Idaho; ... was delightful to me

"But I had been living in cities and smoke; and Idaho, even with rain, was delightful to me." quote from "The Virginian" by Owen Wister.

Since I have been in Idaho it has been cold; with many days of rain and snow. Today it was glorious, so I decided to go hiking up Mink Creek south of Pocatello. I strolled along a small creek that was swollen with spring run-off. I was able to see two mallard ducks and a small herd of mule deer. It was enjoyable to be out in the mountains and feel the tranquility and solitude that I missed when living in Texas.

An old tree along the path whose trunk had split; with the white branches being dead and the brown branches alive.

Small bushes are starting to flower

A tree that beavers had started to gnaw on, but someone had put a wire fence around it to protect it . There were other areas along the path where the beaver had cut down smaller trees.

An old bird house waiting for the birds to return to nest for another year.

When I was a kid ...

Does this look like the picture of a juvenile delinquent?


I almost feel bad for kids today. They can’t get away with anything. If I was a youth today and I did the things I did as a kid, I would have been put so far back in jail they would have had to pump oxygen to me.

When I was a kid, a BB gun war was a great way to spend a summer day with friends. All the guys in the neighborhood would get together with their BB Guns. It was awesome idea to bring your younger brothers so they could be used as target practice. It was smart (but not mandatory) to wear your heaviest winter coat, gloves, and stocking cap. Safety goggles were okay (if you had them) but not a requirement. You would expect to be called a pansy if you wore safety glasses, but most of us were smart enough to value our eye sight so we wore them even knowing we’d receive verbal abuse. The rules of the game were simple: first, don’t let any adults know what you are doing (“Johnny, why are you wearing your winter coat, gloves and stocking cap in the middle of the summer during a record heat wave?” “I was thinking about the penguins in the Antarctica and it made me feel a little cold, Mom.”); second, shot anyone with a BB gun but below the neck (Head shots were liable to get you pummeled by everyone else that was playing); and third, never let anyone know how bad it stung when you were hit. Can you imagine what would happen today if a group of kids were having a BB gun war? A concerned adult would call the police, the police would call the FBI, and the FBI would call in an international swat team to take down the youthful rebellion (Put your weapons down, terrorists, and come out with your hands up!) All of the BB gun war veterans would have been hauled into the juvenile court system and assigned community service. (You mean I have to umpire Little Leagues baseball games for the next two months rather than work 12 hours a day on the farm, DARN!” Now days, kids just set around blowing things up on their various game stations instead of enjoying the thrill of actual war and taking a BB in the one spot that was not covered by layers of clothing.

When I was a kid, throwing apples at 18-wheelers was the preferred activity of a sleep-over party. All you need was an apple tree that was close to the main highway and a good place to hide when a pissed-off trucker came to kick your butt. It was especially fun when you had a group of kids so that you could really pummel an 18-wheeler when it drove by the apple tree. The rules of the game were simple: first, don’t throw at the cab of the 18-wheeler (that really gets the trucker peeved); second, surprise attack was the only acceptable way to ambush an 18-wheeler (no standing by the road acting nonchalant at 1:00 am in the morning); and third, everyone must have his own hiding place so when a 18-wheeler screeched to a stop and a 6’8” 300 lb trucker came barreling out of the cab with vengeance in his heart, they can hide. Can you imagine what would happen today if a group of kids were throwing apples at an 18 wheeler? A pissed-off trucker would use his cell phone to call the police, the police would have called the FBI, and the FBI would have called in an international swat team, including a helicopter with a million-candle searchlight, to take down the youthful insurrection (Put your apples down, rebels, and come out with your throwing arm at your side!) All of the apple chucking gang would have been hauled into juvenile court system and assigned community service. (You mean I have to work at the public swimming pool for the next two months rather than work 12 hours a day on the farm, DARN!” Now kids just set around throwing grenades at the enemy on their various game stations instead of enjoying the thrill of having a ticked-off trucker, screaming that if he catches you little maggots he will kick your sorry butts.

So take a look at the picture again, does that top-button on his shirt buttoned dork look like a juvenile delinquent? If he were a kid today he would surely be one.

Idaho Falls Temple

I went to the Idaho Falls Temple Thursday night for the first time in many years. It is the temple that Allyson and Meghan were sealed to us. It will always be a special place for our family. It is in a beautiful location on the banks of the Snake River.

The picture of the temple was shot with my new Blackberry cell phone. I thought the picture was good because you can see the Angel Moroni atop the temple.

Since my family has lived in Texas, we have enjoyed going to the Dallas Temple. It is an attractive temple in an urban area. The thing I liked best was that it was close to our home, so it was convenient to attend. We were able to attend the temple at least once a month. The Dallas temple sessions are small compared to the temples in Utah and Idaho, but I liked the intimacy and the opportunity to participate more often.

It was strange to go to a temple session by myself without Brenda and the Sachse Ward members. I enjoyed our Sachse Ward temple trips and fellowshipping with the good folks of the Ward. I looked forward to going out to dinner after the session to associate with the members outside of a church atmosphere.

Any day is good day when you get to attend the temple.

Texas Bluebonnets and Savannah

One of the many great things about Texas is the springtime when the bluebonnets bloom. It is such a beautiful sight worthy of a few pictures.

