Adventuring {PowMow Wildflower Walk}

July 20th.  It was a hot, sticky Thursday evening.  We had just finished dinner, and rather than sit in our hot, sticky house or on our hot, sticky porch, we took a twenty minute drive to the top of Powder Mountain where it was almost twenty degrees cooler and the flowers were a-poppin'.  We wandered around amidst the fauna, with no timeline or real destination.  Gregg brought the big camera and captured some of the best photos he's ever taken.  I had my iphone, and tried to capture a couple good ones (though compared to the Canon, they look like chopped liver).  And even Callie, with her little blue camera, was able to snap some non-blurry, non-trail/shoe/rock shots.  I love to see what she deems photo-worthy.

From Gregg's point of view:

From Kim's phone:

 

   

 

Through Callie's eyes:

Kage and Dray Weekend

We got to have a sleepover with cousins Kage and Dray on July 14-15 while their parents were out of town.  We had pizza and a movie Friday evening, plus some cousin time shenanigans in between.  That evening we got a bit of rain and the sky was lovely.  Gregg took the boys out scouting for beach spots for the next day, in case our plan A was taken in the morning.  I made waffles for breakfast on Saturday morning and then the boys and Gregg took off to the church to get started on our cleaning assignment (while I stayed behind with Cal and Sam who were taking forever to finish their food).  Turns out there was a funeral that morning, so they did a bit of quick spot cleaning until the deceased arrived, and then we all headed to the park for some two-on-one basketball.  I don't know who won, but I do know who was tired after that.  The plan was for Laurel and Bret and kids to join us at the beach that afternoon, but we headed there early (at 10:00 am) to snag a spot (the lake is so high there is very little "beach" to be had anywhere) and splash in the water.  Those kids (meaning the Wihongi boys) wore themselves out in the water and ended up coming back to the house with me around 2:00 pm and were both out like a light until Bret woke them up around 3:30 when they got here.  (Callie, on the other hand, stayed at the lake with Gregg All. Day. and never showed signs of tiring out - what a little fish she is!)  We all played some more at the lake after that, and then chowed down at Pat's for dinner before Kage and Dray headed back south with Laurel and Bret to spend the next night or two with them.  

Story time.  And of course, Minnie had to be a
part of it all.

Puttin' Gma and Gpa's Tippy the Canoe to good
use at last.

11:30.  He was pooped.

The Farrers try their hands with Tippy.

A crazy cousin crew waiting for their tots.

I don't know what the boys thought of us, their weird/boring uncle and aunt, but Cal and Sam had a blast with their big, cool cousins.  And any cousins (or their parents) who may be reading this post: you're welcome to come sleepover with us anytime, too!  We guarantee pizza and playing and a healthy dose of cousinly adoration.

The Worst Picnic EVER

One Friday night in early July we decided to ditch the usual pizza and a movie and instead head for the mountains (our favorite spot) for a pizza picnic.  We've done this plenty of times: first, in our reflector oven days, and eventually transitioning to cooking the pie on our little grill. (Sorry none of those links have any pictures that are currently working - I'll get on that fix someday.)  It's always been an adventure and it's always been delicious.  But this time was definitely the worst.  (Especially if you ask Callie about it.)

It doesn't look like it would be horrible to have a picnic along the dirt roads near Monte Cristo.  I mean, check it out:

Lovely, right?  But, what is not pictured is the two or three (I forget) long, winding dirt roads that we traveled on before we found our "perfect picnic spot" (which actually were not a problem for anyone except hungry, ornery Callie in the back seat; the rest of us were quite enjoying the ride and the wildflowers and the views).   On top of that though, and also not pictured, is the vast quantities of flies (that bite!) (and mosquitoes, too) that were swarming us constantly.  Relentless bugs that didn't care about no stinkin' bug spray . . . or smoke . . . or swatting.  All they wanted was to eat our flesh.

Callie's face says it all.

So we did what anyone who cared to save their skin would do: we jumped in the car.  Where, as the final straw on the camel's back, we ate our blackened, burned (it went from just about done to black-bottomed in a matter of seconds), bad, bad pizza (also not really pictured, though slightly in the photo below).  Callie made sure we knew it was the worst picnic ever (rather a la the Berenstain Bears), but hey, it's memories.  And even she laughs about it now.

