Stargazing and Horse Adventures

Annual Perseid Meteor Shower

We made a spur-of-the-moment trip up Logan Canyon with the Whitings 

(some of our friends who are adventurous enough to join us in our crazy outings);

Sadly, the show wasn't as spectacular as in previous years.

We must have missed the peak night or perhaps the shower

peaked later than we stayed.

 29th Ward Annual Horse Riding Party

A very kind sister in the ward who owns horses hosts an annual ward party

where the children are able to ride her horses around the corral.

Since we are now in the 29th Ward, we were invited.

Needless to say, there were some excited family members.

Megan got to help lead the horses around. She had a great time!

 All the children had to wait patiently in line for a turn.

Dallin rode with Ian for his first ride.

Then he got to ride again with Dad.

We ate a potluck dinner too.

 

Then we came home and finished packing for our upcoming desert adventure.

County Fair

One of our family traditions is to visit the Cache County Fair each August.

The cows said, "Moo!"

The sheep said, "Baa!"

We watched a sheep get its wool shaved off.

The chickens said, "Cluck, cluck!"

(Dallin has loved chickens ever since we helped feed 

the Crook's chickens during the Pioneer Trek.)

Unique Pigeon Variety

Erin begged to go on one of the rides, and she chose the carousel.

Megan entered 2 drawings in the art competition,

and her white charcoal jaguar cub won Best of Show for the Middle School Division!

Her other entry was the colored pencil horse drawing in the lower corner.

The children always like to sit on the farm equipment on display.

Dallin wasn't quite big enough for this one!

Posing in the giant tires!

Apricot Adventures

Aunt Nancy's apricot tree had a bountiful crop this year.

We picked enough to replenish our syrup, jam, and leather supplies

as well as share some with friends.

 Yes, Ian's mother gave him repeated requests to be careful

and not fall off the ladder and hit his head again.

 Nancy and Tanya pitched in too.

Luscious crop!

 Self-portrait of Ian

Dallin's job was to sit on large rocks and look cute.

Ian practiced taking close-up photos of some of Nancy's beautiful flowers.

Don't ask us the names of these--we're lacking in our botanical education.

Adventures with Raspberries

This year the Crooks' raspberries were overly abundant, and they generously shared with us.

Ian helped April pick them.

 

It took a long time to get enough for a batch of jam.

But it was definitely worth the effort.

Visit with the Jeppsons

Janet used to be our landlady years ago when we lived in a basement apartment.

We reconnected over Freecycle, and she invited us to their place

in Franklin, ID, just over the border.

Janet and daughter Breanna

They have a great place with LOTS OF ANIMALS!!!

The rabbits were loved by our children.

The kitten was especially loved by Erin throughout the day.

Krista led Erin around on her horse.

Dallin got a short ride, but he was less thrilled than Erin.

Megan rode around the house a few times...

Took Erin on another ride...

then she and Krista took a long trail ride together.

Meanwhile, some of the others went swimming.

And the kitten and hen had a stand-off.

We missed getting the attack on video by a few seconds.

The moms enjoyed catching up with each other after 10+ years.

Children's Yearly Portraits 2010 Edition

We finally made it up Logan Canyon this morning for the children's annual photo shoot.

The lighting was a tad bright, but we are happy to get some new photos to share.

Happy Belated Mother's Day and Father's Day to the Grandparents!

Megan, 13 years

Ian, 10 years

Erin, 5 years

Dallin, 22 months

Sisters

 

Brothers

 

The Clan