Lucky Peak

A few weeks ago, we had heard that Lucky Peak was going to be releasing water from the dam an the 21st and 22nd, which creates the famous Rooster Tail each spring. In our 17 years of living here we had never seen it before. I looked online to find out some information and all the news articles I could find said it was going to be the following weekend, the 28th & 29th. Well, we were all set to go out there on the 21st, so we did anyway! It was after our Story Trail walk, we just continued on out to Lucky Peak. Enjoyed the warm weather some more and walked abit of the trail. I never been down to Lucky Peak really (into the park a time or two, but never the beach there) so it was nice to see the calm the week before.  Here's a little peak - the top picture was on the 21st and the bottom picture was a week later - nice calm waters to rough waters - all because of a rooster tail. ;)

Below are several pictures taken from both weekends. It was just a really cool thing to see - but it sure makes for high, fast moving rivers down below now!

...Well, never mind that! I was told my blog is at its max for pictures and I can post no more...

I was going to post the pictures in my Kodak gallery, but a few days after deciding to do that I got notice that Kodak is moving all albums to shutterfly and will no longer store photos...

So at this point you just the above picture while I figure out what to do next!

So much for catching up before it got to the busy part of May!

Story Trail

Hang in here with me as I gradually get caught up. After Les got my computer up and running, it was unfortunately a temporary fix, as it crashed big time again! Ugh!! So we (meaning Les) had to reinstall EVERYTHING and basically start over. I prayed that all my stuff was still there. I was saving stuff where he told me too, so that helped! and most everything was still there. Especially the all important pictures. So I will spend the next few posts, briefly, I hope, catching up before our busy May hits.

We went on the 21st of April to the Foothills Learning Center to do our Story Trial walk. The book for April was "Owl Babies". Cute little story. After our previous cold walks through there, that weekend was so nice and the flowers were in bloom, totally different walk. Here's a few pictures from the trial.

Loved coming around the corner and seeing this big red bush.

And the little "field" of purple flowers.

The blossoms on this tree really stood out against the evergreens and the dying branches of the other trees.

Big, beautiful pink blossoms.

This was a lonely Simba! Tiffani had spent the weekend at Gma J's and Simba waited and waited for her to come home.

***The more important update... I think I won the cribbage game this last round - it is most wins, right!? The final tally was 47 to 46 wins - but Les ended with more points - 1016 to 964.***

Finally! An Update! :)

My computer decided to do this lovely little update of Internet Explorer without my permission and it changed some things. Where things were located was tolerable since Les had already put IE 9 on his computer, so I was used to it, just wasn't my preference. Clicking on a picture that was so suppose to take you to a craft website and it took you to something way out there instead & you had to click back 2 -5 sites to get to where you were suppose to be was irritating. But when it wouldn't let me into blogger at all and it changed the format of my work email, I was not a happy camper!! Les tried & tried to fix it but couldn't. I finally agreed to let him put Google Chrome on my computer - that failed too! After running a system check and doing whatever else he does (I love having my own personal tech guy!) it is finally up and running.

So here we are, almost a month since my last post and not really that many pictures to post.

We got to meet little Jagger in February. He was 2 months old and he belongs to Jon & Heidi Wight. Since Brianna wasn't there with us, I was able to cuddle him for a couple of hours without sharing. (Sorry Brianna - you would have enjoyed him!) He slept most of the time.

Tiffani spent most of her "free" time being very busy painting the set for the Cinderella production at the High School. I wish I could have gotten some pictures during the play (for Tiffani's art work and for the play itself)  - but 1 - I didn't bring my camera and 2 - they didn't allow flash photography anyway. 

Cousin Haylie was in it as one of the step sisters. They are suppose to be putting it on a DVD and hopefully we can buy one. It was definitely worth seeing again.

One of the Saturday's Tiffani spent at the high school (seems like every Saturday in February was there, either for yearbook or painting!) the cast was there practicing so the light weren't on backstage for most of the time. Les used the flash and took the top picture of her painting the shadows on the bricks...

...but really this is how it looked - painting by light of her phone! 

