July 2020 - Week 1

SUNDAY - After church, Kanyon went back to Pocatello with Tiffany's family for a few days. He was so excited! Josh and I took the twins on a Jeep ride up 4th of July Creek to the Forest Service Lookout. We'd never been all the way to the end of the road before, because there was still some snow cover on sections of the road the previous summer when Josh and I had attempted it. I'm glad the twins came with us--they usually don't. The drive was pretty and relaxing. The views at the top were gorgeous! You could see Salmon in the distance, North Fork and the Salmon River in the canyon, and the highway to Gibbonsville, as well as Montana territory far in the east and several mountain ranges. It's my favorite lookout so far and was the first one I've been to that's been manned by an employee. We walked around for a bit and took some pictures before making our way back down the same way we'd gone up. We hit a rainstorm on the way back and Josh pulled over under the canopy of a tree for a few minutes so the twins wouldn't get so drenched in the back seat! 

MONDAY - I was sitting on the Triple S early in the afternoon, and a family of 5 deer showed up, paying no attention to me. I love this new little spot in the corner of our property! I always feel transported to a mountainside while I'm there--I'm at one with nature, and feel so peaceful!

    My favorite part of the day, though, was when Josh and I went floating down the Salmon River with the Judy family that evening. One of the items on my 40 Things to Do List was to float a different section of the Salmon River that I've never been on before. The Judy's go kayaking a lot, so I asked if they'd go with us since they know the river from town heading north and could help us navigate it. The twins opted to go to Summer Running instead. We met up with the Judy's at the Island Park ramp in town and we floated to the Ranch. I loved it! It was so quiet on the river and there's very few homes along that section of the river, so it was very peaceful. It was cool seeing where the Lemhi River flows into it and seeing the cliffs of Discovery Hill, too. The Judy kids all know how to navigate their kayaks, so it was relaxing not having our kids or other relatives to worry about. Usually when we go, we end up taking others and it's a process to blow up all the tubes/boats, and then keep an eye on everyone in the river the whole time. This was by far the most relaxing float Josh and I have ever had! We even stopped mid-float for the kids to swim, skip rocks, and walk around and it was so nice just hanging out with Dallin and Jen on the rocky shore, talking to them as their kids played. We've also never floated in the evening--there was way less people on the river and the sky was calm, which was awesome, too! 

TUESDAY - I worked on a  project for several hours to construct a footbridge across the ditch by the sitting area in the Triple S. The Cranney's have a giant scrap pile of wood in the gravel pit of leftover stuff to burn from their fencing materials. I took the 4-wheeler there, found logs that were at least 15 ft. long, cleared away brush, wrapped tie downs around each log, and attached it to the 4-wheeler, then dragged it back to the Triple S. Once I parked the 4-wheeler in the Triple S, I had to unload the logs by hand and haul them to the ditch, because it was too small of an area to turn the 4-wheeler around to get closer to the gate. Micah helped me carry the first 2 logs through the sitting area and across the ditch, but the 1st one wasn't quite long enough so I repeated the process all over again. This time, the log I found was even bigger around, and I dragged it back on the 4-wheeler, but by then Micah had gone to cut hay for Grandpa, so I unloaded it myself. It was super heavy! The widest end was a foot across, and it was 16' long. I wrapped a tie down around one end and dragged it a few feet at a time by myself to the edge of the ditch, then pivoted the smaller end around and across the ditch. Then I moved it to the opposite side of the other post that I'd previously placed and took away the smaller first post by wrapping the tie downs around it and dragging it off to the 4-wheeler, then I took it to our burn pile. I was so proud of what I'd been able to accomplish alone. It was a lot of heavy lifting, but with the creative use of simple machines, I got the first step of the job done! 

WEDNESDAY - I loaded up the truck in the morning to get ready to go camping with Josh. When he got home from work, we packed in the food and left about noon to go to Horse Creek Hot Springs--my FAVORITE hot springs! It took about 3 hours to get there, and the place was pretty bare - just a few day trip soakers and one other camper were the only other ones there. We were able to set up in the same place as last year and were the only ones in the lower campground, which made me happy. Josh cooked us some steaks on the tabletop grill: they were absolutely delicious! After dinner, we soaked in the hot springs and had it all to ourselves for about 45 minutes before others came and we headed back to our campsite. I got the bed ready in the back of the truck while Josh made the fire (we slept under the stars to cross off another item on my 40 Things to Do list). We played 3 rousing rounds of SkipBo while we waited for it to get dark and for the day-soakers to leave. When the last day-soaker left, we walked back over to the Hot Springs and soaked in the deepest, hottest pool inside the building. It was refreshing and so relaxing. We had some great conversation, and soaked for over an hour. It was heavenly! We walked back to our campsite and got under the dew-laden covers in the bed of the truck. It was the perfect night to sleep under the stars! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the moon wasn't up yet. The view was spectacular. I never thought sleeping under the stars would be so fun! I'm so glad we experienced it at our favorite hot springs! It was a very memorable experience! 

