Pine Valley,the Arizona Strip, Utah Hill. The close up views of the crazily shaped red rocks, the desert plants and occasional critters; lizards, birds, foxes, Gila monsters, deer herds, hawks, condors, ducks, desert tortoises, to name those that we've seen, are worth the effort too. It's so cool to be able to escape to an out of town type environment without even leaving town. I have noticed of late that someone has been doing a lot of upkeep on the trail. Today I came across the good Samaritan in the act. It's our own Bob Owens who has been making new cairns, closing off short cuts and putting in steps on the steep parts. He said he does it to help old people like himself have an easier time of it. I told him I was certainly benefiting from his work along with my grand kids. I guess I'm old, but they aren't! What a haven we have to enjoy right in our own backyard! I guess I have the desert tortoise to thank for not having any other backyard neighbors. Thanks be to the desert tortoise!