And she and Sam got to eat in the back of the car, so that
was an adventure in and of itself.

Every Heart Beats True

Our Fourth of July fun started early.  On Sunday the 2nd, a last minute decision to go to Providence that afternoon rather than waiting till Monday resulted in some quick packing and a decorated bike (so it would be ready for Tuesday's parade).  We drove North and spent the evening at Hyrum's Fourth of July celebration/USU Alumni Band concert (Cal and I, anyway - Sam stayed at Grandpa and Grandma's house with Gregg and went to bed early, tired boy).  We made a pit stop after the program to tour H+T+G's new house - it's coming along, but behind schedule due to all the building that is happening currently.  Hopefully they'll be in by the end of this month.  We headed back to Providence for a late bedtime snack of homemade bread and cheese (can you beat that?  I think not!).

Sunday afternoon bike decorating.

A lovely evening for a concert.

Front porch sittin'.
(Last time we visited they didn't even have a porch,
so this is progress!)

Stellar summer sunset.

Monday morning started at a decent time, crazily enough.  Sam slept till 7:00 (sure beats the pre-five-a.m. times he was waking last time we slept over, and even the 6-6:30 normal wake-ups he has at home).  Cal slept till 9:30 (what?!? when she woke up, she said, "I didn't know it was morning!" ha).  Gregg worked from the nap room while we had a chill morning of stories with grandpa before he went to work, playing with bubbles and balls in the backyard, BBQ prep (I made lime coconut bars and chocolate chip cookie brittle and helped with the BBQ sauce for the pulled pork sandwiches), and a trip to the splash pad with Grandma.  That afternoon we set up the backyard and waited for the guests to gather.  My parents were expecting up to 60 people to show up!  I didn't count, but there was definitely a crowd of extended family, old ward friends, and new neighbors.  And an awesome potluck table that was packed to the gills.  Plus homemade root beer.  Of course!  I meant to snap a pic all evening, but, alas, I never did.  So just imagine a backyard full of friends and food and fireworks to come.  We actually left before Logan City's firework display, but we got another stunning sunset from Mother Nature as we drove through Wellsville.

Tuesday morning was full of our little Eden community celebration.  The breakfast at the park was scheduled to start at 7:00 and I planned to be there early, but when I rolled over and checked my clock, it was 7:45 (!!!).  We hurriedly got dressed and headed out the door - good thing we did the bike decorating early!  Callie was so excited to be in the parade.  Turns out we had plenty of time for breakfast (waffles and berries and cream - (so patriotic!), scrambled eggs, sausage or ham (or both), OJ, chocolate milk, the works!).  I walked with Cal to the substation where the parade started, and followed her around the three sides of the block back to the park where Gregg, Sam, and my parents and Mugs were waiting and watching.  And then she got her Capri Sun juice bag and that was that.  We visited with some neighbors and played on the playground and then walked back home.  Cal and Sam had a quick dip in the pool, we visited on the deck.  And then we decided to brave the Huntsville crowds and visit the cemetery (the cemetery?!  yes, the cemetery . . . people do go to the cemetery) since it was open that day. (Back story: the Huntsville Cemetery is only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays and you have to drive through the pay-point for the beach, so the grumpy workers were kind of shocked that we were going to visit the cemetery, thinking instead that we were just trying to get out of paying our beach entrance fee.)  We found the headstone of Nils and Pernella Anderson (my third great grandparents) and then picnicked on leftover pulled pork and baked beans and watermelon and chips in the shade.  Back home for naps and relaxing and then my parents and sister returned home.  We grilled up some most excellent burgers and "roasted" green beans for dinner and finished the night off with "poppies" before an early bath and bedtime.  The kids were asleep by 7:15!  I was in bed with my earplugs at 9:30!  (No fireworks for us this year - that's what happens when a couple of late nights catch up with you.  #meanmom)

 

bonus video!

"riding in the parade"

bonus video!

"poppies"

"Another one!"

bonus video!

"anohwon"

"Stomp!"

bonus video!

"stomp!"

bonus video

"that's my coolest"