THURSDAY - Sleeping in the back of the truck overnight was a cold, wet experience. There was even frost on our sleeping bag when we woke up! However, Josh said he wasn't cold at all during the night-he never was on the edge of the sleeping bag like I was because he said he snuggled into me all night! We slept in until the sun came up, then we walked to the hot springs for one more soak before people would be arriving for the day. We had it to ourselves every time we soaked, which was the perfect scenario! We packed up and drove home, driving a little out of the way for part of it to go on a mountain road we'd  never been on before. It was a good drive. We unpacked when we got home and I worked some more on my new footbridge by the Triple S when Josh went to work. I brought over shorter wood pieces we already had and a wood block to brace the shorter pole upon the ground. I dug down, leveled the ground, set the wood block, and laid the pole back over it. It was a pretty good match to the height of the larger pole, and just needed to be shaved down in  2 spots to be level between them. I laid out the wood pieces until they covered the poles, and figured out what the placement would be (sizes of the pieces and spaces between each piece). I only had to cut 2 longer pieces into half in order to get the right number of planks to cover the poles. Then I used the chainsaw to shave off 2 parts of the shorter pole that had spots sticking up so that the boards would lay flat and level across both poles. 

FRIDAY - I got to work in the morning of screwing in the boards into my new footbridge (I charged the drill all night since it was dead the previous day). I worked until I ran out of long screws. I took a shower, got dressed, and went to town to get more. While I was in town, I visited with Pam Mark at her house for an hour or so, and we got caught up on our families. It was nice to see her! When I got home, I finished screwing in the boards, and made 2 more cuts with the chainsaw to the poles in order to be more level for the boards to lay on them. I finished the bridge in the afternoon. It took me 3 days, but I was so proud of myself for doing this project from start to completion! 

SATURDAY - Josh and I took Phil and Darcy on a Jeep ride. It was a great day for a ride--it was the hottest day of the year to that point: over 90*! We headed down river, then up Sage Creek. We drove up to the Lookout on Ulysses Mountain. It was a 60' metal tower that you had to climb up ladders to reach the lookout platform. We'd never been to a lookout like it before! I started climbing up, but stopped at the first level because the next ladder wasn't attached and it spooked me. Josh and Darcy made it all the way to the top and said the views above the burnt tree level (where I stayed) were amazing! Phil chose to stay on the ground the whole time. When Darcy and Josh came back down, we drove to Indian Peak and saw even more views--it was so beautiful from the top! We drove down through Hughes Creek Middle Fork and came out Hughes Creek, marveling at all the pretty homes and cabins. We stopped for dinner at Water's Edge Pizza on the way home; Phil and Darcy had never been there before. We enjoyed our usual pizza and the company we were with. When we got to Salmon, we stayed at Darcy and Phil's for a bit, playing cards with them on their backyard patio. We played Spades, but sadly the ladies lost terribly and then we played 3 rounds of Cards Against Humanity with their friend Anthony, who joined us. We laughed so much! We finally left to go home when it got dark and cold. I loved everything about the day--being with friends, exploring the mountains, seeing the beauty in the world around us, having good conversation, sharing laughter, eating good food, feeling the sun's warmth, and playing games. It all made for a very memorable day! 

