Let's Go Rodeo!

This weekend, we went to a nearby town for a big-little rodeo. It's a podunk little village but during rodeo weekend, it is a booming place.

There was a LOT to look at. Including this turkey truck. Gobble Gobble?

Some people like to watch from front row seats.

Tyler's friend Remi was there. They looked at each other for a bit and then he threw some gravel so we had to apologize and move away.

The broncs were a treat to see.


On our drive home we went on a back road that skirted the Rocky Mountain Front.

It was fantastic-- Shawn said "the prairie is in bloom." I didn't bother taking pictures of the magnificent wildflowers and mountain scenes because I knew they would never hold a candle to the real thing. We did stop near the Dearborn River though, which I think may be the prettiest place I have seen in quite a while.

Summertime...

...is eating a slice of bluebarb pie outside after the dishes are done.

Summertime...

...is all about relaxing on the porch after you've done some tough yardwork all day!

Just another day at work

I had the second hiking trip with schoolkids yesterday, and we headed into the Scapegoat Wilderness.

Not as many flowers blooming but it was still great to be outside. I had to hold hands with one kid or another the entire way.

What a great lunchspot~although we had to pick up every last cheeto crumb in order to Leave No Trace.

No one wanted to share my radishes. Wonder why?

Hmmmm....a frog in the Wilderness? Who would have guessed!

The kids really liked this easy 1-mile hike. They actually wanted to keep going but we were constrained by time.

A Party

On a cool day in June, we got together with some friends to celebrate a little girl's 3rd Birthday. It was "Princess" themed.


What do little kids talk about when they get together in small groups?

Princess Paige and her fairy wings and tutu tried to break this pinata. It took a lot of help to break it open and get the candy out.


There was a brief downpour, which is pretty common this year. It didn't stop they party animals from having fun.


Everybody had a great time.

On a

Take A Hike

Today was the best day!
I led a group of 20+ kids on a hike up to Lewis and Clark Pass.
The neat thing is that the Lincoln School has a summer activity program, and one part of the program is to get students outside to new places in the Forest and learn a little about nature while they are out there.

I get to take kids outside once a week for the next month and get paid for it.

They are all ages, from K-12, and everyone took care of each other and got along well. I was impressed and loved every minute of it.

I even wore my uniform for the occasion.

Everyone was tired and hungry on the way up, but they said the reward of standing on a mountain top made the suffering worth it.

Going down was much easier and faster.

I can't wait for next week's adventure!

Green with Envy

Tyler and I had a great time in Libby, the weather was perfect and it was really relaxing.

The garden they planted this year is big, with lots of room to plant things outside, and a greenhouse to put sensitive things inside.

The plants have a great view out there.

Mustard Greens

Peas

(about 4 times the size of mine)


Spinach

(about 21 times the size of mine)

Tyler liked playing in the garden. He had lots of new things out there to build with.

Tater, as always, was content.

Patriotic Plants

(Talk about "Going Green," the sunflowers and other plants grow well in these little campaign sign shelters)

I spent my 31st birthday doing something I love--Weeding! My garden at home hasn't had enough growth for even the weeds to come up so I am not yet burned out on pulling weeds.

Lincoln unfortunately had frost two nights in a row this weekend, so when I got home from Libby I was met with some death in my garden. Oh well, at least it is still early in the season.

Bull-A-Rama

In Libby this weekend, there was an "Incredi-Bull" event. (That's what it was actually called!)
A lot of area cowboys came out and rode the bulls, and Tyler, Matthew, Rita and I watched them all.

This guy on the horse is someone Shawn went to High School with.



This clown made creatures out of balloons, and Tyler got a turtle to wear on his wrist.

We also met up with some cousins that were in town for a soccer game.

Tyler liked the bulls, and told me one day that he wanted to be a Rodeo King.

(or maybe that was just a dream I had)

A really true fish story

This week is flying by; I am not sitting around wondering what to do. Last night Shawn and I went fishing.

We left right after work and headed to Holter Lake to fish for the evening. It was perfect weather for us, calm, sunny, 60s in temperature.

I'm sure Decker thinks he is back to being the "baby" of the family. He has gotten more attention lately from us.

As always, Shawn was seeking the elusive walleye. We were out for hours without a bite. I started to dig through the tackle box and use lures that had never seen the light of day. None of them worked. Then Shawn said "I think I have caught a log." then..."I think maybe it's a whale. Or the biggest walleye in the world." So he reeled for quite a while and fought with this mysterious fish. He then handed the rod to me, needing to give his arms a break.

It's a good thing he did...there was no way I would have been able to net this giant carp! He had to manhandle it into the net while I held the rod. What a riot. I have never laughed so hard at a fish. Seriously! Look at this pig, it weighed about 30 pounds and was way over 2 feet long. We took trophy pictures of it and then kerplopped it back into the water. Then we went turned the boat around and headed back toward the docks to go home for the night...no other fish in the lake would have been able to top that thing.

Buddies for the week

Well, Tyler ended up getting his way and has gone on vacation for the week.
Grandma picked him and Matthew up on her way back to Libby.

I'm of course lonely and sad, but he is so easy-going I'm sure he doesn't miss me.

Before he left we walked out back and found some morels.

I'm pretty sure he will be well taken care of by the grandparents, but especially his cousin Matthew!

Tyler and Pie

I tried to come up with an idea for Shawn's birthday cake, but didn't feel like going to the store to buy any special ingredients to make one. I flipped through this wonderful Pie cookbook that was written by my parent's friend and found a recipe for "Tyler Pie." I was sold by the name and the simple ingredients. It was perfect! It had at least two sticks of butter and a sack of sugar in it.

Full of sugar and spice, just like the real Tyler :)

Speaking of Tyler, he announced that he would like to go on another vacation.

I told him it was out of the question; his behavior at the Comfort Inn last weekend grounded him from any hotel vacations in the near future.

He wasn't too thrilled to hear that.

In other news, my blender broke so I can't make my belly-blasting smoothie to help lessen the impact of eating the pie, and the 12 hummingbirds I counted at my feeder last night are starting to eat me out of my sugar supply. (well, maybe that will help with the belly problem)