More brick work. Tiffani spent about 45 hours! painting set. WOW!

Brianna was home the week Cinderella was playing so we went to see it. We didn't buy a ticket for Tiffani since she was going to go as yearbook staff and take pictures. Unfortunately she got sick and missed two days of school and was unable to go when we went. So she and I went back the next night (closing night) so she could take pictures & see the play and I sat out in the lobby selling goodies for the seniors fundraiser. After the play I made her go back and get a picture in front of all her hard work. She was to enthused about it, but I got a picture anyway. :)  She did get some recognition in the program along with a few others who painted even though her name was spelled wrong.

While Brianna was here we went on our February story hike. The story this month was Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints. We got around to the last stop and I realized there were 32 pages in the book. There are 10 stops along the trail and I thought that we didn't see all the pages. Every body agreed that, no we couldn't have seen them all...

So we went back to the beginning of the trail and Les and Brianna are trying to figure it out in there heads (& on their fingers!) to see if we got all the pages. It was decided that we should've see them all... So we walked around again and discovered that at one stop we didn't actually read one of the pages! O'well... what's a little extra walk. :)

It was so great to see the sisters together again. They do enjoy each others company.

Family photo - in the same spot we took our picture last month.

I sure hope the weather gets nice - lots of rain, snow, more rain today - so we can do our March walk. I just realized that next Sunday is the last Sunday of the month and that is when we've been going to the foothills but we will be in Lewiston. I guess we'll have to do an evening walk since the Saturday's are busy too!

While Brianna was here the plan was for her and I to go to a concert, but that didn't pan out and we went shopping and to Olive Garden for dinner instead. The other plan was for to go skiing with Les on Saturday. Unfortunately that didn't work out either as neither one was feeling the best. They did get race on the play station instead which is another must do for them when she is home. So even though things worked out, it wasn't as planned and the trip just seemed off or odd or... something, I don't know. But we are thankful she got to spend a week + a few days at home. THAT part was wonderful.

win... skunk...!

Tiff's cool picture of the board. :)

I skunked him by 41 points!!

This is a continuous track score board. It lets you keep track of up to 999 points and 99 games and up to 9 skunks. We are currently sitting at:

I've won 36 games, Les has won 35 games

I've skunked him 9 times, Les has skunked me 11 times

(He's had to wrap around to the green row to keep track of them since he's gone over the 9 it lets you keep track of.)

The number of points though, as of right now is tied!  836.

Hmmm - so now the question is - who is considered the winner if one of us has the most wins but the other one has the most points?

Crafts - finally!

Wow, it's been a L O N G time since I've really gotten in the "crafty" mood and once I got started I didn't stop! Still have some long term projects in the works, but I have a few pictures to share.

This is for Hannah. It's a 5 x 5 art journal. Can be used to draw in or use it as a mini scrapbook.

Also for Hannah - this is a lined notepad. There is a pencil to match, but somehow it missed the picture.

This was just a simple box embellished with embossed butterflies. A birthday gift for a friend, that had some Ghirardelli Chocolate squares in it. Yumm!

And mini note cards (4x4) that came die-cut, just put cardstock behind the cut out, punched the bottom edge so the colored card stock would peek through and added a mini colored flower, a brad and sponging. And of course matching envelopes. Made 6 & tied together with twine for a birthday gift.

So fun to be back in my craft room again - and not just perusing the internet for ideas, but following through on them! Much better way to spend my time... (as I am at the computer blogging... hmm!)

Garden Valley Sleigh Ride

This last Sunday afternoon we redeemed one of our pre-purchased Bucket List dates. About mid-December Idaho Sleigh Rides had a Groupon out for 1/2 off a ride ticket, so I bought 2 of 'em and gave them to Les for Christmas. We scheduled our ride for 1:00 in the afternoon and it was an absolutely beautiful day for it. The sun was shining and it wasn't windy at all.  

The worst part was this section of the road up there. Part of the Banks/Lowman Highway that has mountains on both sides of it. The road was slick in some places. And that view right there just made it look very cold (along with the ice-filled river!).

