Moab Day 3

This trip was a farewell to summer for us. The last of the warm weather. On the last day, we walked up a nearby canyon to look at a few panels of some Native American rock art. Along the way, Uncle Andrew showed Sam the bear cave he had been looking for. Maggie stayed back at the house, rode bikes and swam.

The trail up river

Part of the panel

And some more

Sadie loved the elephant grass along the trail

"The bear cave" as Sam called it

And yes, my brother is running for Grand County Attorney

Moab Day 2

On the second day of our trip, Brian, my Dad and I joined my brother Andrew and his local Moabite friends on a spectacular mountain bike ride, almost 5 hours of downhill down the backside of the La Sal mountains. We started below Mt. Peale around 10,000 feet and descended to around 7000. The trail was mostly single track and wound its way down the mountain through forests of aspens, pines and oak. The leaves were amazing, it was hard to take in all the beauty. Sister Wirth kindly watched the kids so that I could go. She made this day possible for me. A BIG thank you to her!

The shuttle ride up

At the start of the trail, below Mt. Peale

Mt. Peale

My brother Andrew on the trail

I told you the leaves were amazing

My Dad, I had a hard time keeping up with him

Brian and I wearing the body armor

My Dad and the trail

One of the many Aspen forests

Mt. Peale in the distance and the oak trees

The oaks and a mountain, quilted of color

Moab Day 1

 We took a trip down to Moab over UEA. The weather couldn't have been better, warm 80+ degree sunshine and the beauty of red rock and blue sky. Our dear friend Sister Wirth came along on the adventure. We loved having her. The first day we explored Arches National Park.

Sadie loved the ride

Maggie underneath Delicate Arch

On the way down from Delicate Arch

Samuel on top of the world

Sister Wirth on the way to Landscape Arch

Landscape Arch

Walls of Red Rock

The hidden sand dunes on the way to Landscape Arch

It wouldn't be the desert without a little sand in the shoes.

A typical Tuesday

Today I got my hair done...I read the star magazines as my hair was drying because I forgot to take along a book. Those stars have really messed up lives! I was reminded again why I don't normally read those magazines...there is nothing uplifting about them.

Then I went to a store and bought a scarf to go with a sweater I bought a few days ago. I should have gone with my gut the first time around and bought the scarf as well; but hey, I was trying to save some money and use an old scarf...when I got home that old scarf just didn't jive with the new sweater.

I ate a Wendy's chicken sandwich for lunch with Brian while he read me an article about a woman who kept a McDonald's hamburger and fries on her counter to see how long it would take to decompose, the food was going on 6 months...talk about feeling gross after eating the chicken sandwich! I could just feel it sitting in my stomach. The end of the article claimed that the hamburger and fries had been engineered somehow and that they didn't truly represent the all-natural meat and buns that McDonald's claims. Regardless, I still felt sick afterwards.

After lunch I folded three loads of laundry, it must have taken me all afternoon to finish that chore while holding Sadie, feeding Sadie, nursing Sadie, bathing Sadie and holding her some more. She has been fussy to say the least. I think it's a combination of the three T's, i.e. teething, tired, and ticked off that she can't crawl or walk or keep up with Maggie and Sam. She has been in a hurry to grow up since day one when she had to come by C-section because she couldn't wait long enough to come the other way.

Somehow, I managed to make dinner. We had zucchini linguini. The dish is flavored with a little garlic and onion and chicken broth. It tasted good to me, but is wasn't a favorite with Maggie and Sam...even when I told Sam that the zucchini was the one he had picked from our garden a day ago. He did manage to try a few bites and secretly, I think he liked it but wouldn't admit it. Then he bargained with me as to how many bites he would have to eat to get dessert and he was off and running.

There was homework and dance lessons and bedtime reading and bedtime feeding followed by a sink and counter full of dirty dishes because the dishwasher was clean...and tomorrow it will start all over again, but it will be Wednesday.

Baseball

Brian grew up in northern California and has been a San Francisco Giants fan since birth. When I married Brian, I wasn't a fan of baseball. In fact, I had never watched a professional game in my life...that all changed the first year we were married when I discovered what a fan Brian was. His love for the game has been contagious in our marriage...he has shared his love of the game with me and I've gained a greater appreciation for the game, the technique the terminology etc. When we lived just south of San Francisco we witnessed a few great games in PacBell Park, and some rather cold and windy games as well, but hey, it wouldn't be San Francisco without them...and now the SF Giants are in the playoffs and we are frequenting their games from the comfort of our warm house and comfy couches. Go Giants!

Cooler Weather

Signs of cooler weather ahead.

The mornings are dark.
Leaves are changing in our yard.
Leaves are falling in the mountains.
The pumpkins are starting to appear.
The garden is starting to shrivel.
Soccer is coming to an end.
The shower water is warmer than the air and it is so hard to get out.
The house is cold and I need my slippers.
The coats are coming out at the stores.
Yesterdays thunderstorms brought snow to the peaks.
Hot Chocolate is starting to sound good again.
I feel like hibernating.

Mountain Biking

The last few Thursdays I've taken advantage of our unusually warm weather and hit the trail. A few weeks ago, Rosie and I rode down Clark's trail and then back up to Ghost Falls. Surprisingly, there was still a steady stream of water coming down. Last week, we rode up Clark's Trail and then back down. The leaves on the upper trail had already changed and were blanketing the ground, it was beautiful.

I am finding my legs again and building my confidence. This biking is addicting and I find myself smiling down most of the trail until I remember to keep my mouth closed to avoid swallowing one of those flying creatures.

Next week, we will be in Moab, the mountain biking capital of the world. I can't wait to get on a few trails down there...it has been awhile.

Another Big One

Brian, you may be getting older, but you can still blow out all your candles.
Happy Belated Birthday! We love you.

The Wax Museum

Maggie's third grade class did a "Wax Museum" called All About Me. They chose one thing about themselves and then for an hour they froze in several different poses. Maggie's favorite pose was 'goalie'. She kept a serious face the entire hour. We were impressed.

After the wax museum, we ventured on over to Sam's classroom for the Unusual Pet Show. Grrr and Sam were happy to see us.