Yellowstone part II

Here are some pics of the critters we saw on our Yellowstone trip. They're kind of cool.

Coyote on the side of the road.

Old Faithful.


Bison in front of the van.

Elk in the river.


Way cool pictures.

Cute Squirrel.

Yellowstone

I've taken my time posting about our Yellowstone/Teton vacation. I guess I better get to it before the high of a great vacation fades. I think I'll post in sections. Today I'm going to post about camping and exploring in Yellowstone.

When one spends three days in Yellowstone you are able to see a lot of sites. We saw and smelled many a gieser and hot pot, waterfalls and animals. Sammy was more than happy to climb onto Carp or Carson's back to take in all the sites. We did do a lot of walking around. The first day the kids were really tired. It couldn't have been all that bad because when they woke up the next day they were ready to do it again.

Ahhhhhh - the sulfur smell of Yellowstone. It really wasn't all that bad. I do live with 4 guys so I have become somewhat use to, well, stinky smells.

I took over 400 pictures on this vacation. Trying to decide which ones to post was a challenge. Most geisers have a beautiful aqua blue/green cast to them. This was in the Artist Hot Pots area. I just loved the different color it had compared to everything else I saw.

We only ate out a couple times on this trip. Most of the food was stuff we brought with us. Every afternoon we would stop at a picnic area for lunch and let the kids run around. I chased Sammy around A LOT!

At one of the picnic stops Nathan, our resident entomologist, found this crazy looking bug. He didn't have his Audubon Insect Guide with him to identify it and we didn't let him keep. However, we took this picture and showed the creative creature to every ranger we came across. One mentioned he had seen one before. None of them could name what it was. I kind of wish we let him keep it. It's antennas are something to be proud of!

Throughout the 3 days that we stayed in Yellowstone Gabby and Nathan worked on getting their Junior Ranger patches. Whenever we visit a national park we look for opportunities like this. It just makes the trip more memorable if the kids actually look at what is around them. Ranger programs help do this. Carp paid the closest attention to the junior ranger work.

This is what the older boys did while Dad worked on Junior Ranger stuff with Gabby and Nate. Personally, I don't know how Carson could relax without losing his balance and falling overboard.

We stayed at a cabin in Island Park then camped at Norris campgound in Yellowstone. The kids loved both places. However, camping made the biggest impression on Sammy. She asks us all the time if she can go camping.

Norris campground is right along Yellowstone Lake. We walked down one night and skipped rocks and played near the water. It was quit cold in Yellowstone at night. It actually got down to 29 degrees one night - in the middle of August!

This is a random picture. It's a tree that has fallen over and it's roots are exposed like some rabid octopus. (Can an octopus be rabid?) Anyway, I got Seth to climb it for a picture. I love the funky look of it.

Success! Both Nathan and Gabby earned their Junior Ranger Awards. They received patches for their hard work. All our kids collect patches. Nathan and Gabby got a Yellowstone patch and a Junior Ranger patch from this leg of the trip. Way to go!

My next post will be some pictures of things we saw and animals we gawked at.

Just a little fix . . .

I confess - I am a Harry Potter fan. Yes, I will be rereading all the books - again. Yes, I will mostly likely see movie numero 6 (Half Blood Prince) at a midnight showing. It's what I am. It's what I do.

I got curious this morning after reading Wendy's blog just how close they are to releasing my next fix of HP.

So, here is what I found. It's not long enough if you ask me. Enjoy!

Jack Johnson

My friend Erin did a post about attending Jack Johnson's concert and I had to wonder, who is Jack Johnson? My guess is he has some Hawaiian background - explains why Erin would run into him at her local pool. Anyway, I looked him up on YouTube. Believe me, you know who he is- he sings "Upside Down" that I've heard on the radio quite a bit lately. I found this video of his (maybe not as familiar) that was quite entertaining. I couldn't embed it, so you'll have to click on the link to view it. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrZwGGKGkuU

I won! I won!

Many thanks to Amy for awarding me the "Kreativ Blogger" award. I graciously accept an invitation to elucidate 6 things that make me happy.

1. Tammy Merryweather's cooking. When Tammy brings into our discussions a delicacy she has whipped up I can taste in every word she uses the divine morsel she is describing. I crave her cooking. It's so much better than my own.

