Western Frontier: Part 2

After we landed in Salt Lake City, we drove to Wyoming to meet up with the family. We headed north to a little tiny town called Pinedale. It was quaint. The ice cream stand was very popular. Then we took a drive so the guys could fish. The Boy and I caught some stunning views on a trail we took up a little mountain!

Wow!

Freezing. Cold.

 Next stop, Flaming Gorge which crosses the Utah and Wyoming borders. It's a huge recreation location in the middle of pretty much nowhere. The geology is incredible. As you drive, the rock types change drastically because of the way the land was moved, so it's as if you are driving into the earth. Click here to learn more - I'm not describing it well, and honestly, it doesn't look like this describes it perfectly either, but it's cool. Really cool.

The Boy and The Man catching trout in the Flaming Gorge.
Oh, yeah, The Boy and I are recent fishing converts. That's for another post.

Flaming Gorge from above.

Western Frontier

We got back from vacation to the Western Frontier and now I want to go back!

We landed in Salt Lake City and then headed to Wyoming for a family function for a few days. On our way home, we spent the last two days in Utah and I couldn't get enough. The views were spectacular. The weather incredible (if you like it hot!). We didn't even have time to visit the National Parks I had hoped to get to, but after this short stint, I'm ready to go back. Utah seems to be this incredibly kept secret. I don't know anyone, at least off the top of my mind, that I know who has vacationed there. I could probably post about a million photos, but I'll keep my next few posts to just a few of my favorites!

We picked up a mini hitch hiker right when we got to Salt Lake City. He was easy to tote!

Taking a walk in the Great Salt Lake. Water was warm and beautiful!

A view of the Lake from Antelope Island. For awhile, I thought I might have been in Hawaii again!

One of the bison from the herd that lives on Antelope Island. We didn't see any antelope, though...

Community Gardening

We've had quite a month. I can't believe I haven't posted. I don't know where the time went.

Well, I do know where it went, but it went fast!

We planted our garden at the beginning of the month and it is growing strong! We wanted to start with a manageable size so as not to overwelm our small congregation so we planted some staples: tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, cucumbers and basil (my favorite!).

Despite drought conditions, our garden looks healthy. We have a soaker hose embedded and we topped the garden with mulch to help hold the moisture in and block weeds. It's working nicely and it's a hot topic on Sunday mornings.

Dig it up, lay down weed blocking material, cut some holes, set the plants in, roll out the soaker hose and toss a little mulch on and we're good to go!

The Man thinking hard in the background :)

The Boy lending a hand...

Finished!

Happy Birthday Finn!

Happy first birthday to The Boy!

We planned a small party full of yummy treats and fun. We were almost rained out, so all of my decorations didn't get put up, but I tried to maintain some flexibility (ha! The Man would tell you otherwise...). Check out the pics below on what turned into a really beautiful day, despite the wet beginnings! What fun!