Each year the girls have pictures in the blue bonnets in their Easter dresses.

Here is Savannah in her lovely Easter Dress and hat in the bluebonnets.

Catching Up!

We are finally home! We were gone for 15 days, and each one of them was memorable in so many ways! Since I am extraordinarily behind in my posts about all of our vacation activities I've decided to go day by day through the vacation and post all the details of our vacation. Here goes!

Tuesday, June 30

Today we started off by visiting Devil's Garden, which is a bunch of rock formations that you can climb all over and explore. We all had fun testing our limits, and seeing what type of rock climbing abilities we had :) Meg, Savannah and I did most of the climbing while Mom and Dad coached us from below. They were excellent coaches! I couldn't of made it up some of the rocks without their help. Savannah had a lot of fun, until she climbed up a formation that she was too scared to come down. She was being very dramatic, tears and all, when Dad said " Climbing up is an option, climbing down isn't". After a lot of coaxing and some more tears she made it down the rock and we went on the Burr Trail. The Burr Trail is a road through the mountains with some nice scenery. I fell asleep while we drove through most of it so I don't have much info about most of it, but I did wake up for the most exciting part! There were some insane switchbacks that come down from the top of one of the mountains, and they were steep and narrow. I think it was scarier than Hells Backbone, personally. We tried to take a picture of the switchbacks, but its impossible to see them. The picture just looks like a mountain. I will also add that sleeping wasn't all bad because Meg didn't sleep through all of it and she was feeling pretty carsick by the end of the drive. After we ended our drive on the Burr Trial we went to Lake Powell for a swim. Its not necessarily a swimming place. Its known more for boating and Jet skiing, but we still had a lot of fun. The water was refreshing after a long drive in the car, and we had a monster Mud Fight. Savannah and I both had mud in our hair during different points of the fight and as the mud slinging grew more intense we finally called a truce. The funniest thing was Savannah trying to dunk Meg and I, but not being very happy when we dunked her back. She is a fish! She just swims and swims and swims all day long! In fact, when we made it to our hotel in Torrey later that night, we went swimming again! Twice in one day! And now, pictures:

This is Meg, Dad, Savannah and I in Lake Powell.

Dad, Savannah, Meg and I on top of a bridge at Devils Garden. Mom came up too, but she was the one that took this picture.

Savannah, Meg and I at Devils Garden. We climbed into this cut out, and it was picture perfect!

I only managed to catch up one day, but that's still good! I'll keep working on it, and it will all be done before you know it...hopefully :) Church went good today, and we enjoyed seeing everyone after being away for so long!

Until tomorrow,

Ally

Calf Creek

Today our family hiked up to the Calf Creek Waterfall and I can honestly say it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen! The falls were about 120 feet tall and the hike in was about 3 miles each way, so we hiked about 6 miles in total today. It was worth it though :) When we made it to the top, Meg and I swam in the 50 degree water, out to the base of the falls. It was hard, but its good to say we did it. I still can't believe we did it! That water was ice cold!Savannah made it through all 6 miles without complaining, and made the hike alot more fun. She has found a bunch of new "forts" throughout our adventures, which include holes in rocks and replicas of Anasazi homes. She definatley keeps the rest of us going! Mom and Dad are doing good, and I think they like being back in good old Southern Utah where they both grew up. I know Meg and I are discovering a lot about our parents as they talk about "What they did when they were kids" :) I've enjoyed hearing all of the stories and seeing how much they know about the land. We also went up to/ across Hells Backbone...its a bridge on the top of a mountain with a straight drop on both sides. It was definatley an experience! I think we all enjoyed it, even Dad who has a thing about heights- he can't stand them! He was extra careful to stay a safe distance away from the edge, which is good because we wouldn't want anything bad to happen :) When we were driving up the mountain there were some cows and bulls that were roaming on the side of the road and in the surounding areas. At one point there was a Bull and a calf and Savannah said " That bull must be that little cows mommy!" Classic! We really must be city girls :) We were laughing for quite a while after that one.

Well, enough of me talking! A picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a couple pics!

This is a picture of Savannah and I on the top of a rock at Hells Backbone.

Here's the fam at the Waterfall at Calf Creek

Meg's first attempt to get under the falls :)

Savannah found a giant flower- the type you blow the seeds off of and make a wish.

Two of a Kind!

What a dare-devil! This is Meg on a cliff up at Hells Backbone....Dad went and waited in the van because he couldn't watch her climb out on the cliff :)

Thats all for now!

Ally

Family Vacation- Bryce Canyon

Today our family hiked around Bryce Canyon, and it was breathtaking! The Canyon was so BIG, but so beautiful at the same time. It is amazing to see how delicate some of the formations are, and to learn about the ways they are formed. Our family has had a lot of fun hanging out together, especially since Meg and I have been off to Girls Camp and Drum Major Camp. I had a blast at both camps, but its good to be back with my family! Savannah was a trooper today, and hiked over 4 miles along with the rest of the family. She has so much energy! Tomorrow we are going to hike up to Calf Creek and see the waterfall, explore the petrified forest, and check out an old indian village ( I don't remember exactly what its called). The adventures are barely beginning!

Ally