2. New quilting supplies. I so appreciate that I have a friend that has noticed these are fulfilling for me. A new rotary cutting blade, my favorite pins, a new mat and ruler - "I simply remember my favorite quilt things and then I don't feel . . . . so bad." (Thank you Julie Andrews.)

3. Chocolate covered strawberries - in really good chocolate. They're better than . . . . . .

4. When my kids actually have a conversation with me. Have you ever tried to hold a conversation with a teenager? They seldom last more than a minute or two. I yearn for the closeness I felt with them when they were little. Occasionally one of them will sprall across my bed as I hunker down to start reading at the end of the night. After articulating their thoughts on issues and blessings in their lives, I feel an incredible amount of gratitude for them as my child and to God for letting me be their Mother.

5. Reading Pivotal. There is something satisfying when you see your own name in print - and knowing someone can imagine you kicking some booty. Thanks for the happiness Peggy.

And last but not least . . .

6. The fall. I can't express in words how happy I feel when the growing season is over. I love to garden, but I need the break so that word "love" doesn't turn into "hate." At the end of summer I am rushing to preserve, freeze, can, or give away all the extra produce. I also stop caring about how my yard looks. The fall brings cooler weather, beautiful color, my favorite jeans and a schedule to keep everyone on. I love the fall and feel the best at this time of the year!

There you have it - 6 of the things that make me happy. In accepting this award I must pass it on to 3 other "Kreativ Bloggers" that I know. The lucky recipents are . . .

1. Judy - Welcome to the blog world. There's got to be some "ninja" good things that make you happy.

2. Peggy - I love the way you write - on your blog or on paper you've got the greatest voice. Let's see what you can pull out of a box without a professors scrutiny.

3. Tammy - I know you love me for passing this onto you - well, at least you love me.

Thanks again Amy. It's fun to think about happy things!

More Park City Jazz Festival

I decided to upload a couple more video of Carson at the Jazz Festival this last weekend. The first is "Boggie Woogie Bugle Boy." You can really hear the bass on this one.

This second one is "Satin Doll."

Enjoy!

Park City Jazz Festival

Carson had a wonderful opportunity to play in the Park City Jazz Festival this past weekend. He started playing around with the bass in 7th grade. In 8th grade his orchestra teacher needed an extra bass in one of his orchestra classes and asked him to officially play. (Carson's main instrument is the cello.) He played in two orchestra classes in 8th grade and three in 9th grade - jazz band playing the bass, advanced orchestra playing the bass, and elite orchestra playing the cello. He seems to pick it up naturally and really enjoys playing.

He was asked at the end of this last school year to play the bass for a local music school that had lost their bass player just before a major gig down in California. So, he spent the summer playing with the "Little Big Band" which consists of kids from ages 11 to 15 years of age. The name of the group is "Little Big Band" because they are teenage kids that play big band era jazz music. They also wear Zuit Suits for their performances to keep with the big band era feel. They played at main Disneyland and California Adventure Parks during June. He was also able to perform in Alpine and at Thanksgiving Point. His summer ended with this last weekends Park City Jazz Festival.

There has never been a band this young to perform in the Park City Jazz Fesitval playing on the main stage. The kids attended a jazz music clinic at a Park City middle school in the morning and then rushed over to Deer Valley Resort to prepare to perform in the outdoor ampitheater. They performed the best I have ever heard them!

I got a few pics. Most the pictures we got were taken of Carson on the jumbotron. It was kind of hard to get pictures or video because they had reserved seating in the middle of the ampitheater for those who paided humungo buckaroos or donated lots of money to the jazz festival. One of the ladies seating people told me the going rate for the center front seats were anywhere from $1,5oo.00 to $2,500.oo a seat. Those seats had the persons name embroidered on a cover for them. The upper center seats were less than that, but not by much. We had to sit to the side on the grass. As a result, people with reserved seating were walking in front of my video camera the entire time. I can't believe they didn't get there on time to see the teenage group perform. It's as though they didn't have a kid in it or something. Boy did they miss out getting there late!

The Little Big Band played 8 songs. I uploaded the last one they performed called "In the Mood." I suggest watching the entire video because Carson twirls his bass. Cool. If I get other copied onto my computer I might upload more.

Carson will not be playing with the Little Big Band anymore. He is too old to play with them this year and does not want to try out for the Super Band because he wants to consentrate on cello. I am so proud of what he has accomplished and have enjoyed all of his performances in all of his jazz playing. Way to go Carson!