Onward!

We were in Home Depot getting some backs of compost.

I turned around to see this.

Need I say more....

there is always something going on with these two.

It makes life interesting and fun.

A Little Late

I just came across these pictures from last April when we went fishing with Kaleb in Temple Fork.

The last time we were there we snowshoed in.

The water level was so high in places it overflowed into the meadow grass and washed out the beaver ponds. It was a much needed afternoon if I remember right.

We got back to the van just as a storm was rolling in. We could see it coming.

Mr. Helpful

Jacks always finds something to do.

Whether it is destroying the dried out OSB that someone used as siding for the shop,

Climbing a tree to jump to the neighbors weeds....because obviously ours aren't as good,

pushing through horse fence to get to the neighbors weeds....once again, because ours aren't good enough.

In this case it is standing in the wheel barrel.

 Every time I turned around he was in it, with or without anything in it.

All in one Day

Daisy is Nana and Poppa's new puppy. She is chihuahua, jack Russel terrier and we are pretty sure Papillon too because she has the little butterfly ears.

Victoria and I were helping Nana cut grass out for a new flower bed and Daisy was under foot finding all kinds of things to do.

 Watching Victoria throw chunks of sod into the trailer was like watching her ice skate.

With each toss she flung her leg out like a waltz jump.

 It seems like every day we work from sun up to sun down. For the past 8 weeks we have spent hours on end reinforcing goat fencing. I think we have the Evil Elf completely contained only to have Mr. Peabody....Jacks, to push his way through the fencing to the neighbors weeds. I guess theirs look tastier than ours. 

Now we are working hard on the garden. Year after year we try to support our tomatoes only to have them fall over due to the weight no matter what contraption we use to hold them up.

This year we have ....wait, I showed Kirk a picture of structure to hold tomatoes and he built this awesome tomatoe trellis. I found these awesome clips on Amazon and bought 6,500 ft of tomatoe string pretty cheap on Amazon too. Kirk and I were stringing them up last night only to have a little helper try to take off with our twine. Sometimes our lives are taking a step forward only to take two back. It's a good thing we aren't quitters.

 Lightening was sure that he could walk off with the twine. We had to work at it to get it back. He is really quick for a little cat.

 I love that when ever we are out in the yard our little helpers come out of who knows where to see what is up. No sooner did we get Lightening down from sabotaging our efforts, Thunder appeared and was trying to think up what she could get into.

 When Lightening wants to cuddle and be pet by you he wants it when he wants it. He doesn't care if you are busy doing something.

 Isn't this beautiful?

I really think this is going to work this time.

 This is why there isn't any food in the house ever! It's because of him.....or him!!!

Last I looked he had the cereal box.

Which I am sure is officially empty now.

 Thunder loves to accept the next challenge...even if it's walking on the water irrigation pipe...or maybe it's to keep her feet from getting wet.

June Roadtrip

 We're going on a road trip with Poppa riding shotgun.

We have been so busy with projects that we decided to skeedadle out of town for the day.

It started out that we would head to Shoshone Falls in Idaho and then head back home.....but we took a detour.....a very long detour.....

 Shoshone Falls is the Little Niagra Falls.

The water level is so high right now from snow melt that there was mist showering down on us and the entire parking lot.

 We quickly became drenched....it was awesome!

Of course Kaleb and Jared brought rain gear. 

I guess all the years in Boy Scouts and learning to be prepared has paid off.

 We turned around and saw Mary Poppins with her umbrella.

 We weren't expecting the mist from the waterfall to tumble up through the air and onto us.

 My girls are always heckling Poppa. It brings back memories of the many,

 many years that I would heckle him.

 Next stop was the Shoshone Ice Caves just north of Twin Falls, Idaho.

This is a giant lava tube that once had a hot spot that is now in Yellowstone.

It is crazy thinking about it.

 Outside it was a warm 75 degrees....inside it was a chilly 30 degrees.

 Long ago, the government dynamited the entrance to make it larger than the 2 ftx 2ft entrance and changed the air flow causing the ice to melt. A veteran from WWI came along and spent 14 years reestablishing the air flow so that the ice would return. He was successful....obviously.

 Our guide was very well spoken at the young age of 18.

Very talkative young man. Loved his job.

 They had found a mother bear and two cubs preserved in the cave until the air flow changed when it deteriorated to bones. It is interesting how it all came to be, and sad for the bears too.

 While we were out gallivanting across the desert terrain of Idaho we stopped at Craters of the Moon.

Awesome place....very educational.

There is old lava flow everywhere and it literally looks like the moon.

 In the midst of all the volcanic rock were wildflowers.

 I would hate to be around when this lava was flowing.

 I took pictures of my peeps strolling up the walkway laid down between rock....

 Daphne and Nana were WAY back still taking pictures of flowers.

Nana is very patient with Daphne.

 And then there is Kaleb....

my crazy, weird, silly, goofy son.....

 Poppa was napping in the van....not for long though!

 Kaleb and Victoria talking about racing each other up this cinder cone.

 Muscle man palming a boulder....psst....remember....volcanic rock weighs nothing.....

 It is super windy making our eyes water

 Nap time for people who work for a living....

 More Caves

 Old lava tubes to explore

 Kirk turned around and saw Kaleb's head pop out of an old lava tube.

 We never know what he is going to do.

 We never expected to cover this much ground in one day but had so much fun and Nana and Poppa were gracious with taking naps while we explored caves and lava tubes.

 We passed through Arco, Idaho. Kaleb had actually been there with Scouts and told us about a submarine museum. Long story as to why it is way out in the middle of no where. He directed us to the site so Poppa could reminese(how do you spell that?) his old Navy Days.

 Read these bricks from supporters of the historical site.

I thought it was funny too.

We covered something like 500 miles and drove a total of 10 hours that day.

It didn't feel like it because we were all together and never tired of each others company.