Miss W is Seven

We had not stopped to see the SF kids or G'Kids on our way home, so we drove to SF on Tuesday to see them, do some shopping and some geocaching, in reverse order. It was the birthdate of our first grandchild and we wanted to be there for her special day.

After the initial hugs and excitement, they g'kids grabbed books. As a teacher, this makes my heart happy!

Miss W is reading to me in English. Her reading instruction in school is in Spanish. She reads very well in both languages. She also had a lengthy conversation with her parents in Spanish.

G'pa was reading to Mcbe from the book about their trip to visit G'pa & G'ma in AZ in 2013.

Miss W asked to use my camera to take photos.

Before we went to dinner, Miss W got a look at her birthday present...

Her official parties are on the weekend; a small party with friends and then one with family later in the day. Miss W is 7!

Spring Flowers #1

Because I am thrilled to be home in time to see some of the first flowers of spring blooming in my flower beds, I grab the camera and get some shots to share with all of you. It's a chance to practice my photography skills. It's a chance to share the beauty of a new season.

I have no idea the name of this flower. I am chagrined to admit this it the first time I have seen a flower. I watched it all last summer waiting for it to 'do something.' I guess it does do something, but you have to be at the right angle and the right time to see the penny-sized white flowers. It had several more potential buds that I will be watching.

One of my favorites, the pasque. We used to look for these in the pastures in the spring when we were kids. We'd pick them and bring them home to put in a glass of water. They never lasted long. We measured spring and almost the end of the school year by the wild pasques we would find. I'm thrilled to have my own plant in my flower bed.

Sunday the daffodils and iris were blooming

I divided my iris plants last fall. They must have liked the room to grow because I have little rounds of miniature iris in both flower beds. They are all doing remarkably well.

On Monday morning, these tulips opened. There are more to come, but there is something about the first tulips of the spring.

dainty, but majestic

As I am writing this post the forecast for Tuesday & Wednesday is 50% chance of rain and snow and temps into the low 30º and high 20º at night for the rest of the week. We'll see how the flowers look next week!

Earth Day Weekend Geo Events

Some geocachers gathered on Sunday afternoon to participate in a Cache In-Trash Out event I hosted in Watertown. This is the third year geocachers have participated in the Watertown Clean & Green Project.

3 from Watertown, 1 from Huron, 2 from Aberdeen and

7 from Minnesota

one went into the river to clean out some garbage

it was cold & icky

we followed the work time with some food & socializing

I had some door prizes to give away

as always, a good time was had by all

6 'new to us' geocachers came to the two events

A Lake, Iceland, a Temple, a Tree & a Bridal Veil

So what do the items in the title have in common? Considering we were in the area of Provo UT I am guessing you can connect the dots to several of the items, but I think you are in for a surprise.

A Lake

Utah Lake is a shallow freshwater lake. These and others were fishing on Easter Sunday. There was also  an assortment of water fowl. The snow-capped mountains make a beautiful backdrop. We decided this was one of the most scenic places for our geocaching adventure. 

We geocached along the lake shore. It was a successful geocaching trip as we had some specific caches in mind. We also cached in the numerous communities in the Provo area. It is all the other interesting things we saw (and see) that turn the trips into adventures.

We were surprised at the number of apple orchards in the area. I don't think of Utah as producing apples. (#19th in the nation) They also are a leading producer of sweet and sour cherries. Who knew?

Why did the chicken cross the road? To follow its friends who crossed before. Lots of free range chickens of assorted colors and sizes were seen as we drove through the countryside and in town. Also lots of horses and small herds of cattle...all in towns and some in the countryside.

Iceland

In 1855-60, 16 pioneers from Iceland established a settlement in Spanish Fork, the first permanent Icelandic settlement in the US.

this memorial honors those 16 and their descendants

a striking memorial in a residential neighborhood

in Spanish Fork

a lighthouse in the desert

A Temple

This is NOT the temple you were expecting, is it? As we drove into this area a huge billboard along Interstate marketed Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple. I had no idea where it was until we were driving in one of the communities and I saw the temple off in the distance. No geocache, but Hubby willingly drove the couple of miles so I could get photos.

several llamas on the grounds

well, in the pasture on the grounds

 llama rides are offered to children under 60 pounds in weight

for a fee

construction began in 1998

it attracts thousands of visitors each year for tours and festivals

interesting story behind this temple, check it out

Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple

after the huge billboard, this sign is rather inconspicuous 

but I guess the temple itself is good advertising

lots of tulips and flowering trees in the area

A Tree

we stopped here because of a geocache

an American bonzai tree?

actually, it is a Weeping American Elm

its horizontal branches are supported with metal supports

it was transplanted in 1927 from Ogden UT

I have seen these trees in other parts of the US. Now I know what type of tree they are. Unique and stunning compared to the trees growing in my front yard!

Bridal Veil

not a lot of rushing water, but stunning all the same

607' double cataract waterfall

lower falls

upper falls

As we were leaving the Provo area on Highway 189 on Wednesday morning I was surprised to realize this icon was next to the road.  There used to be a tram running to the top to a restaurant and lodge. Is it still there? You can read about it here. Bridal Veil Falls, Utah

This area of red mountains at a rest stop along I 80 was a nice change to the WY landscape.

I am not expecting to post anything else about this trip. We are two days from home. There is nothing exciting on the agenda until we host a geocaching event and help Miss W celebrate her 7th birthday, all later in the month.

Traveling Home, AZ to UT

We finally have reliable WiFi at a campground (very few campers here tonight) so I can post some of what we have been doing. Officially, we left our winter home on Friday, April 14th and headed to Las Vegas the first night. We are towing the travel trailer so are staying in campgrounds. This was another night of staying in LV without donating a penny to the casinos. We left the next morning for Utah.

I was surprised to find we drove from NV back into the northern part of AZ before getting into UT.

scenic drive along northern AZ

followed a river for awhile

colors of the Grand Canyon

brown/tan to very dark gray/black mountains

what? why? how?

a good travel day, interesting scenery

snow capped mountains

Welcome to Utah, home for several nights

this was the view from the campground

temps in the 60s & 70s during the day

furnace ran at night

around Provo UT