Happy 4th of July

It's heating up outside and the holiday is on Saturday.  Which meant Dave & I were off work on Friday.  Let's hit the lake early and hopefully avoid the holiday crowds.  We made it and without major delays like on Memorial Day.  However, it was already a little windy.  Not a good sign at Sand Hollow.

Checking out the lake
and
a teaching moment while in the
no wake zone.

Checking for the plug.
It's cold!!!

Where do I look?
Found it and it's in place.

The winds picked up.
Tubing only time.

Ryder on his own.
Dave trying to get him to let go.

How lucky she is.
Not only learning to drive a car
but a boat as well.

Rylee & Ryder
catching some warm rays.

It's Saturday and let the holiday begin.  Rylee is once again in this years parade but not as local royalty but Disney Royalty.

We found a perfect spot.
No crowds!!!
We are sitting in the sun.

Social Distancing?
Not on that side of the road.

Wait a minute...
What happened to our perfect spot.
People started crowding in but 
avoided eye contact but stayed put.

2020 Miss St George Royalty!!

Rylee aka Moana
Available for Princess Parties
with OoLaLa

Couldn't resist this picture.
I thought this was Chick-Fi-A
Nope a new bbq store in town.

It was a fun morning and it felt so good to do something that felt normal for a change.  The day was heating up time to head home and watch movies in the cool basement.  Lucky for us the neighbors love blowing things up we were able to watched a great show in the backyard.

It's going to be a hot week with a heat wave coming.  After living in Southern Utah for so many years it is a known fact that it is always hot & dry in July.  Which means the fires will come and the virus cases will rise since we are now all inside escaping the heat.

Another Month

In the books!!! How is it possible that June is over and the pandemic isn't?? It is heating up and we are in desperate need of some cooling off time and adventures.

What is that?
Ryder groomed Ginger for the first time
and used my vacuum to clean up.
I noticed that the bucket was full and 
when I opened it up this is what I found.
Tips for him:  Do it in the backyard and 
use the shop vac to clean up afterwards.

It is way hot outside in our backyard.
112 outside and 82 inside
The AC is having a hard time keeping up.
Weather predictions say it's going to get hotter in July.

Ryder & friends
Making and selling snow cones
These boys are always thinking and planning 
on how to make money.
They also love hanging out together.

Instead of going for a walk.
Let's try playing at the soccer park early
Sunday morning.

You want me to get that ball?
Then bring it back to you?
No way, you go get it.

You stay here Dexter and
let Ginger get it.
Neither one wanted to play fetch.
Instead they loved running around the park
and through the puddles.

During dinner we heard a loud bang...

This is what we found about a 1/2 hour later.
The tall rose bush had fallen over.

Ben & Dave
team work in pulling it up right.

Ryder pushed from the other side.

It was bent but didn't break.
Dave was able to use a ratchet strap to keep in
place until he could figure out how to stabilize it.

Loved this picture
when it popped up in my texts.
Do you love my eyelashes?

It was a little crazy this week getting ready vacation over the 4th of July.  Rylee is busy working, hanging out with Ben, and getting ready for any new adventure that comes her way.  Reganne is practicing her driving and is excited to take drivers ed as soon as I can schedule it with the school.  We are anxious to see what the school district decides about school starting in August.  I know that this is the longest summer break on record.

Happy Father's Day

We started the celebrating off early with a bike ride on one of the nearby trails.  It was a beautiful morning with cooler temperatures.  When we left all the kids & dogs were still sleeping.  It was quiet and peaceful.

Love this view
very peaceful amongst the chaos around us.

Made breakfast from scratch.
First time making biscuits.  I rolled them to thin.
They tasted good and Ryder ate them all.

Time to poise for a picture.
You would think Dave didn't like his gifts by his face.
However, he picked everything out himself.

He is ready for anything.
COVID-19 or avoiding a 
sunburn at the lake.

We are all glad to have this man in our lives.  He works hard every day to keep people safe at the hospital.  He is always up for exploring the various thrift stores in town and always comes home with treasures.  He loves to go for drives either around town or exploring the small towns in Southern Utah.  

