31 August 2014 - Visit from Vernal & Baby Shower

Our garden is going crazy!  It's kind of hard to believe that those little plants back in April have turned into this:

Last Sunday we got to see Grammie and Grandpa via Google Hangout from Australia.  They're now in Mt. Isa in the outback.  It was fun to chat with them.

On Tuesday evening we got a visit from Mike, Angie and Levi.  Mike had some work just north of us in Payette.  Angie and Levi hung out with us at the house.

With my dad's truck here now, Mike decided he wanted the gold Toyota back for Coryne to drive in a few months.  Levi and Joanne played on the lawn while we loaded the truck up.

Mike and Levi enjoyed some shade before getting back on the road to Vernal.  It was a short visit but we were glad they came.

Our ward has been doing a re-roofing service project all week. Fortunately the temperatures have dropped.  We had a great turnout for the tear off on Wednesday.

The backyard rehabilitation continues.  In the foreground of this photo is the new patio (shed coming soon!), with new playground mulch under the swingset and trampoline.  No more weeds!

Joanne's Beehive adviser had a baby a few weeks ago.  Emily planned a Young Women's baby shower for her as part of her personal progress.  Joanne has been hard at work on this blanket for the baby.

This is the adviser, Andrea, with one of the young women and her baby.  Big yawn!

Here's the quilt in all it's finished glory.  Emily did a great job on the shower (Jessica gave lots of help), and all the Young Women had a great time.

24 August 2014 - From Boston to McCall

This week I attended the RapidMiner World conference in Boston.  This is the conference where I launched my book in Budapest two years ago. I had to walk across this bridge every day to get to the conference.

It was a very busy four days, but on Wednesday evening I had some free time so I rode the train to Fenway to watch a Red Sox game.

Fenway is awesome, but it's less fun when you're alone.  The Red Sox aren't much good this year (lost to the Angels), but I had a great evening anyway.

Part of the conference was a Duck Boat tour of Boston's downtown and historic districts.  This is the Old Statehouse.

Back home while I was gone, Jessica and Emily had their first day of school at Thomas Jefferson Charter School.  They're smiling in this photo but were both acting like they're way too old for the 'first day of school' photo.

I flew back to Salt Lake late Thursday night and stayed at Tiffany and Brian's house.  Friday morning, Lily couldn't wait to show me her 'rain bike', which is just a regular bike that had been rained on.

Cameron and Meghan are back to school as well, and are close enough they can ride their bikes.

I picked up my dad's truck (which I'll be tending for 18 months while he's in Australia), and drove quick as I could back to Idaho.  The reason was that the girls had a swim team retreat in McCall Friday afternoon and Saturday.  I literally pulled into the driveway as the girls were walking up to the house after school.  We threw some overnight stuff into the truck and headed for Paradise Point, a church camp on the north shore of Payette Lake.

Jessica stayed overnight in the cabins (Emily will be old enough next year), while the rest of us headed for our 'camp site' at the McCall Lodge.  On the way there, a young buck wandered out of the forest to the edge of the road.  He stood still long enough for several photos.

August was already quite cool, but the temperature dropped Friday afternoon with a thunderstorm that came through western Idaho.  In McCall, the rain turned to snow at about 5,200 feet elevation. It wasn't a blizzard, but it was snow in August.

The next morning, we dropped Emily at the camp and the three of us drove up to Brundage Ski Area with our mountain bikes.  Here's mommy and Madeline riding the lift.

Madeline braving the descent of Brundage mountain.

Madeline had never been mountain biking before, and really only got comfortable on a bike last year, so we were proud of the way she handled the mountain trails.  The views in the West Central Mountains are amazing.

On the way down, we got to see a bear up close and personal.  Joanne noticed it and we stopped and watched it in the woods for a bit.  I took a couple photos but they didn't turn out -- they were all blurry.  When the bear decided to stand up on its hind legs, we decided our bear watching was done.  After our bike ride, we took the long way home, over the top of Brundage mountain.  I decided my dad's truck needed to be in its natural habitat.  Here it is at  over 7,500 feet near the fire lookout at the top of the mountain.

