Wednesday, July 21, 2010

More Campin' pictures...whether you wanted to see them or not!

Remember, yesterday, I mentioned the annual Hike/Fish the Snake River jaunt...This year, when we drove over to the Big Red Park, where we drop the guys off on the east side of the Snake River, we found that the road was washed out where the guys start their trip. We didn't talk to anyone, but we're just guessing that spring flooding washed out the road. We're thinking that beavers contributed to the damage. But, wow, what a mess. This photo is of the former road over the river with the flume--well, what's left of the flume. That kind of water power is a little beyond my flat-landers comprehension.
One of the games we like to play a lot at our house is Washers. It's kinda like horse shoes, but easier. The kids played many a game of Washers with we adults getting in on the action. Kevin is a wiz at Washers. Andy and Sharon were pretty good too. Miss Kat, alas, isn't good. The only part of washers she's good at is what we'll call...creative scoring. If you get a point, she gets two. somehow, even when she's losing, she wins. And don't even try arguing with the girl, cause she's a master at the art of argument. Not debate, just argument.

On our hike up to the Elkhorn Mine, we enjoyed lots of tree art. Not sure who etched this into the Aspen, but she's been there a while. I think she looks a lot like me...except for the ample chest, and my face is not quite as masculine. But, who looks at her face anyway?

We stopped at Vanderbilts in Colby and got Miss Kat new boots before the trip. she saved them for the campground, using her flip flops and tennis shoes for water adventures. Cute Ariat Fat Babies. She wore them all the time. Yes, with her shorts. With her long legs, and boots...cute, cute, cute. If boots make everyones legs look that good, I'm getting me a pair. Better yet, I'll steal Kat's. We wear the same size! (Kat's standing next to her Daddy. Sharon and Lynn Dale are in the background...with both dogs making an appearance.)

Every year, we set out a hummingbird feeder. This year, we had two birds utilize it. Kevin and Lynn mixed the food...but they didn't boil the sugar and water, nope, they just dumped some sugar into the water. Sharon and I told them and told them that you have to supersaturate the water, but dang it; the hummingbirds came anyway. Personally, I think the birds were planted by the guys--just so they'd win the argument... But, anyway, The hummingbirds gave us a lot of pleasure over the week. As we were breaking up camp on the last morning, this little guy kept zipping in, looking for his snack. Unfortunately, it had been packed already. But he was so cute because he kept zipping in and out, looking for that feeder.

This was our kitchen for the week. Have you ever seen a cast iron kettle (center, bottom on the grate)? I hadn't, but I got one at an auction earlier this summer. It was really rusty, but I scrubbed it and rubbed it with lard and we used it at camp. We didn't cook in it, but we used it to hold our bacon grease that we cooked with. We kept in on the fire, or near the fire so it stayed nice and hot all week. I cleaned it up and it's now nicely seasoned. Several years ago, Lynn and I bought the big Dutch Oven (top center). We hadn't used it much, but we did this year. It cooked our Taco Soup and our Goulash, and Gravy. When you're cooking for 9, and 6 of them are big eaters...you need a big pot.
The coffee pot is Kev's--the one we use in the house. I spent over 2 hours scrubbing the soot off it Sunday afternoon at home. I think he needs another one dedicated for camping because I don't want to make a habit of scrubbing soot off a coffeepot.
This is of my sweetie, Kev. He's just out looking at some of the dead trees. But I thought it was a nice picture. We had such a good time on our little adventure to the mountains.
Finally, a shot depicting a common activity all week...resting in chairs, under the trees. Sharon and Andy. Be surprised they aren't reading, because if they were sitting down--in camp, they had a book in hand. We all read a lot of books. But, that's the best part of vacation, relaxing, and doing something you enjoy.







Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Mom's Cooking

Here it is...finally finished. "Mom's cooking" (the actual title. I keep calling this Mom's Kitchen, or something along those lines.) First up is a closeup of about 1/2 of the finished project. Note that the size of the chicken wire changes. Gives the picture depth.

And the full project. It's 9 x 22. Stitched on 28 ct. Luguana. Off white. Some I've had for years. I like to buy a yard at a time and then cut what I need for various projects. This finished off my yard, so I need to get more.

I think I'll ask Kev to make me a frame out of barn wood. And then I'll have to find somewhere in the kitchen to hang this. Which means I might have to rearrange some of my "old crap". That would just be too bad... I've found a real red handled rolling pin to use as an accessory, but I'd really like to find a flour jar and green cup/salt shaker, etc. and I need to find an egg beater.

But, I promised that I'd post pictures, and I did. Now I just need to decide what my next project will be...right now, I'm in a reading frame of mind, (and a laundry/cleaning up the camper frame of mind). But, there will be other projects...I promise!

(Photos by Miss Kat)

Campin photos

None of these photos were taken by me. I've asked (nicely) Miss Kat to upload my photos, but she hasn't. Don't have a photo here of Miss Kat or of Sharon...mainly the guys...that's weird! Kev, Me, Andy and Austin sittin' around the campfire.
Cody, Steve, Lynn Dale and Kev. Maybe Sharon is "Up the hill" using the facilities. Miss Kat is behind the camera.