Poncho & Cisco (The hard workers for the day!) They had five sleigh rides to give the day we went and 7 the day before. The horses are 9 and 10 years old and are full brothers. And... they have been in the Rose Bowl Parade!

 

The ride itself takes about 45 minutes and it winds you through a bit of the valley.

And some of the trees. It was so peaceful.

The horses, sleigh and tent - where you can have hot chocolate, cider, tea or coffee before and after the ride. You can also buy a dinner sleigh ride for a little more (of course) and have it served in the tent.

We were a little disappointed to hear that a "subdivision" is going in out there. But from what I understand Southfork Landing is going to be an outdoor adventure community and about 60% of it is dedicated to open space/wildlife conservation area. They are putting in a whitewater park. And it currently has a small tubing hill.

After our sleigh ride we walked over to the tubing hill to check it out. If you click on the picture and make it bigger, along the right side you see the tubes & riders getting a lift up the hill. Just after they go behind the trees - you are at the top of the hill.

The owner (I'm guessing) was standing down at the bottom with a radar gun letting people know how fast they were going. Les, kind of jokingly, asked if he'd ever had anybody on ski's go down it. The guy said just one guy on a snowboard, after hours, when the employees were playing. Les, of course, said he'd give it a try. He had his ski's in the pickup. And the guy said to go for it, go get 'em. Les asked if he was serious and the guy says go get 'em. And he was off...

So here he is going up the lift.

And at the bottom - 38 mph.

I didn't get a picture of him on the hill as I was trying to video it. That failed ...and he was hoping to get 40 mph, so he went one more time. That video is below (and on facebook). Got to 39 mph.

This was taken from up on the tubing hill - I was hoping for an overall shot of the valley where the sleigh ride goes, but the tube storage was in the way & I couldn't get high enough!

On the way home we stopped along the Payette River - standing on a snow covered beach along the ice filled river.

Climbing and Hike in the Foothills

A year ago for Christmas I gave Les a "12 Daytz of Christmas" book for Christmas. Yes, it may seem corny, but, you know what? It achieved its purpose. We had a terrible habit of saying we were going to go out to dinner or dinner/movie or something and then we'd end up eating fast food & doing necessary grocery shopping & that sort of thing. Not a very good "date" - I thought this might get us out of our rut. So each month had something different to do and for the most part we did all of them. The things I picked for the summer months didn't happen, but we did other things - Last summer we went to Meridian Speedway several times & that wasn't one of the things I'd even put in the book! BUT it was a date (or dayt) night and was wonderful.

So this last Christmas I did the same sort of thing - except instead of a booklet, I got a small bucket and decorated it and labeled it our "2012 Bucket List". Brianna painted sticks for me and I wrote all our dates for the year on them. There is room on it to write the date we do the event, too. And several blank sticks to add new things that we'd like to do. It has a variety of things to do in it. Meridian Speedway IS in there this time. 

So one of our first dates we did was go to Urban Ascent to climb. Now, I don't climb - but they are always in need of a belayer. So Les gets to climb & I get to help him without climbing! (Works for me.)  The 21st of January we went with Brian (THE Boss) & his wife Rachel. They had never climbed before so it was kind of a teaching day, which Les loves to share the sport, and he also got to climb 6 routes, I believe. 

Here is Les giving Rachel belaying instructions as Brian climbs for the first time.

Les is at the top of one route and Rachel is on her was down. The "little speck" at the bottom is Brian... And that is why I stay on the ground! :)

Last Sunday afternoon we went back to the Foothills Learning Center to walk the storybook path (that we discovered in November) and then hiked a bit, too. What a great surprise that our first month's story was Stellaluna. One of mine (& Brianna's) favorite books.

A very cold looking stream running next to the Learning Center.

We also got a treat - almost right on cue - as we were reading about the owl attacking Stellaluna and her mother, we heard an owl hoot. Kinda cool! Les found 2 of them in the tree - can you see them?

One of the owls is right in the middle of this picture.

And a view from another part of the path - right in the middle again.