After our trip over the mountain, Madeline and I went kayaking on Payette Lake while Joanne tried to take a nap in the truck.  It was quite cool, so there was no swimming involved (note Madeline's hoodie).

When the long day was done, we returned to Paradise Point to pick up the swim campers.  We arrived home just before 10 PM Saturday night.

17 August 2014 - Youth Conference

This week we went back to the church orchard to help pick peaches.  As the evening was winding down, it rained a little, following by a spectacular rainbow.

We had the second of two fund raisers for the scouts and for girls camp.  We help park cars for the county fair and the rodeo.  Here's Jessica working hard.

The concrete cured this week, so the girls helped me fill in the space between the new patio and the fence with weed block and river rock.

On Saturday Jessica and Joanne had youth conference.  Here they are working hard at the service project at a local school.

10 August 2014 - Jessica's Birthday

This week was our ward pool party at the Caldwell City pool.  It was well attended and we had a good time.  I had been working on the house all day (see below) and was so hot and tired that I was grateful for both a break and a chance to cool off.  Here's Jessica going in off the diving board with Emily and their friend Savannah waiting their turn in the background.

Sunday was Jessica's birthday.  As always, many of you sent cards and gifts and we are very grateful for your kindness.  We reprised the homemade ice cream cake (yum!) with a 15 on top.

We decided to get serious about cleaning up the rest of the back yard before winter.  We actually hired a contractor to put in a sidewalk around the side of the house with a patio around the air conditioner.  This is the 'before' picture with concrete forms in place.

While the contractor was busy outside, I was busy inside remodeling the garage entry way and hall half-bath.  We put in a new tile floor, crown moulding and a new toilet.

3 August 2014 - A Swing through Utah

This week we went back to Utah.  I'd been wanting to take the kids to Dinosaurland for a while now, and to see my brother Mike's family (in Vernal), so we spent three days with them.

Here we are at the quarry.  If you haven't been here, it is hillside they've built a building around where they've partially excavated a large collection of dinosaur bones, which they believe collected when numerous dinosaurs died and were washed into a shallow area of an ancient river that flowed here.

After the quarry, we hit the museum in Vernal.  Here are the girls in the dinosaur garden.

Levi liked the dinosaurs, but he was dead serious about his Slurpee.

The next day we hiked to Red Fleet lake.

About a mile and a half in, right at the water's edge, there a number of dinosaur tracks embedded in the rock.  Here's Mike's hand in one.

This is near the dinosaur tracks on the cliffs above the lake.

We seem to have a knack for bringing unseasonably cold and rainy weather to Utah when we go.  The kids are playing tennis in the rain here, though you can't tell very well from the picture.

After Vernal, we drove to Orem to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Phil.  Phil's always good to take us rappelling.  Here's Jessica at our usual spot in American Fork Canyon.

I don't know why I didn't get any photos, but on Friday evening we had a little family reunion gathering.  My mom and dad have been called on a mission to Brisbane, Australia, so we took the evening to spend time with family on both sides.  It was really good to see so many of our aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

We were very outdoorsy this trip.  On Saturday we got up early and hike to the top of the Y in Provo.  Here is Joanne having conquered the Y.

A panoramic view of Utah Valley from atop the Y.

All three girls sitting on the Y.  It was very dirty.

After getting cleaned up, we went to West Jordan for our nephew Cameron's baptism.  We got him a Lego Movie t-shirt for his birthday, since he introduced us to the movie.  He had a great baptism and we had a great time having lunch with extended family afterward.

After the baptism and barbecue, we went up Little Cottonwood Canyon for more hiking.  I have been wanting to go back to Lisa Falls for a long time -- I haven't been here since Joanne and I were first married and the girls had never been here.

Grandma had a little late/early birthday for Joanne/Jessica.  Here's Jessica opening her present.

Then we all got to share in some cookie dough ice cream cake.

After a long week of outdoors, family and fun, we headed back to Idaho Sunday evening.