howdy

We just got back from vacation.  It’s okay to say that as long as it was within a week ago, right?  Because it feels like I’m catching up still.  I *just* got the laundry caught up.  Still need to mop.  Well, let’s just stop there because you don’t want my to-do list rearing it’s ugly head up in here.  It’s UG-LY.  I crossed off a whole two things today.  Baby steps.

Anyway, since we -ahem- just got back, I thought I’d share a few pics from vacation.  I’ve blogged about my parents’ house many times before.  Sorry.  We go there a lot.  We had some of the same old adventures and some new adventures this time. 

We hit the natural sandstone waterslides again…

Don’t look at my horrible chipping nail polish.  And to my friend who knows who you are: I am sorry I posted a feet picture.  I feel like this one is more illustrative than the typical feet at the pool, though, right?  No?

Apparently I had twins… one of them was held up in the womb about three years…

Mark made a rock tower…

The water channels are a ten minute walk from the road near my parents’ place.  Susie is light enough that daddy carries her so we can hike faster.  Lucky lady…

That night we took a sunset trip to the Butte.  The wheelin’ trip through the woods to the hike involved Ty, Susie and I in our little Samurai jeep, our friend and his girlfriend riding double on a dirt bike, and my son following them on his dirt bike.  We made it to the top just in time…

It was pretty, but a little spooky hiking down in the dark with the little wolf bites among us.  Then we got down to the parking area, where Mark’s dirt bike had broken down – and realized it wouldn’t be fixed there, and that for our friends to ride double in the dark with no headlight would be a disaster.  So we ended up with Ty, me, Susie, Mark, one friend AND a dirt bike – in the Samurai!  Do you know what a Samurai is?  I’ll post a picture later- it was a bit crowded!  And our friend tailgating us all the way out of the woods so he could see by our taillights.  It wasn’t the most comfortable trip.

The next day we did a local hike like normal people – in the daylight…

     

See the lookout at the top of the hill in the picture above left?  It was a short, steep hike right to that lookout.

Fully functioning out house just in case you should have need of it.  Actually I believe it is for the volunteers who stay in the lookout and “look out” for fires during the dry season.

That was the closest we got to the lookout because it was covered –COVERED- in flying ants.  Swarms.  Like you have never seen before.  Ty tried to go near it and didn’t last long and I didn’t even try.  I could barely stand at the top because they were pestering us so bad. 

But it was worth a few minutes for the view.

Mark and Ty stayed at the highest rock for a while looking at the view and finding things on the map.

Then we followed the lead of a guy we saw on the logging roads, who told us where we could find fossils in abundance.  We did not have such luck as he proclaimed.  We would like to try again sometime when we have more time and see what we can find.  But we had fun finding the spot and found a couple unidentifiable specimens.

That is the Samurai.  Pretty mini. 

We got all hot and parched and headed back to cool off in the swimming hole…

I can’t stop laughing at that picture.  The purple butterfly net and the pink water shoes!  Wow.

But he did catch us some friends…

We caught Mr. Pinchy some baby fishy dinner too but he would not partake.

Such a sweet spot to chill.

While we packed up, cleaned up and got ready for the drive out to hang with some family out of town, we sent the kids to their surprise my mom had made for them…

It was loads of fun!  Started lots of conversations about Indians Native Americans and “white man.”  Is that PC?  We will start an ongoing study on the first settlers and Native Americans because the tee pee will be up for the rest of the dry season at mom’s, so we will have a couple more chances to use it and make learning memories before taking it down before the snows.

Well now you are fully caught up on our vacation happenings.  Even if I’m not caught up on house work.  :/

Blessings!