Doing all the Moon Lake things

This is one of my favorite views. Right out the door of our little cabin. Breakfast cooking and the sun shining on the lake 💕

We planned to go on a horseback ride this morning. We had hoped that Ethan would be here with us, but he had some car trouble on the way up last night and didn't get her in time. Halli came along with us in his spot. 

Everly was NOT feeling confident about being on that horse. The only reason she ended up coming was the guide taking her horse on a lead line. 

And there was really no other choice. We were all heading out on horses and we couldn't leave her behind. 

That's a nervous look. 

There was a forest fire a couple years ago. The vibrant green saplings, the black trees and the bright blue sky were tragic and hopeful. It's so sad that all of those tall pines burned. It will be decades before they replace the old growth. But they will. 

We had to be careful not to let the horses pass to close to the burnt trees. The remaining branches were like knives. 

It was fun! I think we'll go again next time and see how much the saplings have grown. 

We spent some time down at the lake. Lara had a floating chair she wanted to try out. 

So, naturally, she stood on the beach and held a rope so the little girls didn't drift away. 

Meg and Laney found a quiet spot to do some sketching.

And Ethan finally arrived!! He wasted no time setting up a questionable target practice out the front door. He never got caught, so it must be ok!

Back down to the beach for a little hole diggin.

Some wildflowers from my firstborn pup!

Showing the cousins the wonders of color-flame packs!

Redneck's got redneck...

It was Kaira's night for a treat and she introduced us all to mango coconut rice. 

Live changing!! 

And the perfect ending to the perfect Moon Lake day. The sound of the heater making me feel perfectly happy. 

Moon Lake. The Women Hit the Road

Mark busted his knee. He's in no position to drive for two days or exist in the woods for any amount of time. But Moon Lake calls and we shall go. 

Megan helped to drive. My ability to trust is growing! Don't let the boys see or they will be mad!

But, my dears, this world is so beautiful. 

And also very silly. 

We had the best time picking music and stopping when we pleased. We were in awe of the view at Flaming Gorge. Breathtaking!

We are excellent packers. We managed all our stuff AND groceries for the week. Walmart pickup in Vernal for the win!

Moon Sweet Moon. 

Getting reacquainted with the cousins. 

Everyone around the fire. I wish I could describe the feeling I have when I'm here with my people. 

I'm home. 

Meg and Mom go to Utah

Last time I flew out to visit my mom, I sat by a man that also made trips frequently to visit his parents. We quickly got into heavy conversation about the effects of dementia and ways to protect the mental health of a caretaking child or spouse.  He mentioned that he uses those trips not just to help his mom and dad, but also as an opportunity to take one of his children with him. Having time with just `kid is so hard to get! 

So I took Megan with me! 

She was introduced the the only scenario in which I am happy to wear a mask...no one can see my mouth hanging open when I fall asleep mid-flight. 

Our main objective for this trip is to visit with my mom and have yummy things to eat. Second is to turn this gorgeous abundance of blossoms....

Into this:

For that, we need ALL the people!

Mom is supervising, of course. Without her, I don't think I could've made the decision to "rip them out!"

She knows that making the sacrifice now while we are all in town to help will make it so she doesn't have to do all this prep in the spring. 

She's a wise woman. 

Feels like old times with mom and all her worker bees out in the yard. 

Jay came by at the end of the day and we loaded it all up to take to the dump. 

While we were in town, there just happened to be a Johnson reunion! I haven't seen most of these aunts, uncles and cousins in a couple decades. It was fun to catch up and fun to introduce Megan!

And if that wasn't enough, we snuck out of there with Mom's pico de gallo recipe!

Day 16 - Our last hurrah

Our last day here. Lara and John both had to go back to their lives already. 

Ethan was up with the sun to go catch his breakfast.

He taught Laney how to gut and cook a fish in foil. Not sure if she loves fish, but she sure loves Ethan and attention from her big brother is the best.

We walked over to Jordan's cabin to pick them up for our hike. Reif has patiently built a trusting relationship with their resident potgut. He rewards them with cheerios for their bravery.

We stopped at the bridge to do a little fishing. The Blanchards helped the kids to reel a few in!

We heard there were falls so we set out to find them!  The little girls started really struggling with the hike about 20 minutes in, so Mark took them back to the cabin and I kept on to catch up with the rest of the group. It was kind of nice to have the time to enjoy the silence and the sound of the wind in the trees.  The view of the lake from this side is perfect.

Mathew did his level best to climb rocks and trees at every opportunity...I gave him the speech about not wanting to spend the rest of my day in the emergency room. It's our thing.

We snapped a cute family photo for the Blanchards.

We never did find the falls. We hiked for a couple hours and turned back when we figured we'd be running out of water and snacks soon.

I spent the rest of my day looking for driftwood and using my burning tool to make souvenirs for everyone. This one turned out the best...for Mom!

One last 9 square battle and we were off to bed.

We will miss our quirky little cabin, the door that doesn't open because the bed is too big, the shower handle that mysteriously zaps you with a non-lethal electric current, the bed in the dining room. But mostly we'll miss making new memories with our family. We all want to come again! That's all I need.