At the cabin in the fall (or Katie and Kjirsten go hiking)

I never got around to loading up any pictures from all the weekends I spent up at the cabin with my family in the fall. No, this isn't the cabin. But it's for sale down the canyon aways and I wouldn't mind selling my house and moving into this one. Honestly I really don't think I'd mind so much. There's a woodburning stove, a loft, and it's right on the creek. Driving to and from work would be the worst part...but on to pictures from the Rockwood cabin visit. Here's my parents and some grandkids. Looking through my pictures I realize that except for a few leaf photos, almost all my pictures are from the 3 hikes Kjirsten and I went on together. So, here are our 3 hikes

#1- Between conference sessions I told Kjirsten we were going hiking so have her shoes on and be ready as soon as the morning session was over. They said Amen and we were out the door saying we'd be back in 2 hours. I had high hopes of running up to Twin Lakes and maybe getting to the top of Millicent. We made good time but once we got to Twin Lakes we changed our plans to follow the connecting trail to Lake Mary for a big loop. I got distracted by rock cliffs along the way imagining developing them as climbing routes. Other than that, the weather was perfect and even hiking uphill fast we didn't break a sweat. We wandered around Lake Mary taking a few pictures and climbing on the exposed boulders before heading back. I underestimated our time. I knew if we were late getting back I'd be tagged as being a bad influence Aunt making us miss conference instead of a fun hiking Aunt (plus I actually didn't want to miss conference) so we had to hurry...hurry as in run. I hate running. No more stopping to take pictures either, though I did get a few as we were going. We ran all the way from the trail head to Silver Lake and then all the way to the cabin. We walked in the door at the end of the opening song for the afternoon session. I couldn't believe we'd made it. So much for not breaking a sweat. #2- I can't remember where everyone else was, but the cabin was sort of empty so Kjirsten and I decided to go hiking again, this time just a quick one over to Lake Solitude. We were heading for the trail when Katrina ran up behind us and wanted to come. I told her the rule of no whining and she agreed so the three of us were off to Lake Solitude...and once we were there we thought we may as well walk over to the mine...and then around the lake...and then how about we follow the old road up for awhile...how about a little further...hey I think we're almost to Twin Lakes! A short hike turned long...and no whining, not even from me! This mine only goes in a little ways. I didn't realize when I told them if they went inside and I'd follow them, how much harder it is for someone my size to go in that hole. They made it look so easy.

After we left Lake Solitude we followed the old road up and over Evergreen (?) We kept saying we'd just go a little further and then turn around...then a little further...till I started to recognize things again and said I thought we were above Twin Lakes...sure enough we were! I'd never made that loop before but it won't be the last time I do it. The light was extra sparkly on the lake. The pictures doesn't really do it justice.We considered following the trail Kjirsten and I had taken before to Lake Mary and see all three of the lakes in one loop but it was cold and we'd only planned one one lake and we'd already seen two. Plus who knew what the weather would do and we were already seeing patches of snow on the trail, so we headed back. You wouldn't believe the coaxing it took to get Kjirsten to go down and sit with Katrina at the edge... it was easier to get her inside a dark abandoned mine.

#3- Just as my sister's family was packing up to go, someone mentioned how Jailynn hadn't gone on any hikes except a walk or two around Silver Lake since she was always with Josh, so Kjirsten and I laced up our shoes one more time and went up to the overlook again with Jailynn before they left. We had Kjirsten take this pictures of us at the overlook. For some reason it's rare to get a picture of just my sister and me, usually we're the two people taking all the pictures. I had it as my background on my work computer for awhile and I noticed people hesitate and stare at it as they passed by and I didn't know why till someone said, "Hey, there's two of you in that picture!"

Besides hiking with Kjirsten, there were the usual cabin luxuries. Sleeping out on the porch, reading, playing with the all the nieces and nephews, and tending the fire. Josh and Simon started getting trained early on helping with the fire, while Kris split wood they brought it inside to the woodboxes.

And that's the end of another season at the cabin. Now it's already covered in snow. (This is the picture we set as the wallpaper for my mom's new phone...that's what she get's for needing help putting numbers in her phonebook.)

Halloween Thoughts

I have an aversion to embalming, I don't believe in it and I do not want to be embalmed. I don't even want to have an autopsy if it can be helped. I recently read a short story by David Sedaris for Halloween about him visiting an undertaker and it reminded me of this feeling of mine. It's not just the embalming either, I don't want to be cremated. I don't want a fancy casket or an urn. I don't like the idea of an open casket or anything that makes it look like I'm alive when I'm not. People don't need to look at my dead body and be comforted by the appearance of me being still alive. The idea of it is ridiculous if you ask me. I used to be afraid of the idea of burial and wanted to be put in one of those above ground crypt things you see in places like New Orleans and old European cemeteries, but even that idea I don't like anymore. Why try and prolong or isolate a process that is inevitable and unavoidable, why not make the best of it? I just want to be buried. Maybe wrapped in a sheet or an old blanket, maybe a sleeping bag like Edward Abbey was. Just put me in the ground to return my nutrients to the earth, death as nature intended. Just like autumn leaves composting over the winter to feed the spring flowers. This poem by Thomas Hardy makes is sound better than my ramblings do. Other things I don't believe in: Mayonnaise, Flu Shots, body cleanses, morning people, and expiration dates
For things I do believe in see this older post.

