School Daze

These two started school yesterday.  Annabel is now in high school, and Thane is in 7th grade.  They are growing up to be such amazing humans, and we are thrilled to be doing life with them both. 

Montana Adventures

 

My wonderful friend Melissa flew out from Maine to visit for a few days.  We both had work to do, but thankfully were able to get out of town for a couple of days over the weekend.  What an adventure!  

We left Sheridan Friday morning and headed northwest into Montana.  Our first stop was the Greycliff Mill.  Now located right off I-90 near Big Timber, the mill was reconstructed after being painstakingly taken apart in upstate New York.  The mill now holds a little cafe and gift store.  Other projects around the site include a cheese cellar, fiber & leather making buildings and beautiful gardens.  It was well worth the stop!

Next we traveled to Livingston.  What a beautiful old town nestled in the foothills of the mountains.  We had AMAZING brick oven pizza made with fresh ingredients, and then ambled our way around town.

 

From there we drove some back roads alongside the stunning Absaroka Mountain range.  It was breathtaking!

 

 

Our last stop before heading back to Billings was at Natural Falls just inside the Gallatin National Forest.  During times of high water (spring runoff, storms, etc.), water rushes over the cliff in the photo above.  But during this late summer season, water flows down through the rocks and exits into a ravine below.  From there it once again diverts underground for a quarter of a mile only to pop up again into the light of day.  

What a beautiful day with a beautiful friend!

Hanging with the Connoys

Last weekend Jordan's Uncle Steve and Ant Sandy headed west with grandsons Mason & Drew to visit for the weekend.  What a privilege to be able to host them after being on the receiving end of their hospitality over the years.

 

Of course we had to show off our beautiful Big Horns.  We drove our usual route, bragging about one of the best views of the valley and Yellowstone Mountains in the distance.  Instead we were met with this.  It was incredible to be so high above the clouds.  We've never seen anything like it!

On our way home we stopped in a quiet meadow to have a picnic lunch and look for elk in the nearby mountain peaks.  We were not disappointed.

 It was a special day with some very special people.        Come again soon!

Girls Hike

  

We got to spend two weeks with Xeni, and we loved every minute of it.  Kind and content to go with the flow, Xeni was a wonderful guest.  Toward the end of her stay, the girls wanted to explore nearby Tongue River Canyon.  We got to the trailhead early, but it was still very HOT surrounded by rock canyon walls.  I also managed to fall and bruise/fracture my tail bone. Despite all that, it was a great morning.

From the highs...

 To the lows...

 ...the views were completely worth it!

Mt. Rushmore and Jewel Cave

 

Our next stop was Mt. Rushmore, which Xeni has always wanted to see.  Under construction the last few times we've stopped by, the hall of flags was even better up close.

 We took a different route out of the monument and spied this guy hanging out.  Very cool!

After the piercing heat of the day, we were very happy to spend an hour and a half in the cooler temperatures underground while exploring Jewel Cave.  Even though its not far from Wind Cave, the geological features of the two are completely different.  Here we were treated to stalactites, geode-like structures (like this one, which looks like a map of the USA!) and even cave bacon!

 

After the tour, Thane tried to crawl through a structure that simulates some of the tight spaces cavers encounter while exploring in the depths of this space.  

 

Better him than me!

Badlands

  

Despite its proximity, the kids had never been to the Badlands National Park.  This was their 20th park, and we were excited to be able to spend the morning there.

 We were so lucky to see not one, but two, big horn sheep sunning themselves on a rock outcropping.  It was so cool to get close to these majestic creatures.

The Badlands are so beautiful in their rugged way.  

It was the perfect summer morning!

Little House on the Prairie

 

After several years of tight timelines on our roadtrips, the kids (including bonus child Xeni!) and I were thrilled to be able to have an extra travel day to do some sightseeing.  Avoiding the highway, we ambled our way through Minnesotan farmland to the grasslands of South Dakota.       Our first stop was the farmstead that Pa Ingalls made for Ma in De Smet.  

 

We got to explore the school where Laura taught, spy Silver Lake in the distance and sit in the church just as Laura, Mary and the rest of the family did so many years ago.

 

The homestead now serves as a living history museum, and the kids got into the spirit of prairie life there.  They helped care for the animals in the sod covered barn, did laundry the old fashioned way (thank God for washing machines!) and pump water.

Perhaps the highlight was our ride in a covered wagon.  

We highly recommend this unique experience.

Lunch at GG's

  

Before heading back home, the kids and I got to spend a lovely afternoon having lunch and visiting with GG, Jordan's grandmother.  We are so grateful for the time that we got to spend with her, Aunt Glenda and Uncle Bob.  Thanks for your amazing hospitality!

On Cabin Time

This summer Annabel spent several weeks in Washington, visiting Jordan's folks and helping with the cherry harvest at Uncle Kelly and Aunt Michele's orchard.  She loved her time there and got back home with literally hours to spare before we drove across Montana and North Dakota to spend a week at the cabin.

As usual, the week revolved around the water - whether it was swimming, sunbathing, inner tubing or water balloon battles.  

 

In addition to our time-honored traditions, we try to do something a little different each time we visit.  This year the kids picked a ton of fresh, sweet strawberries and we made a whole lot of jam and syrup.  YUM!

 

 

Amie and the boys came up for a few days, and we had a great time with them (as always!)  All the kids get along, and we cherish our time with this crazy crew!

 

And at the end of our very full days, we all sat back and appreciated God's beautiful creation.

Bruce Mountain Hike

 In late June, Jordan and I took advantage of our temporary empty nest to get up into the Big Horns for the day.  This time we explored Bruce Mountain, which is in the opposite direction of our usual forays.  We parked the 4 Runner and made up our way up one side of this rocky mountain.

  

After 45 minutes of elevation gain, we spent a few minutes at the pinnacle of Bruce and then headed across an alpine meadow to have lunch on the opposite side.  It was gorgeous!

Even though it was late June, there was still several inches of snow on the north side of the mountain.  Freya loved it!!

We spent the rest of the afternoon making our way across the ridge to get to this incredible view.

  The Big Horns never disappoint!!