Up to Speed: July 2011

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Last of Idaho

Just a few last photos and things from Idaho.

A days worth of eggs collected from my sister's hens. I made a huge frittata while I was there with these eggs.

Dillon, my sister's nephew. (My nephew-in-law?) This little guy was a hard worker while I was there. While we were all on vacation or plain not working, he was milking in the morning and at night. We often had to wait for this 12 year old to finish up his work so he could come along and have fun with us. Sometimes we were impatient. One of the kids would be calling him on his cell phone telling him if he didn't hurry we were going to leave him behind. The poor guy was running in the milk barn trying to get done. I think we needed to cut this industrious boy a little slack.

My neice, Karliegh.

The park in downtown Rexburg where we had our picnic after the bear park. I had never been there before. It was fun to see BYU Idaho where so many kids I know have gone.

My sister Janet.

Karliegh and Daniel both claimed to have never ridden a carosel. There was one at the park and so they rode it. Afterwards, Daniel was mortified to have been the oldest kid on it. Just embrace life and it's experiences Daniel!

I had also heard that Daniel and Karliegh didn't get along that well. I only saw them getting along thick as theives. The rode the carosel together.

And shared an Ipod most of the day.

Ok, so there are some things about Idaho that I sometimes think are a little odd. Like the obession with guns. So I think here is one of the reasons. Look how young they are starting these kids out with some real firepower!

Grain elevators are a common Idaho sight.

Daniel's butt. This is not a patient kid. He was tired of waiting for people to get out of the van in front of him and so decided to bail out the back.

An interesting machine going by on the railroad.

The little post office where my sister is the postmistress. Unless a miracle occurs, it will likely close in the next few years.

Folk art at the Clifton convience store, Papa Jay's. By the way they make the best beef jerky in the world here. You can order it online.

A racer that was in the road on our way home from an evening drive. It was over 6 feet long.

A view towards the mountains behind my sister's house. The concentration of trees in the middle flat area is Oxford. I am going to be buried in the Oxford cemetary with my sister's family. It's in the foot hills you can see. And I think that is a fitting place to end!

Few more Rodeo videos

Preston Rodeo

While I was in Idaho, It was rodeo time in Preston. This is a BIG DEAL! It is a three day affair. It starts with the Sidewalk Sales. This where local crafts people set up booths to sell goods and food. Local merchants also spill out to sell things. One of the anticipated events by my Brother in Law and Niece was the Deseret Industries Cowboy Boot Sale. Apparently, the DI there saves all the boots they get in as donations all year and then sell them during the rodeo. It is a much anticipated time to get a good pair of second hand boots for a good price. Keegan said it was like Black Friday. People were hoarding them and fighting over them. My family didn't buy any this year.

I bought a hairband with feathers on it from this lady. I also got some inexpensive jewelry and some delicious home grown sugar snap peas. I couldn't resist one little boy who was making keychains out of that plastic lacing. He was doing such a good job of trying to sell. He had his little brother on the corner with a sign. And he had no shade and it was pretty toasty. I had to support him by buying a 2$ keychain I didn't need.

This little girl was simply adorable. I love this picture. She was selling carmel apples, fresh raspberry lemonade and the sugar snap peas.

After the sidewalk sales during the afternoon, there is a parade, EVERY NIGHT, for three nights! I found this fact a little amazing. Who parades three nights in a row? I know on Friday, it was a horse only parade. Well I guess people with the horses. Not just the horses by themselves. We didn't go to the parade. But we did go to the rodeo.

My sister was being funny here. She wanted to dress the dog up in a bandana to make her look "western". So she put one on herself. I called her Wendy Nelson (Willie Nelson).

Keegan and I went to the rodeo on Thursday. She went back again everynight. I used to go to the rodeo in Phoenix when I was a kid and then as a teenager. But as an adult, I kind of felt like it was a little cruel and demeaning to the animals. I don't know, it didn't seem so bad this time. I think for one thing it was a smaller rodeo, not so many contestants, a little more variety. The animals all seemed to fair ok. The contestants not so much. The night I went, 2 folks got carted off to the hospital. I know one guy broke his leg after riding a bare back bronc. The other guy got hooked on his head by a bull horn after riding it.

There was also a carnival attached to the rodeo. See? I tolk you it was a big deal.

They were selling candy apples in the colors of the local high schools.

Blurry, but stll a fun picture.

This gal got the best score in the barrel racing.

This was a little scary. She almost got drug by her horse.

Bear Park in Idaho

While in Idaho, we went to the Bear Park located near Rexburg. I had never been before. We paid extra to be able to ride on the open truck from which you can feed the bears. The video clip is from that. You are really high up and quite safe from the bears. You can also drive through in your own vehicle, but must keep your windows up when you are where the bears are.

There are a lot of other animals there. This is Stilts the moose. He is really quite huge.

There was a pond with ducks, a swan and lots of enourmous rainbow trout. You can spend a quarter and feed them. The trout were mugging the ducks trying to get to the food first.

You can also pay another 35$ if you would like to help bottle feed the babies. You get to pet them. We didn't pony up for that, but you can watch them do it which is almost as good.

They had bison.

Some of the babies.

Some more babies. These are called Daniel, Karliegh and Dillon.

A fawn in the petting zoo part.

Lots of deer.

An albino elk.

A bear begging to be fed.

There was a small wolf pack.

This is a female grizzley that was cooling off. The black bears were lose and could come up to the cars. The grizzlies were seperated by a hot wire from each other, the black bears and us.

A black bear enjoying a scratch.

A bear pile taking a nap. They hiberate in some of those culverts. The people who run the park fill them with straw and branches and the bears pick where they want to hibernate. Apparently a lot of them hibernate in groups.