June's End to July 4th 2020

 SUNDAY - After Josh finished working at the golf course, he and I drove to Jefferson Lake in Rigby. We took the truck and his enclosed mowing trailer so that we could pick up a golf cart in Pocatello on Monday for his grandma. Unfortunately, it rained most of the drive and was rainy when we arrived. We were camping with my Terreton dominoes friends (we usually do one thing together each summer, and this was our summer plan for this year). Tanis had taken her camping trailer and reserved our space. I reserved a spot right by hers. We got there about the same time. We had a great spot with a beachfront access to the lake, but sadly we never used it due to the rain and cold. Josh and I talked to Tanis for a while in her trailer. When Lidia and Rosalba arrived, Josh left to go visit Pup in Rigby and we ate lunch. Soon after, Val and Angie arrived. We talked, laughed, and played dominoes. When Josh came back, he grilled us hot dogs (and Angie's carrot dogs because she's a vegetarian) for dinner. We sat around talking, laughing, drinking, snacking, and asking/answering questions from a book that Val brought of a hundred different deep questions. We had a hilarious time together, and discussed some pretty deep topics, too! Finally, Josh and I went back to our trailer to sleep for the night. Josh had laid out our mattress pads, foam pad, and sleeping bags on the floor already. It was the first time we've ever slept on the floor of the mowing trailer! It worked out pretty good. We used a propane heater to warm it up, and we stayed cozy all night in it. 

MONDAY - Josh and I slept surprisingly well in the cargo trailer! I wet over to Tanis' trailer to hang out with the ladies in the morning. We ate breakfast and they had coffee, and we talked and laughed some more. We helped Tanis clean up the trailer and then Josh and I left around 10 to head for Pocatello. We picked up the golf cart for grandma and then drove the long way home--turning off at Blackfoot and drove through Arco and Challis on the way. We stopped at Arco to eat lunch at the Pickle Place--Josh had never eaten there before! The burgers were delicious and it was a nice stop. When we got home, Josh took the cart down to Grandma's house. She was SO happy! She loved it and giggled and beamed like a schoolgirl; it was so cute! Josh taught her how to drive it. She's going blind, so she can't pass an eye test to get her driver's license, but this is an easy, safe way for her to get around the neighborhood and not make her feel like she can't be independent. 

Such a cold day!

TUESDAY - Kanyon and I got our teeth cleaned at the dentist. Thankfully, everyone in our family passed this round of cleanings without needing cavities filled! Josh bought a nearly-new BBQ grill on Swap Shop. Ours basically died on Father's Day, so it was nice to have a replacement found so quickly! He got a great deal on it, too, which is nice!

WEDNESDAY - I drove down to Idaho Falls for my permanent eyeliner appointment. I was kind of nervous how it would go. The lady who applied it was very nice and we had some pleasant conversation. She used a needle similar to the one tattoo artists use, and made small cuts/inserted dye into the upper eyelids and just the crease area of my lower eyelid. She went over each eye about 4 times--putting a numbing cream after each application. It definitely burned and was such a weird sensation! The worst was when she stretched the eyelid and it forced my eyelid open: the light above was so bright and it made me want to blink, but I was unable to. Finally, on her last application, I couldn't take it anymore and started crying, which was embarrassing for me. She was very kind about it, though. I was so happy with the end result! I got a couple of things at the store, met up with Ms. Blake from work--she brought me a gnome that she specially ordered for me, and then drove back to Salmon. By the time I got home, the numbness had worn off. I showed Josh my make up and he couldn't see it or figure it out! He's all, "Where is it? What color is it? Are you happy with it?" I took an up-close photo and pointed it out, because he thought I was getting eye shadow, not eyeliner! It made me laugh! 

Ms. Blake bought me a lady gnome. I put it out
front on the other side of the steps from the other
welcoming gnome. 

Josh took these photos at the golf course after a rainstorm
blew through that morning. 

I tackled staining the floor of the deck after I got home. Josh did some of the railings, then he sat and watched me for a while to keep me company. It took me almost 3 hours to get the deck floor done. The flooring is a barn red stain, and I chose to get a cedar-colored stain for the banisters and railings. Thankfully, I had exactly the right amount to get the flooring done before I ran out! It looks SO good! It was hard on my back and I wanted to quit several times, but it was essential that I finished it that night since family would be coming for the 4th the following day and it needed to be dry enough for everyone to walk on.

I used every last drop of the red stain!

THURSDAY - When I got up, I started staining the rest of the railing, the steps, and the banister around the deck. this was much more detailed than the floot floor I did the previous day, so it took me another 3 hours to get it done. The final product looks amazing, though!

I didn't have enough red to do the vertical edges
of the flooring, so I finished those off later. I 
sanded the edges and then added a cedar coating.

