Sheep Dog Trials

The Nuttalls (Brittany's in-laws) invited us to the Soldier's Hollow Sheepdog Trials today. It is an unbelievable experience watching border collies put sheep through sets of gates and separate them to corral a small number in the end. They are very clever dogs!

We also enjoyed watching the splash dogs. They jumped as far as 23 feet into a tank!

We thought Coda would be a great agility dog, but weren't sure we'd be good agility masters!

It was sunny and much hotter than we expected. We were glad we brought our hats!

Mabel was also glad she brought her hat, because she looked so good in it.

We especially enjoyed watching the dogs patience as they worked with the sheep. They would try to stare down uncooperative ewes. One exciting moment was when a ewe bolted and jumped into the crowd. A few spectators experienced an unwelcome surprise!

Fall Colors

We drove up American Fork Canyon yesterday after our ward breakfast in the park. It was beautiful to see the changing colors. I imagine it might even be prettier in a week of two.

We stopped at Cascade Springs in search or the perfect nature hike that would be wheelchair accessible for Ed's brother, who is visiting us next week.

It had all paved pathways or boardwalk over the water. We gave it the thumbs up for natural beauty!

We ended up on the other side of the mountain in Provo, where we stopped to watch Mabel for an hour while Brittany and John got something to eat. They had spent the morning in the ER because she had a high fever and was dehydrated. The hospital gave her some anti-nausea medicine, helped her drink some Pedialite and sent her home. Hopefully, she'll feel better tomorrow!

New Band

The first meeting of the as-yet-unnamed band was last night in the Nuttall basement. We met after Mabel was tucked into bed. It was just like Whistling Prairie, but smaller! Since Crystal, Amanda and Nolan aren't in it we need a new name. I like the Pinyon Rats. Brittany likes Folkswagon. Any other suggestions for us? Aside from being stymied on a name, we got a lot done last night and had a great time making music together!

Walkin' Shoes

Coda gets so excited when I put on my walking shoe every morning. She says, "Oh, boy, Mom, are we going for a walk?"

I get excited, too! The scrub oak is starting to turn yellow. I'm filled with a sense of joy and dread at the same time. I love fall, and love the cool, crisp mornings we're enjoying, but I'm afraid it might end with winter, and I don't know if that will be an end of our walks! Please, no!

After Dinner Stroll

Ed and I took a walk after dinner tonight. It's so nice out, and some of the leaves are starting to change on the mountains behind us.

We took a path called Rodeo Down, which mountain bikers are only supposed to take in one direction (downhill). It's like the luge of bike trails. I don't know if I'd dare cycle it! Walkers just jump out of the way when someone comes up behind them! It keeps you alert!

The view of the lake is so soft and beautiful at dusk. Pictures never do it justice!

Fiesta Luncheon

Our neighbor across the street, Shelaine, hosted a ladies' luncheon this afternoon. These are some of my new friends. We ended up with about 35 or 40 by the time it was over! I've got a lot of names and faces to memorize! It's hard!

We all brought Mexican dishes. Three other people brought the same thing I brought--corn salsa!

The Maxfields are building an entertainment complex next to and behind their house, complete with indoor and outdoor basketball courts, as well as an indoor and outdoor pool.

The outdoor pool is still under construction. It includes a giant slide, a waterfall, a waterfall pool and a diving rock! It looks like a lot of fun for the youth of the ward. I hope they'll also invite the old people over once in a while, too!

Work and Play in Salem

Mom treated us to dinner last night after Ed and I spent a couple of hours working at her house. I cleaned carpet and Ed fixed a faucet, a door, and trimmed some bushes.

We went to Stan's Drive-In Salem. What kind of burger joint also serves Tika Masala? Stan's! It was pretty tasty and we got to use Mom's coupons, which made it even better!

Afterwards we picked up peaches and corn at my sister, Annette's house. This living in Utah might be good for us!