"Catface" is a term used to describe an old wound on a tree trunk that closes over as it heals. The concept for this steel, concrete and glass mosaic tile tree is the artist's observation that fire causes change and new life comes forward in the spaces left after a fire. There are all kinds of plants and animals depicted in the tiles. Check inside the tree trunk - there's a raccoon (in tile!).

One of my favorites was the bunny you can see at the bottom of the tree in the above picture and this little bird. Really neat piece of art.

Us on our date hike... (though I think we messed this one up a little and went grocery shopping after... We'll have to remedy that next time!!!) And let me tell you - that sun was SO nice. I don't know how cold it was and there was a bit of a breeze, but in a sunny spot that was calm the sun was so warm on my face. I can't wait for spring hikes. :)

A part of the uphill trail we hiked. It wasn't too bad - the narrow path with drop offs was worse then the uphill climb. We've got lots of paths to explore though.

Christmas Light Show

As promised - a bit delayed on my part, Les did get it onto youtube the beginning of January.


Christmas light show at the house on Parapet Ct. in Boise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apjoR0jLOIQ&feature=related

There is another shorter video (50 seconds) that you can watch from the same house - but it is a bit, um..., colorful. (Instead of "Let it Snow" it's "Yellow Snow"... watch if YOU want!!)

Sweet Finds (& Food!)

When we were up in Lewiston, we went to an antique store that Brianna has been in a few times and kept telling me about. But we've always been up there over a holiday and its been closed. This time we were finally able to go into the store. It is huge!! I wish I would've gotten a picture of the store and of the game wall - well, see the picture below with hot wheels cars going up it... behind that was a huge stack of games. We saw one that peaked our interest and asked the owner to get it down because there was no way we wanted to be the ones to knock over that stack. And the game was in the middle of it all & above our out-stretched arms.

I don't know if any of you have heard of it, but it's called Razzle and it came out in 1981. I'd never heard of it. All the pieces were there and the box was in good shape and it was only $5! We bought it... When we got back to Brianna's, she and Les played a game of it. It's kind of a cross between scrabble and boggle. There are 6 letter dice & whoever gets a word first gets to slide the red tray forward - that turns the dice and gives you different letters to make a word from. Brianna was doing a super job getting some five & six letter words. They had a lot of fun with it. Les really wanted to bring it home but in the end Brianna got to keep it and her and Kelley have enjoyed it.

I was amazed at the number of hot wheels, still in original packaging, in this store. This picture isn't even 1/2 of them I'm sure! They were selling for over $3 each and you can get new ones at Wal-mart for $1. But these may have been really old ones - I don't know. It was kind of overwhelming to look at all of them!

Cool old fashioned coffee grinder.

Things that make you go "Hmmmm".

WOW! An ivory cribbage board... for only $90!

Although the paper behind shows a picture of an identical one that sold on ebay for $150 - so $90 would be a pretty good deal I guess.

Simba got to join us for our walk in the lit up train park.

Kell, Tiff & Bri

a panoramic of the park and it's not even half of it!!!

There are 2 of these lighted archway paths. Brianna was a bit bummed though - I guess last year it was set up to change colors as you walked under it and it didn't do that this time.

The girls are standing on a "sensor board" that you can walk around on and figure out where the sensors are on the tree (the lights at the top of the picture). That was pretty cool.

And now for the SWEET food.

After all the trouble with the ice cream maker we've had the last few times we've made ice cream, Les splurged and got me the kitchen aid ice cream maker for Christmas. We tested it out yesterday and made some chocolate ice cream. Now, it only makes 2 quarts and you can't have it full to that 2 quart line before it starts churning, so I had to hold back a little and not whip the cream before adding it. Mom always whips her cream, so I have also when I make ice cream. I totally stuck to the 2 quart recipe in the book on this one. It turned out really good.  

This is just as it started...

...and 30 minutes later. Soft serve goodness!

I think it is really cool how it is open on the top and you can see it getting thicker. And it's not noisy and you don't need rock salt or ice!! Now the only dilemma is to figure out what flavor to do next...