July 24th!

Two posts in one day is a bit much, but they really are two separate topics. I've told the kids that as long as they make time to come home on the 24th, it'll be fine. Coming home for Christmas is good, but there's more fun things to do on the 24th. We had everyone home for the weekend. We did the parade, and made ice cream. If you are looking for a great ice cream recipe we have it. We made cinnamon nut frozen yogurt. It was the best but definately not diet food.

This year we skipped the rodeo because David's truck needed some major work. It rained really hard in the late afternoon and the fireworks were threatened, but by dark it was just sprinkling. We sat in our chairs in front of the vehicles for the show. David and Vic were dedicated to fixing the truck and they watched the show from the pasture. At least the show went on.

The boys all went out on Poverty Flats to dispose of some bullets on Saturday morning. Who knows what went on there. The sane people stayed home on the cool patio to watch the hummingbirds.

It was great to have everyone home.

Vacation!!!

We had a great vacation to Island Park. We had 10 family members all together in a cabin for most of a week. We saw the sights, fished, kayaked, made s'mores, and had a great time. Next year, on to the Heber/Park City area for more fun. We'll do the touristy stuff (the kids say we must) and some more outdoor stuff. The Parslow's need to find a kayak or two too.

July 4th!

We are either creatures of habit or of very strong traditions. Every 4th of July since who knows when, we have gone to the parade, made ice cream and had a picnic dinner while waiting for the fire works to begin. I can only think of one or two times where we missed doing things on this date in this order. This year was like all the others. The parade was the same as always; no big changes or scandals. It was in the 70s, so it was bearable even on the sunny side of the street.

This year we almost had to break a tradition because of a lost item. The cannister for the ice cream freezer has gone missing. We looked in every logical place and a few illogical places and it didn't turn up. We have the bucket, the motor, and the dasher, but no canister. The whole thing is almost 30 years old so maybe we are due for an upgrade.

We got out the ice cream ball at the last minute so that the tradition could carry on. Kris and Serena took about 45 minutes to turn out some pretty good ice cream. There were no leftovers so it must have been okay. By vacation time, we will have to come up with a better solution or another ice cream ball. This one won't make enough for a crowd. Right after the ice cream was pronounced done, it began to rain really hard. We had about an hour of steady rain and then it cleared up enough to have a picnic before the fireworks. It was damp, but not at all hot.

Hope you all had a great holiday!