Road Trip - Fruitland to McCall and Back

Council, ID:

Old Steam Engine

Ponderosa State Park, McCall, ID:

Heading out for a hike

SO many butterflies...

'being the Daddy' and hiking in the front

Checking out Payette Lake

This Moment

Inspired by Amanda Soule

More pictures to come this weekend, our last full week in Idaho!

Oregon Trail

LaLa lives very close to the Oregon Trail; as a matter of fact, she lives less than 10 miles from Fort Boise, one of the army forts along the Oregon Trail, used to re-supply the wagon trains when there were enough stores. Instead of just poking around locally and checking out the sites nearby, we drove to Baker City, Oregon, home of one of many Oregon Trail Interpretive Centers.

Checking out one of the wagon replica's on display.

Beginning the 2.5 mile loop from the Interpretive Center to the wagon wheel ruts on the Oregon Trail. Uli and LaLa were a bit pooped out from that walk...

...and a Bison. Uli's crusade to own a cow continues...

We finished the day at a nearby Mexican Restaurant. Practiced a little spanish, and ate my fill of good food. A lovely day.

{This Moment}

2 moments, inspired Amanda Soule

Uli: "Can I be a farmer, Mom? Can I have a cow?"

Me: "Yes. Can I have a goat?"

Please?

We may be dairy farmers in the near future... stay tuned.

Idaho!

Uli and I arrived in Idaho on Thursday for our three week visit of our wonderful LaLa and some members of our extended family. Thursday was a beautiful Uli-LaLa day...

Many people have asked what one does in Idaho, specifically, is there running water, indoor plumbing, Internet, etc. Well... yes! The pace is much slower here (drastically different than our Boston home) and it really is a little piece of Heaven on Earth for both me and my Sunny Son. This is the heart of farm country. Fresh produce everywhere and huge farm equipment around every corner - Uli and I can't go anywhere without getting super excited about something... I nearly jumped out of the car when we passed a combine. Oh the joys of being the mother of a nearly three year old boy.

My Uncle Don graciously shared his children's toys with Uli, the prize is of course the mini-cast aluminum John Deere Tractor. Uli spends at least an hour a day cleaning it and riding it around the yard. Oh the simple joys of being Uli. If he's not cleaning the tractor, he's cleaning or running around the yard with his new best friend, Paisley. They were so pooped out Saturday night that they just cuddled up next to LaLa and took a little rest together.

Looking so forward to the remainder of my trip: baking a cherry pie, teaching mom to can, visiting the Oregon Trail and Hell's Canyon... so much to do, so little time. Why did I say I would work while I was here???

Quiet Morning

I woke up beautifully early today, 6 minutes before 5:00 a.m. I must say, sleeping pain-free is a vast improvement to the alternative. I feel so much more rested in the morning.

I spent the hour and a half I had to myself this morning doing a little yoga, drinking my tea, and wandering through my garden. It was truly blissful. Here are a few things I saw...

A little Roma tomato peaking through the foliage

Huge heirloom squash blossoms greeting the day,

and freshly 'put up' blueberry lime jam that my precious boy helped to make last night {heart}.

Have a lovely day...

Thoughts

We went blueberry picking again - this batch is headed right for the jam jars with a little lime. Should be yummy!


One can't pick blueberries without ending the session with a little cider slush and silliness...

I have had a lot on my mind lately, and part of those thoughts lay with two blogger families I have come to 'know' over the last year or so... I hope both Heather and Amanda are doing well, and I look forward to their regular post about their love for their families and their ceaseless creativity. Hugs to both of you.