The Fountain of [my] Youth

Dad would take us to a spring on the mountain when we were kids. He used to fill up the water jugs from the pipe in the spring, and we would run around while he worked. This summer, he agreed to take us there again. We set out in two vehicles, bouncing and bumping until we stopped at the base of these rocks.

You can see the water as it breaks into the world - right in the middle of the mountain.

Dad stood around and silently mocked us while we played in the water.

Kevin drank right from the pipe.

Joel drinks from his hands, not the pipe. This water is COLD! Those fingers of his must be freezing.

Amanda gets in on the cold mountain spring water action.

Aspen drinks out of her hands.

Even Harper decided he was thirsty.

Mike, Amanda, and the kids are wet and dirty. But, what the heck, this is as good a time as any for their family portrait.

HOLY MOLY! Joel sure did drink a lot of water!

Of course, Aspen wouldn't get into the 'cousins' photo. Mike tried to pull her and we tried to threaten her until, finally, Hali bribed her with a packet of Ramen noodles. Then she ran right over and took a happy photo.


You will also notice that we are safety gurus. The kids rode in the back of the pickup during a lightning storm while the adults observed them from the comfort of the cab.

After we were done at the spring, Kaitlyn and Cienna help work the sheep.

These guys are the hard workers.

And here Mom is threatening me with her stick if I take a picture of her. But she is so beautiful so I am risking the beating she might give me the next time she gets her hands on my hide.

Dixie Cup Tower

The girls made a tower with Dixie cups. Then they knocked it down. Then they built it back up. Then they knocked it down...

I found this note downstairs. I like how it sums everything up.

The Littlest Moose

Katie is showing us just how little the moose is. It fits right in between her two fingers.

Here is a close up of the moose.

Later, when we were on a hike to the waterfall, Kevin turned a corner and was right next to a baby moose. He looked to the other side, and saw that he was right in between that baby and it's mom. Not good. He backed away, told us to stop walking, and Mike threw a rock at her to see if she would get agitated and charge us. She didn't bowl us over, but we decided to tun around rather than risk getting close to them again.