Austin, Cody and their Dad, Steve.


Kev took this shot of the other 4 hikers. The guys traditionally walk the Snake River, fishing all day. We drop them off at one end and 7-10 hours later, pick them up at the other end of the river. Rough country in between. I've walked it once and would like to do it again. You literally have two mountains come down with the river in the middle. Many times throughout the hike, your flattest hike is in the water. And frequently, you can't walk in the water, so you are walking with your feet angled. This trip was Austin and Cody's first time to hike. The adults deemed them to small until this year. In this photo, you have Andy, Cody, Steve and Austin.



Just a small group of sheep that were in the mountains with us. Cody took this shot on our hike up to the Elkhorn mine. We were a little concerned as we walked through the sheep. We weren't sure how the LGD's would react and watched them carefully. We did NOT want them to think we were a threat to the sheep. No problems, but we did leave our dogs in camp.





This is Hahn's Peak. We camped north of of the mountain. You can see lots of dead pine trees in this shot. Believe me, this area has been hit hard by the Pine beetles.




Monday, July 19, 2010

Quick camping facts

We got home from the Mountains late Saturday night.

Our campsite was at 8500 feet.

The temperature most mornings was in the low 40's. The morning high was 49, morning low was 39.

We had frost one morning.

We cooked all our meals over the campfire. The menfolk did more than their share of the cooking.

We did dishes over the campfire too--with creek water.

We used paper plates, so there weren't many dishes to wash.

Lots of card games took place in the evenings. I even won a few--but only when I played with the kids.

The guys spent all but one day fishing.

Kev found some bear scat which made him a wee bit nervous.

The sheep were there, sharing the valley with us. The sheepherders don't speak English... neither do the LGD dogs--Great Pyrenees. They didn't like our dogs.

Our dogs spent lots of time in the camper.

This was the first time we didn't have sheep poop in our campsite.

The hike up to the Elkhorn mine was fun, but there's not much oxygen up there and this gal really noticed the lack thereof.

Physical fittness is wasted on the youth.

It was fabulous not being the only adult female on the trip, and sharing our trip with Sharon.

EVERYTHING makes Lynn Dale fart.

The kids have finally gotten old enough not to fall for Lynn's "Pull my finger" line.

It didn't stop Lynn.

Afternoon temperatures got to the mid 80's.

The flies were more annoying than the mosquitoes.

We saw evidence of the Pine Beetle infestation. Lots and lots of dead trees in the forest.

Some of our favorite trees are now dead.

There's no cell service where we were. I didn't miss it. Miss Kat did. Anytime we went down the Mountain, she'd be texting at rapid speeds.

Not one person texted me while we were gone.

I was very proud of my kids. They didn't fight for one entire week. Well, until the ride home that is...but still...

Somehow, Miss Kat is the only person who didn't do any cooking. Even Austin and Cody, my 13 year old nephews, cooked.

Miss Kat can do dishes over the campfire--even if she didn't want to!

I took 4 books. Read 3.

I took one cross stitch project. It never left it's bag.

Sharon and I talked non-stop from Colby to Steamboat...and then some. We also talked non-stop on the way home--after spending a week together...talking!

On the way up, we had to deal with idiot bicyclists from Denver.

On the way home, we had to deal with a bigger number of idiot bicyclists from Steamboat.

The Steamboat bikers cost us an hour in drive time.

Kev says we saw 875,000 bicyclists between Steamboat and Kremmling.

We managed not to hit a single bicyclist...even those who didn't follow proper biking safety and rules of the road.

When we left Ks, the temperature was in the 80's. We got home to temps over 100. We much preferred Mountain temperatures.

We had a great time and don't want to wait another 5 years before going back.

Thursday, July 08, 2010

25 and then some...things about me

We'll be heading to the Mountains tomorrow, so no blogs next week. (Like I've been good this summer anyway!)

No, I don't have a picture to post of my "Kitchen" cross stitch yet...I asked Miss Kat to take a picture of it last night. She did, but wouldn't upload it for me. And there I was...slaving away over a hot stove making cookies for the trip. Ungrateful wench...

So blame her.

One of my groups online had a thread of 25 things about me. Thought I'd post my list here for you all to be amazed by all the things about me that you didn't know before...

