Fourth of July Weekend at the Property

My family owns property near Tabiona in Duchesne county and it is one of my favorite places on Earth.  I hadn't been up there in well over a year so I was really happy to go back over the long holiday weekend with Kristine and Trent.  I had the best time!

We drove up early Friday morning and it was so beautiful there with cool temperatures.  Kristine immediately built a fire and I spent most of the afternoon reading.  In the early evening it rained a bit so I moved to the trailer to continue reading (I loved listening to the rain hit the roof of the trailer and I loved the smell of the trees after the rain).  In the evening we had dinner and then I made my traditional flag cake.  Trent doesn't like sweets, especially cake, but he really likes this and even asks for seconds every time I make it!

We spent the rest of the evening sitting by the fire and then I went to bed in the trailer and slept better than I have in a long time!  Saturday morning Kristine and Trent made breakfast on the grill and it was delicious (one of my favorite things about camping is breakfast because I almost never eat it at home and everything tastes better outside).  Afterwards we went on a drive for most of the day and ended up in nearby Yellowstone Canyon with beautiful views of the rivers and reservoir.

On the way back we saw a large plume of smoke that looked really close to the property.  We eventually learned that there was a large fire on Tabby Mountain less than half a mile from us.  We were a bit nervous so we evacuated to a safer spot and watched about six fire trucks go by to fight it.  We also saw a small plane fly overhead and then a helicopter started dropping water on it (which was seriously cool to see).  After about two hours the fire was pretty much contained so we felt safe enough to go back to the property.  We had dinner and then built a fire (which we monitored carefully after all of the excitement!).

  When it got dark we were able to watch the Tabiona city fireworks.  We sat on the tailgate of the truck at the edge of the property and we had a great view.  It was a much more elaborate show than I was expecting!  Sunday morning, after another great breakfast cooked outside, we completed some projects around the property (when I say "we" I mean that I tried to stay out of the way while Trent and Kristine completed some projects) and then packed up to go.  It was a wonderful long weekend (even with the fire) and I hope it was for you, too!

Memorial Day Weekend at Lava Hot Springs

Marilyn and I decided to spend the long Memorial Day weekend in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho (a two hour drive north from where I live) at a KOA campground.  We stayed in a cabin located near the bank of the Portneuf River (a tributary of the Snake River) with trees and mountains all around us and it was beautiful.  The cabin was very comfortable with two beds, a table and chairs, a kitchen (with a mini fridge, microwave, and a sink with running water) and a full bathroom.  We spent the majority of our time outside on our patio which had a fire pit, two Adirondack chairs, a metal table and chairs, and a barbecue.  The weather was absolutely perfect so I really enjoyed reading outside during the day and sitting by the fire in the evening (my favorite part of camping).  We made tin foil dinners in the fire on Saturday night and burgers on the barbecue on Sunday night and we ate outside (everything tastes so much better outside).  Marilyn's dog Reese loved it because everyone (in the other cabins next to us and the RVs across from us) was so friendly and would talk to us and pet her.

This quick trip was so relaxing and we had a great time!  We were sad to leave yesterday but we have decided that we want to come back (we have even scoped out a cabin in another area of the campground that we want to reserve next time).  I highly recommend this KOA (go here to reserve RV hookups, cabins, and tent sites) because there are a lot of different activities available and the staff is extremely helpful and friendly.

Christmas 2024

Yesterday was a lovely day!  I celebrated Christmas with my family at my sister Kristine's house and everything was planned by my nephew.  We exchanged stockings (I had Sean and Trent had me) and then we opened presents while it snowed outside (it was quite magical).  I got a quilt, sheets, and pillows for my new bed, an air fryer (which I am really excited to start using), some new shoes, and the movie Dune Part Two (which I am really excited to watch).  We were all very spoiled this year!  After opening presents we continued the tradition started by my mom of having cinnamon rolls and orange juice (this year Kristine made the cinnamon rolls and they were delicious).  In the afternoon we had a wonderful dinner of chicken cordon bleu, twice baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, fruit salad, and rolls.  In the evening we ate lots of treats and played Shanghai rummy, which always gets crazy (I won), then had pie.  It was such a great Christmas and I hope all of you also had a nice day with family and friends.

Thanksgiving 2024

I spent Thanksgiving with my family (we definitely missed Tashena and Tucker who live in Washington) and it was a really nice day.  We had a wonderful dinner with ham (instead of the traditional turkey), potatoes, stuffing, yams, pomegranate salad (a family favorite), rolls, and vegetables with dip.  My sisters are amazing cooks and I am so glad that I am always invited because I am definitely not (my contribution is to bring store-bought pies).  After dinner we all had a rest (my nephew and I watched a movie) and then we played this crazy card game called Shanghai rummy.  We haven't played for a long time and it was a lot of fun (I won).  We had lots of treats while we played and then ended the night with pie.  I enjoyed spending the day with my family and I am really looking forward to all of the fun things we have planned for the rest of the holidays.  I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving with the ones you love.

Christmas 2023

Christmas was really lovely this year!  I was so happy that both Sean and Tashena were home and that we could spend the day together!  We woke up early to open presents with the traditional breakfast of cinnamon rolls and orange juice.  I got some new Doc Martens boots, some of my favorite perfume (which made me very happy because I was almost out of it), and physical copies of Barbie and Oppenheimer.  We all took naps in the afternoon and then had a wonderful dinner consisting of honey baked ham, cheesy potatoes, yams, stuffing, asparagus, pomegranate salad, vegetables and dip, and rolls.  After dinner we took a poinsettia to my parents' grave and then played Shanghai Rummy while eating dessert and treats.  We worried that Tashena's fiance Tucker would get overwhelmed with how crazy we get when we play cards but he ended up winning!

I hope that you had a wonderful holiday with the people you love! 

Thanksgiving 2023

I spent Thanksgiving with my family (Sean came home from college but we were missing Tashena and her fiance Tucker who live in Washington) and it was a wonderful day.  We had a somewhat non-traditional dinner because we had ham instead of turkey but we did have all of the other side dishes including potatoes, yams, stuffing, asparagus, pomegranate salad (a family favorite), a relish tray, and rolls.  Everything was delicious!  In the evening we had pie and lots of other treats (my sisters are very good bakers) and then we played Shanghai rummy (an absolutely crazy card game that really gets going).  I am so grateful for my family and that I am able to spend so much time with them.  I hope that you had a happy Thanksgiving with the people you love!

Fourth of July at the Property

I joined my sister Kristine and my brother-in-law Trent at the property for the long Fourth of July weekend and it was an amazing trip!  I love staying at the property and it was so nice to have several days to relax this time!

When we got to the property we drove around to all of our favorite places nearby (my favorite is this formation that looks like the face of a Native American chief).  Then we came back and grilled brats and sat by the fire.

The next morning we took a day trip to Moon Lake on the back end of the Uinta Mountains.  It was a bit overcast but it was beautiful (I made a reservation to stay in one of the cabins in August).

Ebony was living her best life fetching the world's biggest stick from the lake (we brought it with us when we left and she played with it later that night).

On our way to Rock Creek we saw the Upper Stillwater Dam (the water is at historic levels!).

We had a picnic at a site in the Rock Creek campground at it was so beautiful (it started raining as soon as we finished).

When we came back to the property we barbecued burgers and I made a flag cake (I make it every year even when I am camping!).  After dinner we built another epic fire and sat outside until really late.  It was such a perfect evening because it was cool and overcast but only rained for a few minutes after we went to bed!  It was the best trip!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends!