Back to School

It is official, Summer is ending because Cindy welcomed kids back to her 2nd grade class on the 22nd. We had to have the customary back to school photo as she left the house for that first day. She has a great class and though a little overwhelmed is glad to be back teaching the kids.

 On Saturday was the annual  Acappellastock at the Ogden amphitheater. This is the ninth year it has been running and is an annual tradition. Maddie of course missed this year (I 'm sorry Maddie. She always looks forward to this.) We found out that Cecelia's family goes to this also so she has been there all this time and Cameron did nor know it. We could have moved this wedding thing up a few years if he would have met her there earlier.

They had some great acts besides T- minus 5.

There was Delilah who had been on a TV show this last year called the Sing Off. They were great and their final number had the crowd jumping to their feet with the power of their voices.

There was Eclipse which has been in Utah for years and which we always enjoy.

They main act was a group called the Bobs who have been around for awhile and had some very funny acts. It was an enjoyable evening to signal that summer is over. It has been fun.

The week before school

After Cindy's last fling at Park City she spent the week preparing to get back to school. The sky has been covered in a smoky haze with an orange tint to everything. This is caused by wildfires burning throughout the west with the dry conditions and all the smoke is blown to us. It does make for some glowing sunsets but it reminds us what L.A. is always like with no clear blue sky visible and the mountains are only outlines.

We did make it to a Real Salt Lake soccer game this week end and enjoyed the game but not getting out of the parking lot.   

Week at Park City

This year we had our condo week at Park City at the Mountain Side resort. While all the family could not be with us this time, those who could come did. Cindy and I went up Sunday night and watched the summer Olympics on TV. We ended up watching them every night as they were so interesting. Monday morning we rode our bikes from the resort to Deer Valley and then back. We remembered the time we all stayed at Deer Valley years ago and Gaven's experience with catching the fish.

Shannon, Connor and Payton joined us on Monday afternoon and we went swimming which is something we did every day while we were there. Payton progressed in liking the water and Connor had no need to progress because he was fearless in the water.

We went to a park that night and listened to a concert and the grandkids, played with bubbles, and then played in a playground.




That night we also had smores.

Tuesday was Cindy's birthday. There were hot air balloons in the morning sky to celebrate it. We did another bike ride in the morning, went to the outlet mall to get her a present of her choice and swam. Of course we had cake and ice cream in the evening.

 Wednesday we went to Salt Lake to the Parade of Homes. We toured several homes and then visited the Up house which was designed after the movie. While it was not on the parade we wanted to see it.

We then went to a mansion where we ran into Cindy's old roommate, Renae Warne. The big house was amazing and we even talked to the owner who had been a production manager for several singers.









 On the way back to Park City we stopped at a Farmers Market in the Canyons and got some great corn on the cob. After dinner it was in the pool again.

Thursday was another morning bike ride. This time we went towards Kimball Junction and the old barn.

In the afternoon we went to the Olympic Park and watched some young people working on stunts and then Cindy and I did the zip line. It was hard to believe it was 10 years ago we went to the Olympic Park and watched ski jumpers  for the Olympics. We went back to the pool for an evening swim.

Friday was an adventure day. We decided to go for a ride to Guardsman Pass which overlooks Park City and then we went down the other side to Brighton. There was a great little nature center and we walked the boardwalk along a pond.

The kids saw ducks and then we saw a moose. Shannon said she wanted to see a moose so bad to show that Maddie is not the only one to see animals and we did see a moose.

There was a storm that hit right when we got to the car. We then went to a diner to have lunch and that same moose had wandered over to the diner. As we headed back to Park City we saw two other moose in a valley below the road. That evening Nic, Cameron and Cecelia joined us after they got off work.

Saturday we went on the Alpine Coaster in the morning.

 The girls then went on the zip line. Payton plugged her ears waiting for the noisy ending of the line










The boys went golfing at Wasatch Park while the girls went shopping in the afternoon. In the evening there was the alpine slide and then swimming and our week at Park City was coming to an end.

 We did our ice cream cone trip to the Java Cow and then headed home arriving at 1 a.m.

The week of the 24th

Instead of being home for the holiday Cindy and I went to Jackson for the first part of the week. We got to our campground on the Hoback River and this time we got the prize campsite next to the river. Cindy has always wanted to get his spot, site # 2 but it is always occupied; but not this time. It was so good to sit by the river and read during the day.

The first evening we went to the Bar J to eat and watch the show. We always enjoy the food and music and this performance was really good and funny.

The next day we went to the Tetons and took the boat across Jenny Lake. We hiked to Hidden Falls and then up the steep trail to Inspiration Point.

 We had lunch there. A Marmot sat by us to see if he could get any food. No such luck.

We then continued hiking into Cascade Canyon. It was a marvelous sight. You could see where avalanches had taken out stands of trees and where rock falls over the centuries had created interesting formations along the canyon. While storm clouds gathered they did not rain where we were at but when we got back to camp the awning to the tent trailers was filled with water and was sagging. We had dinner and played games. The rain had cooled things off and the night was cold.

The next morning the campground was was foggy and cool. The scenery was eerie with the fog.
















The wild flowers in the camp ground were pretty.

 I sat huddled under a blanket and read while I also watched the fog burn off.

 We went into Jackson and bought candy and some souvenirs and then in the afternoon went over Teton Pass into Idaho.

  I forgot how steep that pass was and we never made it over 25 miles per hour going up the pass.
Once on the Idaho side we drove through Victor and Driggs and saw the west side of the Tetons.

We continued on through the rolling farm lands which were really pretty and then made it to Rexburg for the rest of the week. We met up with Cindy's sisters Tammy and Nancy. We had dinner that night at Applebee's and then the next three days went to Education Week together. Cindy and I always enjoy the spirit there and the things we are able to learn.  This was the first time we stayed by campus and the room we had was less than desirable but it was close.

 We enjoyed the time there and the beautiful gardens in the middle of campus you walk through going to the different classes and seeing the temple on the hill. It was a very enjoyable week.