Horseback Riding

Evertt invited us to go horseback riding with him yesterday. I got to ride Janet's very sweet horse, Doll.

It was fun seeing a different view of Lambert Park! It was a little easier on the south side, as there weren't as many tree obstacles!

We stopped to enjoy the view of Utah Lake. It was just like living the TV show, Big Valley!

We took care of horses so many times in Maryland. It was  nice finally getting to ride one!

Unfortunately, my sitz bones are painfully sore today! The exact same pain I feel when riding a bike! Maybe if I strapped a pillow to the saddle next time...

Sunday Funday!

It was fun to see Mabel and Clementine all dressed up in their matching dresses on Sunday! Clementine really knows how to work the camera! We had Brittany and John and the girls over for dinner.

After dinner we had Pinyon Rats practice. We have a big gig coming on July 27th at the Springville Food Truck Roundup! Come see us if you're in the area!

Kitchen and Bedroom Changes

In an effort to find the perfect blue-gray color for Mom's walls, we made a few trips to the hardware store yesterday. I think I have painted 11 different splotches on the wall up to now! But, sadly none of them is perfect! We're going to have to choose soon!

The cabinets are in now, and they are a pretty white with a blue contrasting color on the bar.We think it looks great!

Ed spent Saturday repairing a broken bunk bed for Brittany. They moved it upstairs into Mabel's room, and she is super excited about it! She has a "happy heart!"

Church Pickleball

Our first pickleball night at the church wasn't terribly well attended, but it was supported by the Bishop and Suzanne, who are apparently racquetball and ping pong experts (respectively)! They had a great start.

Ken had even printed out and laminated rules for participants! We have a few leftovers for next month!

I really love pickleball, despite the fact that I don't really seem to be getting any better at it! These beginners did just as well!

I like to think this is a picture of my shot coming in and Ed and Steve thinking, "Wow, that's a good one!"

Summer Donuts

Brittany brought us doughnuts for National Doughnut Day yesterday, and to thank us for babysitting the past few days while her babysitter is out of work.

She should have given all the donoughts to Ed, as I was out all morning helping Mom pick out granite for her kitchen. We settled on a gray blend for the countertops (the dark one), and a light gray backsplash out of marble for the walls. The full backsplash will be instead of tile and will go to the bottom of the cupboards. We're excited about the new look!

Clementine loves climbing these rock steps by herself, much to our chagrin. She does pretty well, so we just nervously let her go! She missed out on some good donuts in her wanderings!

Mabel, however, got the best of both worlds. She ate donuts (see frosting on her face) and got to swing, as well!

I have to admit, we are loving summer!

My View

I got a new camera this week,and have had some trouble flipping it to the selfie mode when I don't want it! This is what I look like when I think I'm taking a picture of a new flower!

This is the first curly-top gumweed of the season! It will become prolific soon, but it's a joy to once again see my old friend from last summer!

This is the first dogbane of the season. I love these delicate little pink flowers and their red, woody stems! We keep Coda away from them! Apparently, it is toxic to animals and humans as well!

For updates on what's in bloom, be sure to visit alpinenaturecenter.org, where we're keeping a running tally!

Book Club Friends

Nora stopped by to see us on her way through town this week. She was my friend way before we started our book club in 1996, and happily, is still my friend despite our living in different states! We enjoyed taking her on the Alpine Nature Hike #3 Wednesday. Just in time for the poppies!

She also timed it well to attend our fledgling book club. We discussed Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Orphans of Nepal by Conor Grenan. Despite the unwieldy title, we really enjoyed the book. We didn't realize there was a civil war in Nepal that lasted a decade and was the impetus of child trafficking that continues today.

Next month we'll be reading Underground Railroad by Colin Whitehead!