We can't wait for our next adventure.

Summer Small Town Adventures....Panguitch

Oh what to do during the summertime when it's hot outside and the world is a pandemic?  We decided to visit some of the smaller towns around us and explore what they have to offer.  Our first one was Kanab over Memorial Day.  

Next up Panguitch... We were off with Reganne driving.  She needs the practice and drive time.  Ryder & Dave needed to get out of the house and explore.  I got to relax and read my book.

Main Street
Pretty busy for a Saturday afternoon.

Reganne looking for treasure.

Ryder, Laurel, and Hardy
Pretty cool statues but Ryder was confused as to
why I found them interesting.
Man am I getting old.

Cool stuff and amazing treasures
Even more interesting the owner of the
store was talking about the craziness our world is in
with other visitors and how we all agreed
on the issues and possible solutions.
We ended with each one of us to pray earnestly for
our leaders & country to pull together and survive.

Another shot of Main Street

We found the perfect Panguitch citizen
doing his part.
However, he does need pants.

It was a fun afternoon and even good food from a local cafe.  Reganne handed over the keys to Dave to drive home.  She then promptly fell asleep until we got home.  I think from exhaustion and not trying to avoid the driving.

Who knows where our next adventure will be.

A Week of Treats

We have hit our summer stride where all the pictures were of treats this week.  I have resorted to bribery to get a few things done a round the house.   

DQ Blizzard & Freeze
Reward for Reganne driving for an hour.
I was in heaven with a Cotton Candy Blizzard.
So was Ryder he begged me to let him finish it.

Ryder found the stawberries
in the fridge.  How about melting chocolate chips?
He was in heaven and wasn't going to share.

Sunday's treat...Carmalitas
I had been craving them however
I didn't melt the caramel so they were really dry.

It's getting too hot to bake so our treats may be frozen for the next month or so.  We need to find more activities that we can do besides eating or we will have the COVID-19 15 to lose.

Week in Review

It is official I have lost count of the weeks with restrictions.  We have moved into those long summer days.  The nights have still been cooling off which makes it nice after surviving the heat of the day.

Once we hit July that won't be the case.  Let's enjoy it while it lasts.

Air balloons in the morning.
The dogs hate them.
They bark when they see one.
This one seemed to be following us.

Awesome technology!!
We watched the SpaceX launch 
in the Hummer and on the iPhone.
Still a thrill to watch the count down & lift off.

New adventure for Ryder
dog grooming.  Dexter was his first
victim.  It was really short.  Not bad for a first time
and a very wiggly dog.

New instrument...
He contacted his band teacher about switching 
instruments and practicing over the summer.

Trombone
I am not sure how much practicing is 
being done.  He has tormented his sisters
and the dogs.

The new normal
First time back to church.
45 minutes was way short but enjoyed the spirit there.

Ready for church?
This is what happens when you don't wear 
your Sunday clothes for 3 months.
We need to go shopping before our next meeting
in July.

It was a good week despite the pandemic raging around the world.  Ryder is back to swimming a full schedule.  When he isn't swimming he is hanging out with friends or trying to find ways to make money.  He is going to be the millionaire in our family if he keeps this up.

Playing in the Water

We survived another week and it was time to play outdoors.  Amazing what one week makes the lines were shorter, the winds were slower,  and it felt warmer.  

We are ready to play..

Ryder wasn't sure about 
getting in.

First knee board of the season.
He popped right up.
He also tried the wake board.
He popped right up and promptly fell over.

Tube Time!!!
Dave had been waiting all morning to make him
ride the waves.

It was time for me to get out there.
I am not how this will work or
will I survive.

Not bad!!
It was a good ride a lot slower than
Ryders ride but I couldn't complain.

Two like minds.
Not sure what they are planning.
Beware!!!

He is definitely up to something
with that sly grin.

It's that time again
to head to the dock.  The winds were
picking up.

The beaches were starting to fill up and the crazy personal watercrafts were starting make it impossible to move or be safe.  Time to head home and enjoy a lazy Saturday afternoon.