Timberrrrrrrr!

These trees are about 35 or more years old. We've lived

here for 20 years, so they've more than doubled in size.

The shade has kept the

house cool in the summer, but lets face it,

summer just doesn't get that hot any more!

The roots have taken over the back yard and the

branches have spread so wide there's not enough

sun to grow a decent garden, so I finally agreed to

TAKE 'EM DOWN!

Eager Beaver is the local outfit to do this sort of thing, so

we gave them a call. It took a crew of 4 men around 5 hours

to get the job done. First, off come all the branches.

Now you're left with the treetop. The video below shows the top
coming off. Then they took about 5-6 feet of the trunk down
at a time. The pieces came down with a hard THUNK which
shook the house and made some real big dents in the lawn!
Now we're left with lots of firewood. We're trying to sell it, but
I think our timing is off. This week has been a heatwave, so
people are thinking more about fans than fires!

We "Struck" it rich at this Restaurant!

Last weekend Diane and Dennis made a super quick trip

home. Dennis needed a follow up dental appointment. So they left

Provo early on Saturday morning and we met them in Bellevue

to have dinner that evening.

Grandma Schenk came along since she was out of the country

when Diane and Dennis were married. She brought this

lovely dishtowel embroidered by Great Grandma Shirley

for Diane.

Here we are enjoying a feast of crab and corn and taters.
MESSY! By the way, the bibs are ultra important. Maybe
even better would be some sort of wrap around full body
protection, then you're safe from flying crabmeat, right Dennis?


After dinner they headed down to Eatonville, and Monday morning
Dennis had his dental appointment, then they made a beeline back
to Provo in order to get there by Monday night.
Thanks for visiting with us Diane and Dennis.
It was great to see you two!

Devin and Roommates

This is what we drove an hour and 20 minutes over

bumpy, rutted, dusty roads to find. Crystals!
Crystals formed in this very hill.

Another cool find, a cow carcass. Well, it was pretty

hot and dry.

Devin's roommates and friend.

Eric, Jared, Robert, his fiancee Susan and Devin.

Robert tie-dyed the wall hanging.

Devin's truck and home sweet home, the Viking Apartments.

Thanks for a great spaghetti dinner, guys!

The way you are SUPPOSED to see Mesa Falls

This is the upper falls, and the little group of people in right

corner of the lookout is our group. Notice Eric's red hair.
Ah, there's the redhead and his Dad now.

What a perfect day to be seeing nature's beauty.

Quite a spectacular sight.

You can see a little bit of the rainbow at the bottom of

the falls. It was definitely worth the 45 minute or so drive

to this place.

Down by the water's Edge

Eric's first time bouldering. He was surprised at how

much effort it took. Going back up you have to take

lots of breaks just to catch your breath, especially

in this high altitude.

Eric & Eric

This is Robert up close and personal with
nature's fury! Yikes!

Hey, it's Devin gettin the good shots for me, since

I didn't get all the way down to the water.

Yep, it's true, you've got to be tough to handle this kind of

hiking! It's alot of fun though!

Yes, it really is as steep as it looks!

And a long way down, too.
This is what we call 'bouldering'. And it's the only way
to get down to Henry's Fork River for a better look
at Mesa Falls. We did the look-out thing, but this
is way more exciting, and a lot more work.


I was able to go 3/4 of the way down, then I was
concerned about getting back up again, so I stopped
there.


It turns out that going up really was easier, so I most
likely could have handled the whole way down and
up, but, I didn't want to push my luck! I was just
happy to have made it so far. It was actually fun,
and I'd do it again!


This is the lookout and that white stuff just to the right
of Eric is Mesa Falls. It was the most perfect weather, warm
with a light breeze, and quite a fun adventure!