Dinosaur National Monument Day 2

This is the quarry exhibit that just reopened after being closed for 5 years while a new structure was built.  It is crazy seeing all the bones and trying to wrap your brain around their age.  Scientists think this area was a logjam of dinosaurs after a long drought and then subsequent flood washed a bunch of dino carcasses here.  I think it is hard for kids to even appreciate the age of these bones so really once Alison and Stuart had seen a few they were ready to move on.  We hiked the trail close to the quarry wall and were able to find a bunch of our own dinosaur bones just surfacing from the face of the rocks.  The kids liked finding their own dino bones on our hike more, especially with our Peter to help explain to both the adults and the kids our geological travels. 

     

Dinosaur National Monument Day 1

We had a few days off school so we decided to go to Vernal and see some old rocks and bones.  It was so much fun.  The weather was amazing and it was good to get away together.  Aric, Peter, and Gavin came so we had great company and our own loved resident geologist.  We started off with the Field House Dino Museum in Vernal.  Liza had a hard time understanding the limits of ropes and fencing.  We followed the museum with a great hike on the McConkie Ranch looking at petroglyphs.  We haven’t hiked as much as we anticipated since Alison got sick but this trip reminded us again and again how strong she is after two years of hitting that gnarly immune system hard.  It made me so thankful as we watched her hike all over these mountains.  Stuart is practically a goat.  He hit a tree/rock/gravel pretty hard and bloodied his chin but was back climbing the next day. 

     See all that rope?  Turn for a minute to look at a butterfly and the baby is gone.         

Nicole and Martin

My sister recently came to Salt Lake with my nephew Martin to visit (and work).  I haven’t seen them in too long.  I didn’t get enough pictures of the little guy, partly because he didn’t much want me to take his picture and partly because I just don’t have enough arms to keep my children out of fountains (as evidenced by my little Lu) and take pictures.  We had a lot of lovely adventures though while he was here. 

Pack Farms Pumpkin Patch

 

      

Dinosaur National Monument--Teaser

 

A Garden

 

I’ll remember our fall garden this year with a little Liza running around with a bucket of raspberries.  Now that the summer leafiness is dying back she is maneuvering through the garden better again.  It is hard to believe, especially given the warm weather, that it is almost time to pull the garden down again. 

My girls are gardeners.  Alison has helped me every season, nearly every day this year—planning, planting, weeding, harvesting.  She talks to me about shooting stars, friends at school, good ideas, the pros and cons of pets she would like to own, whether or not unicorns really exist, and her six year old dreams while we work.  She’s there chatting so often that now it feels lonely when I’m in my garden without her. 

Liza isn’t nearly as helpful  but has proven this year that she has a sharp, intense, and consistent adoration of dirt, digging, picking, and eating.  

Stuart, my ever compassionate and social bug, likes to deliver produce to friends and neighbors best. 

Occasionally during the year it seems like too much work, but I can’t imagine our family without a garden.  I love that our kids spend part of each summer hiding in bean stalks houses, picking fruit off the trees (we left the ladder next to the apricot tree when the apricots were on so they could climb and eat fruit—win, win activity when you are five), popping cherry tomatoes in their mouths, eating fresh veggies, checking on pumpkins, collecting compost, digging for worms, catching grasshoppers, worrying about aphids, and appreciating the wonder of nature.  So we’ll be here again in 2012.