Boring Birthday Sunday

Since we are still out to prove to Whittaker that Sundays are NOT boring.  We planned another picnic.  It also served as a lovely restful outing while Caleb was visiting.  The day before his birthday we called it a birthday outing.  It has been nice to get out and relax since our weeks have been extremely packed with WORK.  The construction is moving along but it's taking every spare minute.  We have also not really explored this place we live much and we know that millions visit here yearly so there must be great appeal.  And there are plenty of visitors even now in the summer of Covid.

It was noon and the weather was beautiful.  We had made our BLT's, and had grapes and watermelon.  We didn't intend to do anymore than find a quiet secluded spot near the lake to enjoy our picnic.  I grabbed a big blanket  in case we found a less than amenable seating area.

Duncan drove us to the lake area and we began looking for a suitable location to park and have our picnic.  We drove... and drove.. We saw lots of delightful locations near the lake, some with picnic tables even.. but they were all in use.  Some were even crowded.  We kept driving.  We came across the camping loops by the lake.  Each campsite had picnic tables so we thought we'd look for one with a view of the lake that was empty.  Easier planned than executed.  We had to explore three different campsite loops before we found our spot.  We had a lake glimpse from a higher vantage than we intended but it worked.  

We picnicked and then cleaned up.  The boys began a bit of exploring and soon we heard delighted cries of 'there's a trail'.  

We began to follow their voices and noticed that there was a private little beach way down below.  We wondered aloud how a person could enjoy such a delightful secluded beach. 

Then we saw...

Just keep following the path that zigzagged all the way down the steep slope and then.. 

SPLASH!

At first I wondered if someone had fallen in.

Not knowing the depth of the water, if there had been a steeper section of slope and they'd slid or who was in the water, I began to hurry along the trail.  I hadn't fully decided if I was going to hike with them or not but after the splashing noises I needed to know that all was well.  Passing the large bush I discovered that it wasn't just one splash.  The water wasn't deep near the shore and the large rock just beckoned to be jumped off of.  

Next I began to think of four wet boys having to hike back up and travel the 45 minutes home again.  Swimming hadn't been part of our intentions.  Then I discovered their cleverness.  Jim was still wearing his p.j. pants under his jeans, so he swam in p.j.'s and the boys proclaimed boxer briefs as acceptable swimming attire.  

Once down we didn't relish the idea of climbing back up so I sat in the shade and enjoyed watching the silliness and impromptu beach time unfold.  

The log poking out of the water that looked like an alligator.

The rocks stacked up like the beginnings of a stone 'snowman'.

Pat and Caleb having fun rock skipping.. and some plain rock splashing tosses.

A frog joined us and the little boys played with him quite a while even after I reminded Emerson that he'd just managed to be rid of his wart.  They all reminded me that he didn't get a wart from holding a frog.  Some canoers paddled by and we watched them.  Some swimming and then time to dress in the willow bush changing rooms.  Emerson didn't get the memo about wearing your pants and carrying the wet underwear, but he just smiled and shrugged his shoulders and started looking for the frog again. 

There were a few 'lovely' rocks found also.

I adamantly insisted that the frogs stayed!  Also, any rocks had to be carried so I strongly discouraged it.  Fortunately Daddy kindly carried the large wishing rock, complete with 5 white rings around it!, up the steep trail back to the car.  

Whittaker asked what are we doing next week??  Can we bring the kayak's back here??  Oh dear.  This week's picnic turned into much more.  

We stopped four times on the way home.  

• First, to take a photo of the enormous dandelion puffs.  (Grandma once asked for photos of everyone blowing them... not sure the significance.  
• Second, (no photo) to investigate a new picnic spot for another time... This one only 5 minutes from our house, secluded, grassy and delightful!
• Third, to photograph the large 'barrel thistle' that Jim has been raving about for the last few weeks.  When Patrick told him they were edible they sampled it.  He's encouraging a rhubarb, strawberry thistle pie....
• Fourth, to enjoy the lovely baby antelope on the road.  