Tabbi and her friend Pete came to visit our family for the 4th and arrived about 3:30. It was fun to have company for the holiday! My family rarely comes to visit. Gideon and Alyssa's family also came on Thursday for the holiday, but they stayed with Ed & Kathy. We showed Tabbi & Pete around for a bit, and sat out in the Triple S for a while. Josh grilled some steaks for dinner. We'd originally planned to go golfing, but Josh wasn't feeling it, so the twins went to decorate a DFY float for the parade, and Josh and I took Tabbi and Pete to the Royal Gorge Hot Springs. It was a bit hot, so we only soaked for about 20 minutes. 

FRIDAY - I got up early and made some food to get ready for the family lunch. Tabbi & Pete went fishing on the river after breakfast and I got ready for the parade. Thankfully, Salmon decided to do most of their annual celebrations for the 4th unlike a lot of towns that cancelled festivities due to the Coronavirus. Kanyon and I stopped to pick up Grandma on the way. She was so excited for her first July 4th parade in Salmon! Kathy saved us a spot by the hospital parking lot. Tiffany's family got to town in time to watch the parade, and Josh and Micah came from work to join us. It wasn't as long as parades in years' past, but it was so nice to have something that felt "normal". I enjoyed it! We ate lunch at Kathy's afterwards of grilled hot dogs. Tabbi and Pete came back for lunch and Jonah was able to be done with work and eat with us, too. We celebrated Teddy's 5th birthday after lunch. He's so cute! Tabbi and Pete went fishing in Tim's pond and we stayed and hung out with family for a couple hours. We caravanned with Tabbi to town so it could charge faster at a designated Tesla charging station at the Stagecoach Motel. Josh and I got some hospice ice cream cones, which I was so excited about, because last year they sold out and I was upset I never got any. Even better, there was shockingly no line! We'd gone to town right after a thunderstorm had swept through, so I'm sure that's why. When we got back home, Tabbi & Pete took a 4-wheeler ride up Perreau Creek, and Josh and I got everything ready for this evening's festivities. We set up the board for fireworks in Kathy's yard and I took down all the fireworks I'd purchased earlier in the week (good thing, too, because the firework stand ran out again like last year!). Josh made a fire in Kathy's firepit and I took down the sticks and all the supplies for s'mores and starbursts. It was fun watching everyone cook over the fire--it really brought everyone together. When it got dark, we started our fireworks show. The fountains I bought were awesome! I was shrieking with excitement--I just LOVE fireworks! Gideon's kids actually joined us for the first time this year, but they got scared and went inside after a few went off--partially because I was screaming, and partially because the fireworks were too much for them. Josh lit all the mortars, they were beautiful! Tabbi was impressed, too! (We could never do fireworks as children). On the last mortar, Josh decided to do a "grand finale" and put two other bottle rocket fireworks in the tube with the mortar, too, which made me nervous, because we've had it go wrong in the past when Ammon tried it. Sure enough, the bottle rockets exploded on the ground. One shot right towards Josh & Edward and exploded under a stool. The other one went whizzing right past me, literally 2 inches from my face, and exploded through the basement window. It was a very exciting moment! Thankfully, everyone was okay!

 

SATURDAY - I made bacon for Tabbi & Pete's breakfast--she'd never seen such thick bacon in her life! They went fishing at the pond again this morning. Pete taught Jonah how to fly fish while there, too! I made some food for the family lunch of hamburgers. After lunch, Pete and Tabbi left to go back to Utah. I drove to the Amish store and they shopped there with me before leaving town. I showed Tiff's kids our frisbee golf this afternoon, and they played several rounds, which was fun. Kanyon was so happy to play with cousin Isaac again, that I hardly saw them all day! Gideon and Alyssa decided to leave this afternoon instead of Sunday. I took some board games down to Kathy's house for the Entrikin's to play. It was truly the most relaxing 4th of July weekend I've ever had with Josh's family! Pete and Tabbi said they had a good time as well. Josh and I took the twins to the Hobbs' BBQ that evening. For the first time in forever, we chose not go to go the Demo Derby, because it hasn't been that great of an experience the last few years. There was less people than expected at Hobbs' but David's smoked brisket was the best I've EVER had and we played Telestrations with some of the Raegan and Hobbs families after everyone else had left, which was fun! We watched 2 thunderstorms blow through, which made things exciting for a bit! We left before it got dark and drove up Discovery Hill for the Salmon Firework Show and watched it with Josh's parents and Tiffany's family.