Transformations by Thomas Hardy

Portion of this yew
Is a man my grandsire knew,
Bosomed here at its foot
This branch may be his wife,
A ruddy human life
Now turned to a green shoot.

These grasses must be made
Of her who often prayed,
Last century, for repose;
And the fair girl long ago
Whom I often tried to know
May be entering this rose.

So, they are not underground,
But as nerves and veins abound
In the growths of upper air,
And they feel the sun and rain,
And the energy again
That made them what they were!

English Muffins

I cook and bake a lot but for some reason I don't really like making things that have to rise, so basically anything with yeast in it. With my resolution to make one recipe from all my cookbooks I knew I'd have to make some bread eventually, unless I totally chickened out and just made the banana bread recipe in the back of all my bread baking books. I've been doing great making white bread, yam bread, and cinnamon rolls, and even sourdough bread. Out of everything though, I think making these sourdough english muffins was the most fun. They didn't have the best nooks and crannies like real english muffins do, but I was surprised by how much they looked like the real thing.

Farewell and Fun in Idaho

The whole family headed up to Idaho for a nice farewell weekend for Kris. (we were only missing 3 people) We picked apples, gleaned potatoes, collected eggs, found a few geocaches, played with all the animals, helped cook a big meal, ate at Big Jud's, I got to spend the day with all my siblings, went swimming, saw waterfalls, and listened to Kris's farewell talk.

There were a few family pictures we took and a rare one all my siblings together. (Bryce is missing so often) but I didn't have my camera with me then and those that did are pretty unreliable as far as sharing pictures go so I'm sure I'll never see it. Here's the stuff I got pictures of. (mostly animals and random stuff we did)

The 3 year olds in the playhouse. They were really into it. They were cooking and setting the table, vacuuming, taking naps, and Kris even knocked on the door and they let him in for some pie and ice cream.

Kris and Sugar

One of my favorite cats

An ultra creepy blue eyed horse that I'm sure will eventually show up in some nightmare of mine speaking Russian and walking backwards or something

Geocaching, Dad with one at an old abandoned ski lift

On the way there through a tunnel

A geocache that had a bunch of sunglasses inside to take your picture with

Shrunken Apple Heads

Gleaning Potatoes: After rejecting all the frozen ones and the green ones all you can really find are small ones or something you'd have to classify simply as D) other. Maybe it had something to do with the power station being so close by.

Mesa Falls (I wish I had pictures of the guys seeing who could jump up the most steps)

Big Jud's (Bryce ate a whole one, Kjirsten and I each ate half of one) As a family we polished off 8 but didn't finish the sodas or fries

We took most the fries home which led to a classic dad misunderstanding

Katie: The car stinks
Jerry: Because there's 5 boxes of fries in the back.
Katie: Not just fries though, like fries and B.O.
Dad: French Fries To Go!?!

We reconvened a couple days later at my house for Kris's last family dinner and sent him on his way to the MTC and eventually Louisiana.

Samantha - another future climber

After the post I wrote about Quinn being a future climber, I figured he might need a climbing partner eventually. So here we have my niece Samantha, another future climber. We were actually going geocaching but the cache was behind this big rock so I had her practice climbing it.Impressive huh? (just ignore the angle of the trees in the background and she's a prodigy)

Ok, for real now, but still pretty good for only 3 years old.

And here's a couple of rare Samantha smiles, she must like climbing! (...and a random Christmas Tree in the middle of the woods.) That hard work deserves a ride on my shoulders back to the car.

Autumn Leaves Up Close

It wasn't the most fantastic fall season up in the canyon, but even if the landscape as a whole doesn't put on a show, the leaves themselves still do a nice job up close. These are just a few leaves I found on the cabin deck. I think I might have even been wearing my slippers when I took these, which means I didn't have to go very far.

Except they weren't plums, they were peaches

The me from 11pm last night would like to dedicate this poem to the me at 8am this morning. The idea of them with cream was just too much for me and I couldn't resist. I hope the me of Saturday morning can find peaches at the farmers market enough for us all. Again, I'm sorry.
Love,
Me

This is Just To Say
by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

And which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

Some of the peaches at the farmers market are considerably larger than others, but all of them are so delicious. I don't want peach season to ever end.