Fare thee well our merry mates!

Grandpa's birthday celebration #61
We went down on Friday night and spent the evening at Benjipups and had cake and ice cream for Dad.
This sweet little scene belies the fact that Uncle B was used mostly as a tackling dummy.
Saturday was travel day. This is the beginning of a very long day of checking baggage, clearing security and flight delays. But they are hardy travelers. Thanks for coming to visit! We loved all the fun we had. And I always appreciate the mini-lessons on the computer when any of the kids come home.
We hated to leave the valley before we knew if their flight was leaving so we went up to the bench to the Shoreline trail overlooking the valley for an autumn hike. You may ask, "Why is it called Shoreline trail?" It's because it follows the shoreline of the ancient lake Bonneville of which the Great Salt Lake is a remnant puddle. Yes, #5 child. The experts say that lake really existed.
It wasn't long before we practically stepped on this fellar crossing the trail. Dad spotted it. Even with his botched cataract surgery he was able to see it moving out of the shadows and pointed it out to me. After it registered what it was I jumped back. Then I was relieved to see it was a gentle bull snake. A gentle giant of the snake world. My first thought was of when "Special K" and "Skillum"(aka W) came across a rattlesnake while hiking in this mountain range. And if I remember the story correctly Skillum said, "It made me feel so alive!" Special K wanted to run for her life!
The first autumn colors on the mountains are these maples. They grow in a similar fashion to the scrub oak.
But the scub oak are still green.
After we received the call that they had boarded the airplane we stopped and ate at this restaurant that's on they way home. They raise their own beef and bison. The place is always packed. People appreciate locally grown wholesome food. This is Dad coming out of the restaurant with our leftovers passing all the people spilling out of the place waiting for their turn to eat.
Boy what handsome animals!

Baby,Toddler,Kid

Somebody is getting to be a big boy!
And speaking of big boys, LL explained to me his life history. "I was a baby, then I was a cobbler, and then I'm a kid: but I'm still a cobbler." So, since he is a "cobbler" I got out the cobblers bench for him to play with. However I'd say he is more of a kid now.

Livin' Large with LL

Enjoying a bowl of fresh peaches at the height of the canning season.

All you old timers! Remember the Battleship game? Well, this 21st century kid is playing with his "laptops."
Baking cookies with Mom at Auntie's house. His rallying cry! "Let's get Mixin' "
Nothing noteworthy about this event except that it's touring the city with a three year old so we stop and take time to climb stairs and go up the ramp simply because it's there and it looks fun.
The moms and their boys. It's fun to trade once in a while.
The highlight of a day in the city. Chasing the pigeons. It absolutely cracked him up!


No LL. Don't think about it. Chasing geese isn't as fun.
The gang at an undisclosed location.
Heading back to the car. There is always fun to be had when your three.
Little cousins are soooo cute and irresistable so it's terrible when you have a cough and you can't hug and kiss them. You just have to settle for touching his leg.

Sheepherder

We picked a trail in the Boulder Mountains for a hike on Monday. Our valley has been smoky from all the range fires so it was nice to get up in the mountains and see the blue sky.
We met a sheepherder who was riding his bike around checking on his sheep. Dad recognized him as Peruvian and so he visited with him for a bit. Dad enjoyed speaking to someone in Spanish that he could easily understand. He likes the sound of Peruvian spanish. I like to click on the photo to enlarge it and see the man's face and think about how this is the face of the native people of Peru who were ruled by the Inca's. Maybe the Incas had a similar look. They are a very handsome people.
The classic sheepherder's wagon and horse plus an old truck bed trailer.
A sampling of the numerous sheep. They were relaxing in the shade of the trees for the afternoon. We first spotted them in a big meadow.

Happy 35th Anniversary

Hey cowboy! Aren't you supposed to be riding off into the sunset, not away from the sunset?
Oh yeah, you're a morning person.

Suspicious

The beautiful morning glory was rather spindly this year. Upon closer examination all the shoots but one had been nibbled off.
"Hey. You. You and your buddies. What happened to the morning glory?" Okay. I saved it in the nick of time with a little bit of netting with one shoot left. I have to admit, for having several rabbits living in the farmyard we have experienced very little damage. In fact we are living symbiotically. They are eating a pesky weed that likes to grow in the lawn and they are minimally nibbling in the garden. I think they prefer perennial shoots with tender bark and forbs. And they provide us with the fun of watching their cuteness.