Our little getaway.

After a long couple of months, and over a year since our last vacation of any kind, Fred and I went on an overnight trip....to Idaho.   I know, it doesn't sound that amazing, but it was just what we needed.  

The drive was only a few hours, then we did some sight seeing (as much as you can in Twin Falls). 

The view was pretty cool. 

We saw some cool bridges.

As far as we could tell, this is the famous Twin Falls - between the rocks in the middle.  Not impressive.

It was amazing that the area seems so flat, then all of a sudden you're crossing a large bridge. 

This is the first bridge (the picture does NOT do it justice) we crossed when we started noticing....the canyons.

I looked over from the bridge and saw this.   Amazing canyons in the middle of what seemed like a very flat area!

Left view from the Shoshone Falls.

What are the Shoshone Falls?  I had no idea, I've lived in the West my entire life and had never heard of the "Niagra of the West".   But here it is - less than 5 hours from us. 

We could have done a little hiking to where Evil Kneival jumped across the canyon, but it was chilly and the trail was icy.  I have to say, the area was pretty smelly - hopefully just from garbage that needed to be emptied.  The park seems like it would be beautiful in the summer.  One benefit of going in January was it wasn't crowded and we didn't have to pay a fee to get in.  

We ate at a restaurant - Elevation ##(?) it's supposed to have a view of the bridge that Fred was standing by in one of our pictures - but by the time we got there the sun was setting.  

The next day we went to the Twin Falls Temple.  It's a very small temple compared to most of the ones in Utah that we go to, but it was nice.   




Twin Falls, ID temple - this was a view from the trail as we hiked to see the "Twin Falls". 

We checked out of our hotel (which I had gotten an amazing deal on by booking online- AmericInn - a newer chain.  They serve cookies at 8pm :} ), tried some amazing hamburgers per the hotel clerks suggestion (Burger Stop).  Then headed for home. 
Along the way I made Fred stop at quilting stores.  Romantic, I know.   :}  I want to make us a new quilt for our bed and heard that Idaho has really good quilt stores.   They do..... but for a price, that I was NOT willing to pay.   But the fabric Fred picked out was kind of paisley and inspired us for the one we eventually did pick, back here at home, from a regular chain store, for 50% off, which came out to-- 75% off of what we would have paid in Idaho.  :} 
I'll post pictures afer I get it started. 
It was nice to have some time away, even if it was only to Idaho, it was a good, cheap, short trip.   We definitely feel rejuvenated. 

Hunting season took over our January

If you don't approve of hunting, stop reading now.  But just so you know, we don't do it just for sport, we do it to stock our food supply.  The DWR issues extra hunting tags to help control the herds that are destroying ranches.  We were lucky enough to get one of these tags. 

This picture of Tad by camels is important for later on. :}   We went to the zoo one day while daddy was at work. 

On Fred's days off, the 2 of us would go hunting.  We have a family sheep ranch and I grew up hunting.   It's been fun to share with Fred.   I was glad my parents were available to watch Tad each time we wanted to go.  
This is the view from the opposite side of the ranch.  Looking down towards the freeway.  If you look close you can see a blue barn and a white ranch house.  This is where my mom grew up (during part of the year).  There is also a cave along the red rocks (Cache Cave) where the pioneers would "Cache" food for the next group coming through.

 Fred and I took the truck up the first time and found we needed the snowmobiles, it didn't look like a lot of snow, but it was.   The snowmobile gave us a few problems and we ended up just having "picnics" on the end of the trailer because we spent more time working on them than riding them.  :{  
After taking one to the shop, we finally had a few good days riding them.    It was beautiful up there.  

If you look really close you can see some tan spots in the trees.

Finally, after several days AND weeks of hunting.  We heard one of our cousins had got their elk.  We followed their tracks a few days later and found a herd of 25.  (Everyone else said they'd seen 50-150 in the herd.)  Fred decided to hike down the hillside and get closer.  I stood on the one side and played with my camera lens.  :}  As soon as he was about to go through the trees to where he could get a shot, they started to move.  (How did we ever hunt without walkie talkies?) 

 The Saturday before the end of the hunt, he took my cousin Yance with him.  They met up with another cousin and managed to fill both tags!  As much fun as it was to have "dates", I was glad that we were done.  

Tad was so excited about daddy's new animal, from a distance.  :} 

When we went to grandma's house, Tad told her that "daddy got a big camel".   (The elk's teeth did look a lot like the camel's teeth that we had just seen at the zoo.)
Tad eventually would stand by dad and the elk, but not touch it.  
As Fred and my dad were working on the elk.  They put their knives down and Tad immediately picked one up. (We caught him before anything happened.)   He watches EVERYTHING we do and is too observant.  The other day he played "hunting" with dad, looking for elk, and jumping out of his pretend car to shoot it.  He knows he's only allowed to pretend to shoot bears and elk.  :}  But I still wonder how he knows about hunting, he never went with us. 
I'm very grateful for the added food supply and it's been delicious! 

Adventures of a 2 year old.

Tad has been awfully busy during January.  He's growing so fast and makes us laugh often.  He's a pretty smart kid which also gets him in trouble.  

Daddy's box is now Tad's "car" and he drives it to the "country". His favorite place to play on it is on the trampolene and often stands it up and asks us to put him in it - he'll play for hours.

He watches mom put her makeup on, so now he uses one of my old brushes and paints everyone's eyes until they're "pretty". 

"Horse" has become his new best friend.  Horse gets to do everything Tad gets to do.  (almost)

Tad taught himself to have "oreo parties"  we went through a whole package of oreos and have now moved on to crackers because they're cheaper!

Notice the yogurt on the wall, above his head?  He's still mastering eating by himself.

I'm loving my fast camera that caught this funny picture of a monkey!  
We've gone to the zoo a lot since there's no snow.

Rockin' at the zoo.

Notice the "mommy" and "daddy" figurines in front of him.  Now we get to do everything with Tad! 

The other day he wouldn't let me help him brush his teeth, he said Dolly would help him. 

I think he needs a friend.  He's good about helping Dolly play with everything.

Tad put socks on, so Horse had to put socks on.   He even tried to put his sunday shoes on the horse.  I gave him a pair of my socks instead. 

He's not afraid to ride his horse anymore.  (Notice the socks?)

What a busy body!   But we love it!