1. I get annoyed by ill people. I try not to, but I just don't understand it. (It's Grandma's fault. Her and her standing-appointment with Dr. Lenz every Friday morning.)
2. Thankfully, I am not a nurse.
3. I think living in cities is against human nature. (Sorry family in Colo Springs, but yes, you all are quacks! but I love you anyway!)
4. I live in the country.
5. My dream goal is to eat only food produced on our place.
6. My garden is against me fulfilling my dream unless you can eat bindweed.
7. I often have to stop to do the math when someone asks my age. (Let's see...it's 2010...I was born in 1964...that makes me...46).
8. In my mind I'm still 25 with a hot body. Neither is true. (was it true then?)
9. Every day, I look at Kev and think I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Why he "Settled" for me, I'll never know but I will be forever grateful.
10. I wish we had gotten married earlier so I could have talked Kev into having 2 more kids...well, I wish that most of the time...ok...sometimes...umm...
11. I have worked in a library of some kind since 1979. And libraries look very different 30 years later. OMG...did I just type 30???I am not old enough to have worked in a library 30 years! aaarrrgggg!
12. As an academic librarian, I'm annoyed by helicopter parents.
13. As a parent of a 19 year old and a 14 year old, I can now see how easy it is to become a helicopter parent.
14. I'm trying really hard NOT to be a helicopter parent.
15. I bowhunt.
16. I hate fishing but like to eat fish. Except for muddy catfish and trout. Trout look at you. bleh...
17. I think Kansas is one of the most under appreciated states in the union.
18. I have heard every Toto and Dorothy joke and they really annoy me.
19. I'm grateful that all the idiots who like Dorothy and Toto jokes live elsewhere and they all eventually go home...usually to cities.
20. I love the feel, sight, sound, and smell of rain.
21. I like raising chickens. Except when they drive me crazy. Which is fairly often.
22. My favorite part of the day is when I crawl into bed and snuggle with Kev.
23. My mom is one of my best friends.
24. I wish I was a Stay at home wife and mom.
25.Kev and I get up at the un-godly hour of 5 a.m. to exercise. Every day, when the alarm goes off, I pray that he'll just turn it off and go back to sleep. He seldom does. I am NOT a morning person, so exercising with me at 5 a.m. is lots of fun for both of us.

Well, that's it. Tonight...I'm still getting ready to camp. Tonight I am patching some jeans to wear and baking banana bars. Tomorrow, I'm loading the camper. But, I sure would appreciate someone explaining to me how Kev always manages to have to work on the day that the camper gets loaded up for a trip; leaving most of the last minute stuff to me...

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

The weekend in brief...

No chicken posts this week! Aren't you glad?

It's Tuesday. I had a 4 day weekend. It was great! On Friday, I finished stitched "Mom's Cooking", which I also call "Mom's kitchen" quite frequently. I'll post a picture soon. PROMISE. I started stitching it Easter weekend, and finished on July 3. Not bad. Since we are going camping this next week, I'm just going to either take a break from stitching, or take along some bookmark patterns. Once we get home, I think I'll stitch up some more tea towels or maybe some pillowcases. I'm fairly positive it will be embroidery work instead of cross stitching for a little while. I need a break!

On Saturday, Miss Kat and I ran in to Dodge with Kev. It was his weekend to cover the hospital, and we "carpooled" to hit the stores while he was working. Then we ran home and unloaded the groceries and put them away. We got a lot of camping groceries but, like always, I need more. And, once again, we got home, fresh from the store and wondered what we were going to have for supper!

Kev and I then ran down to Mom's. She bought a new air conditioner (Window unit) and wanted it installed. It has been sitting on her porch for 3 weeks...I'm not real sure why the rush to get it installed, after all the 30 year old one still worked! But, Kev came down and he and Dad managed to get it installed without any trouble. Kev did comment that the new one was lots lighter than the old one. Of course it's been cool and rainy since we installed it, so I'm not sure how well it works for Mom.

After installing the AC, we ran out to the Hill. Dad helped Kev pick up a couple of stock panels while Mom and I ran out to check the Sand-hill plums. There's a thicket of plums down near the new well in the pasture. We decided to walk, thinking it wasn't that far down there. We kept rounding "corners" of the draw thinking the plums were right there, but they were always "around the next bend."

We finally got to them. And found several ripe and almost ripe plums. Since it's been a wet year, the plums are HUGE! We walked back, and made plans to pick them on Monday. Kev and I got home around 8:30 Saturday night. I ran to take a bath and found 2 ticks on my leg. Both were busily robbing me of blood, but we got them plucked and gave them a nice alcohol christening before sending them down the toilet.

The 4th was a nice quiet day. We started getting the camper ready to go and then we went to Ford to a 4th party. It's our first invitation to a party since moving. We had a nice time and were home by 10 and watched Bucklin's fireworks from our front porch. Kat and a friend watched from town (you know teenage girls, they had to see who was there and they needed to be seen too!) Andy was in Minneola with a friend. Our first fireworks alone...so romantic...

Yesterday, Kev ran to work and I drove to Mom's to pick plums. Kev called and said it was dumping rain on him. (Found out later that Dodge got 7.5 inches of rain in 24 hours.) I hit the rain a few minutes later. Yes, it dumped! It didn't, however, rain at Mom's. So, we ran out to pick plums.

We doused ourselves with OFF, and made sure we had gloves and then we tackled the plum thicket. An hour later, we'd decided that we enjoyed picking plums a lot more when Dad does the picking.

We were cut up and bruised, but we had 2.5 gallons of plums! Of course many fell to the ground before landing in our bucket. And the bushes were thick, full of tumbleweeds and soaking wet. My clothes were soaked. To top it off...we forget to put on the gloves, so we have cuts and splinters in my hands. I think Sand-hill plum jelly is worth the effort...but it IS much nicer when Daddy picks the plums.

Kev and I spent the afternoon cleaning the camper and making that final list of stuff we need to pack/do before leaving on Friday. Then, we'll be off to Steamboat for a week! I can't wait!