Visiting Carlisle Ranch

We drove over to Star Valley to spend the morning with Carlisles at their ranch.  We have missed them since they moved to Logan and it was great to see them again.

Granny Smith was especially delighted to play with little Jack.  They raced off and spent the morning paddling in the boat and jumping into the pond.

Our favorite part of the ranch is the sheep camp.

The inside of the camps are so cool and the Spy Twins love imagining camping out in them for the summer.

This is the outdoor cooking and eating area.

And the front of the main cabin.  I wish we could figure out a way to live over there.  It would be a dream come true!  But!  That is probably not going to happen, so we'll just enjoy visiting.

The Future Bunkhouse!

We have decided to change the chicken coop into a bunk house.  This summer skunks and hawks have demolished our flock of 30 down to 2.  These last two birds refuse to enter the coop and roost on the jeep and suburban at night instead.  

I was getting tired of having chicken you know what all over my sidewalks, and chickens taking dust baths in all my flower beds, so this seemed a good time to change things.  

The boys have poured a cement floor and will put in insulation, walls and ceiling soon.  I have the terribly hard job of sewing curtains and choosing paint.  :)   I couldn't resist choosing this fabric with the roosters on it: paying homage to previous owners!  The little bunkhouse should be quite cozy when we get it finished.  

More Family Reunion

I tried to capture a few candid photos.  Grandma W played a trivia game with everyone.  During the questions about the early years, only the older kids knew the answers.  Aunt April said to me, "I wasn't even alive when any of this happened!"

Sarah, Joshua, and James

John answering a question.

Everyone again.. back, left to right:  Josh, James, Robert, John, Joseph

Laura, Sarah, Grandma and Grandpa W, Debbie, April.

Amy and baby Emma Kate with Golden Delicious

Laura and Sarah

Debbie and baby with Robert and Laura

James and his wife Nichelle.  Nichelle is an awesome singer and guitar player!

The Big Family Reunion

Mr. Bechtel's family had a reunion several Saturdays ago.  We ended up stopping at Smith and Edwards on the way down.  They had so many great hats!  We ended up buying 4!

But we didn't get this one on Prairie.

The sombrero was also very popular with Granny Smith.  Golden got this hat and then had the guy behind the counter shape it for her.  Then we bought a concho to go on it too.

It was fun to get together with Mr. Bechtel's family.  All the siblings were there except Christine and Nancy.

Grandpa W. talked for a minute to everyone.  He spoke about one of the missing siblings and his career with the USDA.  He also bore a very nice testimony.

Here are the siblings (from R to L, which is oldest to youngest)

Joseph, John, Debbie, Robert, Laura, April, James, Sarah, Joshua

Ranch Fever

I look at lots of ranches.  This one is still my favorite.  I wrote earlier about how it just sold, and it's true.  Someone bought it, and it was not me.  But just so I remember all the lovely parts of the Corral Creek Ranch, here are my favorite parts:

The pond.  It needs a canoe and little children paddling around.  Also the bunkhouse in the background.  You've got to have a bunkhouse.

All the living area in one big room.  I could totally curl up on that couch and read a book while the fireplace crackled merrily and life hummed along happily.

One of the bedrooms.  It looks so cozy!

The other bedroom.  What a great little stove!

And the kitchen.  I love the way the sunlight slants in.  I could have my big red dutch oven simmering on the stove top, and some bread raising on the counter.  So fun!

Inside the bunkhouse.  I love the rows of books and the loft overhead.

Someday.  Someday.

Swimming Lessons

After waaaay too many years, we again did swimming lessons at Green Canyon.  The kids and I all have such good memories of going up there, and Granny was so little last time, it was time to go again.

Granny had a marvelous time and was a little shark all week long.  

We got up early in the morning, filled our water bottles, packed a snack, blankets and pillows, and drove up.  His class started at 8.

On Wednesday Golden Delicious and the Spy Twins came up too.  After lessons we built a fire and cooked hot dogs for our lunch and then everyone went swimming for the afternoon.

It seems like there is always road construction on that road.  While we were stopped this time waiting, we remembered years ago being stopped also, and the person in front of us falling asleep and not going when it was time.  G.D. said, "mom, we're always listening to NPR too while we're driving up here.  Remember once when we were driving up here and they did this whole segment on wild goats eating all the forage on an island?"  Amazingly, we all remembered!

This time the big adventure was that in all the road construction, I missed the road I should have been driving on, and instead rumbled off onto the "under construction" side.  I was buzzing along and the boys said, "Uh, Mom!  That guy over on the road is yelling at you."  I stopped and rolled down my window and heard him saying, "Ma'am!  Ma'am!  You're going to have to turn around!  There's heavy equipment on that road!"

So, I turned around.  We decided, though, that we totally could have made it!

Looking good Granny Smith!

Barn Clean Out

Last week we rented a skid steer and used it to clean up Crabapple Farm.  It is amazing what you can do with machinery!

We moved all our wood around to the other corner of the shop so we could park our truck and manure spreader under cover.

We also cleaned out the barn.  Did you know that even years after you've had pigs, you can still smell them?  It's true.

We really need a skid steer.