Vacations!

The boys sure have enjoyed their summer! We started off with a trip to Silverwood in June, the kids thought it was better than Disneyland..... a place they've never visited, but it was funny to hear them say it. July and August were even busier. We spent a week in Idaho at my grandma's farm, it's something the boys thoroughly enjoy. The highlights are illustrated in pictures......

We happened to be driving by this beautiful scene on the way to grandma's house so I stopped to take some photos.


Spelunking! The boys really enjoyed being cave explorers, it was one of the highlights of the week.






Working on the farm with their grandpa was another highlight, they had jobs to do and were put to work several times. Jared and David sure felt important!




Close to the property, you'll find these strange little critters. They are called Spurge Caterpillars, they feed on leafy spurge - a noxious weed that is not natural to this side of the world.


Yellowstone is always a joy for us, we saw a few large critters and enjoyed the beautiful drive.






We stayed a couple of nights in Jackson Hole, Wyoming so that Larry could visit one of the Caterpillar dealerships (he didn't get much vacation time, it was mostly work for him since he's new to this job and has not accrued time off). We took the kids on the Alpine Slide, something we like to do anytime we're in Jackson during the warmer months of the year.



While I was in Jackson, I got up early each morning to enjoy the sunrise at these locations. I got some wonderful images out of the deal...






The boys thought it was pretty neat to see Earthquake Lake on one of our road trips. It's worth googling to learn the history of it. Notice the dead trees in the water - it is all because of an earthquake which caused half of a mountain to fall into the water causing it to rise.


We visited an old western town called Virginia City, Montana. There was a little shop that was famous for the best ice cream in the west so we just had to stop and try it. Obviously the boys hated every bite.....


Also in Virginia City, the boys learned about what this town does to the "bad guys."


Soon after we got back from our trip to Idaho (and just about every state around it), we headed up to Kalispell, Montana. Larry had business to attend to so I visited Glacier National Park for the first time. I went 3 times, it was absolutely beautiful! Larry and I hiked in to St. Mary Falls in the evening, it was nearly dark when we got back to the car, but wonderful to be the only ones there to enjoy the scenery.


On our way out of Glacier National Park, it was nearly midnight and we immediately noticed how bright the stars were. It was like looking at the night sky for the first time, we could see the whole milky way! Of course, everything lined up perfectly. The best time for viewing the stars is on a clear night in the summer during a new moon (which was just 2 days away). Luck was on my side and this is what I got on my first try (thanks to a friend who let me have a book about night photography).


As soon as we got back from our trip to Kalispell, we were off to Mt. Rainier the next day. The boys have been begging to camp all summer so they finally got to do that. This was a photo club trip, we camped out at the cabin of some friends in the club and had a blast! I got up at 4:30am each morning to capture sunrise over Mt. Rainier. The first day was pretty strenuous, I hiked about 6 miles and most of it was either up or down, not a lot of leisurely walks through the woods. The boys hiked about 3 miles with Larry so they got to run off some of their energy. Here are some of my favorites from last weekend....






Yesterday was the first day of school and after a summer full of fun, they are back to routine. I love the routine, but will miss the kids! The house is so quiet. Even though they said they were not excited to go back to school, they practically ran to the bus. Who are they trying to fool?