Just another Boring Sunday

Way back in February, which seems like years ago, we heard of a buffalo farm near our house.  We had already found the one near the Post Office, but this was the other direction and... it had 'WHITE BUFFALO'.  I didn't even know there was such a thing.   I realize that in Utah we had been part of the Boy Scouts White Buffalo district, but I thought that was just a name or a distinction such as the green, the yellow, the red buffalo districts.. frankly I'd never questioned it nor thought much about it.  Until NOW.    

We lived within a 30 minute drive of white buffalo.  A definite field trip.  Winter makes exploring complicated so we took down the directions and waited for spring.  But Covid came before spring and we stopped thinking of outings.  Our friends called us one morning and asked if we wanted to join them.  They had been in on the conversation about the white buffalo and had decided they needed an excursion also.  So... we said yes.  We could social distance in our own heated cars as we drove to the buffalo. 

We knew we were close when we saw these guys.  Then we discussed the idea that perhaps they weren't white in the winter, but that would be the opposite of the arctic fox and rabbit.  Plus, they wouldn't be called the white buffalo if they were only part time white buffalo.

We continued along.  Chatting with our friends on the cell phones.  It was fun to get out and explore with friends, (sort of).  

It was another mile or two and then we saw them... How to describe the moment.  We just sat and stared.  We rolled down the windows and listened.  We heard faint grunting, the calling of Canada geese, a few other bird sounds but mostly intense silence.  They didn't do much.  We gazed for a while longer and then we remembered it was only 20 degrees outside and boys needed a potty.  We waved to our friends and we headed for home.  But then I told Pat to stop.  "I'm tired of having odd photos of animals, we need to be in the photos.  So the boys obligingly hopped out and braved the cold for a photo.  But you can barely see buffalo in that shot.  Oh well.

We returned home... our white car now also a beige colour... Perhaps the buffalo have a similar winter fate.  

April, May, June and July... Jim moved in, Covid hunkered in to stay but the snow finally left and the temperatures lifted.  Somehow the conversation in July turned to white buffalo.  With our recent dilemma of Whittaker finding Sundays, "boring", we decided a Sunday drive to see how white the buffalo are in the summer would help to 'unborify' our next Sunday.  

I had a few zoom meetings for stake callings so we scheduled our Sacrament, Zoom meetings, Come Follow Me Study time and meals carefully so we would still have a two hour window for our Sunday Buffalo quest drive. 

These brown fellows greeted us first just as they had the previous visit.  I think they appreciated that we stopped to enjoy their grandeur.  I'm sure it must be frustrating to be overlooked just because they aren't the rare variety.  They are still quite an impressive beast.  Jim and the boys attempted to gain their attention by making 'buffalo noises', but they preferred to lounge in their grassy field.  

Quest completed.

They are indeed whiter now than they were in winter.  The white herd is substantially smaller than the brown.  We don't understand the brown calves being among them but they were rather tight lipped when it came to answering our questions. 

Again the boys attempted to get their attention.  After many attempts at strange noises, we're convinced they were looking at us and not just in our direction.  

We could hear the delightful sounds of the river, the birds and the light breeze.  Once again the boys needed to potty.  (What is it about visiting buffalo?)  While the boys found an accommodating bush, I turned the car around.  They returned with a bouquet of wildflowers.

How's that for unborifying!

Boring Sundays

Recently Whittaker let us know that Sundays were boring.  Oddly enough we thought they were relaxing.  One day that no construction was occurring.  We sometimes played a game or sat on the porch to listen to frogs or birds.  However as the weather became nicer we decided to include Daddy in our bike rides one Sunday afternoon.  Not a long ride, but fun and hot.  After that we knew we needed to go earlier.. it was just getting too warm for biking in the afternoons. So the following Sunday we attached the basket to my bike and opted to pack water bottles and snacks and enjoy a family ride to a new view spot we'd discovered earlier in the week.  

This had the steepest hills we've attempted to date.  But some great fun going back down!  We stopped along the way to see a lizard Duncan spotted.  The view of the valley was vast and our odd assortment of snacks was satisfying. 

But once home and our regular Sunday activities filled our afternoon, we began to hear how boring Sundays were.  Good time memories don't last long.