This is the place...

is what Brigham Young reportedly said as he and his band of Mormon followers came into the mountains overlooking Salt Lake valley. Here are a few pictures from a hike I took yesterday up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Gorgeous.

Food coop

Got up this morning and went to pick up my food coop monthly haul. Here is a picture of the two boxes of stuff I got + the pound of bacon just to balance out all that fruit and veg. Recipes for squash would be welcome!

back to the 70s

We joined a food co-op and I feel like I am back in the Northern California of the 70s. Once a month you have to give two hours of volunteer time so Catherine and I went this evening for the 'boxing party'. This involved putting the meat products into one share boxes. This month it was hamburger meat, chicken thighs, stewing beef and pork loin. I was 'chicken' and Catherine was preparing the empty boxes. As a group we did about 1500 boxes and it was actually sorta fun although we both agreed that we will stick with being educated folk who do not have to work an assembly line.

Just another Tuesday night

One of Catherine's friends turned 16 today and we were enlisted a few days ago to get a few surprise friends and meet at her house so that when they returned from dinner we could climb into the family limo and head out for ice cream. Who owns a limo? Very silly, but very fun. The teenagers put up with us tag along grown ups but mainly because how could they see us while standing up with half their bodies out the sun roof?

Sam is 14

Sam's birthday stretched over a few days which seems to be standard. Tuesday we went for a family dinner at Trio. Wednesday (21st) we had dinner and cake at home with Ellen and Lars (pic below) and Thursday he had dinner out with his Dad, Grandpa and Catherine. Friday it was off to Wyoming for a multigenerational boys' fishing trip.

Day at the reservoir

We spent Saturday afternoon out at Rockport Reservoir where Craig's band finished a line up of performers playing for a hospital benefit. Here they are rockin' out.

Sam and Luke canoeing back to shore.

Catherine and friends doing the best friend jump off the dock.

Playing on the water trampoline.

Staycation continues

We had a great weekend up at the faculty club cabin. I joined the FC two years ago in order to be able to take advantage of the cabin and this was the first visit. It is not deluxe. Generator is broken so no electricity, but there is running water (hot and cold) and flush toilets so a considerable step up from camping. There is also propane so a kitchen stove (and the aforementioned hot water). In the end, only Catherine and her two friends slept inside with the rest of us opting for tents in the meadow. Jerry and Ellen brought their new camper which made us all jealous.

Cabiners above engaged in the very long conversation trying to figure out how to get all people, bike riders and non to Rockport Reservoir with enough vehicle-age to get all home at the end of the evening.

Ellen and Zack enjoying dinner al fresco.

Teenagers playing games that do not require electricity.
Tents in the meadow.

View from the deck.