Outdoor Wednesday - September 29th/The Aspen Loop

A lovely Wednesday to you!

My family and I spent our Family Night on Monday evening, driving the Aspen Loop from the famous Sundance (actor, Robert Redford's ski resort) over the mountains down into Alpine, Utah.
We were a little disappointed that the aspens were not at peak color yet.
A number of other trees were turning.
And here and there a patch of golden aspens were seen.
The leaves are lovely, but don't you think their trunks are also wonderful, ghostly white and mottled with black. They are a sight at night.
The above vista is looking back towards Sundance, near Timpanogas Peak.
Here a mosaic of golden aspen leaves shine in the late afternoon sun.
A precious, little stream makes its way down the mountain. When I was a little girl, traveling with my family I called these "trinkletaries". :)
On a rock near the stream...
We found this little jar, with a note inside...
It said, "I am just a napkin. Thanks for finding me!" :)
I hope that you enjoyed our drive through the mountains.
For more Outdoor Wednesday posts, please visit A Southern Dreamer HERE.

Have a great one!
Elizabeth

Under our apple tree,......beautifully blooming,...
...there lies a tiny memorial to a tiny pet on a tiny grave...Can you see it?
Flowers for our sweet hamster, Pansy. Sleep well, little friend.
For more Outdoor Wednesday, please visit HERE.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Outdoor Wednesday

Today, I felt MUCH better. My goodness, it's about time. not only did I get out of bed, but I was actually productive. I don't know how long it will last, but it felt wonderful.

However, I had to be careful, so my Outdoor Wednesday did not stray very far from home...I thought you might like a peek at the beautiful mountains, dusted with snow and a few trees here on the foothills that are turning.

We've had an odd Fall. It was warm, then this freak cold snap came and dumped snow in the mountains and knocked off of limbs a lot of the leaves that usally turn in multitudes. Then, it warmed up and slowed Fall down, so here and in the valley, we are not yet at peak color.

My neighbor's tree is one of the first to turn...
And here is the humble door to our home...

Some Fall daisies...

...and some Halloween decor...

Welcome!

Hugs,
Elizabeth
For more Outdoor Wednesday posts visit A Southern Dreamer.

Outdoor Wednesday and a Treat!

As some of you may know, my decrepit back has been giving me fits recently which has forced on me much bedrest that I have been too restless to endure. Nevertheless, today, I hobbled outside to show you the bounty that is right in my own backyard and which I didn't expect this year...

Meet our apple tree, the heart of our yard, under whose branches we have lain quilts to cuddle and have read-alouds; which has seen picnics aplenty and whose boughs have lovingly held many a child. Three years ago our landlord, a good man but not a tree lover, chopped away all the branches until the lush tree was nothing more than a stump with three protruding stumps. I cried for an entire afternoon. But nothing could be gone. Our beautiful tree was gone.

And yet, even at that moment, the ability of life to regenerate itself was working deep within what seemed lifeless to us. The following Spring, tiny shoots sprouted forth from the wounds; slender branches reaching outward. The following Spring leaves and shoots sprouted in a green frenzy. This year, the thicker branches sprouted beautiful flowers and we crossed our fingers and waited...In time, our sweet tree gave us ... apples.

You see here her fruit which she bears, upon which our neighborhood birds love to feast...

This all reminds me of the Love of God and how it manifests itself in the hearts of His children to make old things new, and to give life to that which once was dead. It is a miracle that happens everyday somewhere, all of the time.

And now, for your eating enjoyment, a recipe from my neighbor, Amy H., who goes throughout our neighborhood, delivering baskets of freshly baked goods (and love).

AMY'S APPLE CAKE

4 C. Shredded Apples (4-5)
1/2 C. Oil
2 Eggs
2 t. Soda
2 C. Sugar
1 t. Vanilla
2 C. Flour
2 t. Cinnamon
1 t. Salt
1 C. Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Mix together. Grease and flour 9x13 pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

CARAMEL SAUCE
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
3/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Whipping Cream
3/4 C. Butter
1 1/2 t. Vanilla

Warm until dissoved. Serve warm over cool cake.
Top with Cool Whip or ice cream.

Now, pretend that I have delivered you a warm basket of freshly baked Apple Cake (and love).

Hugs,
Elizabeth
For more Outdoor Wednesday posts visit A Southern Dreamer.

Outdoor Wednesday

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday @ Home Musings and a look at our recent camping trip to the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. [Be warned: There is a story before all the pictures!]

The weekend of August 21-23, right before school began, we decided to catch some family time in a scenic place. So, we took some saved up gas money, our groceries, some borrowed camping equipment as well as some of our own, packed up the car, and headed north.

We made it up into Idaho in pretty good time (4-5 hours), by evening. Then, the ordeal part of our trip began. When we stopped for a break in Ketchum, Idaho, only 48 miles from our intended destination, our car completely stopped and would not start. It is an electrical problem that we can usually get around, but this time, the starter was dead as a doornail and wouldn't budge. So, here we were in a small and unfamiliar town, in a dead car, with evening setting in. and no money for repairs. What to do?

We all took a long walk to cool down our tempers and then sat down to discuss together what we would do if the car didn't ever start again. We tried over and over again, for the space of three hours, late into the evening, with no luck. Then, my daughter suggested that we pray, so we bowed our heads and poured out our hearts to the dear Lord who knew our predicament. As soon as our prayer was over, this really wierd idea popped into my mind. "Get out of the car. Lock the doors. Wait a few minutes, then unlock the driver's side. Get in. Belt up. Lock the doors and turn on the ignition."

Okay, so I know this sounds really wierd, but we were desperate, so I did everything in that order and GUESS WHAT?!?!? The car started right up. (Since then, we have had to do this several times and for some odd reason, it works. Hopefully, soon we can repair the electrical system!). We were all ecstatic and praised and thanked the Lord for wierd ideas that work.

At this point, it was very late and we were going to have to find a camping space in the dark. Not a great idea. So, we started driving further into the Sawtooth Mountains. That's when the second leg of our ordeal began...trying to find camping space late on a Saturday night while AVOIDING GAME! That's right! Every campground was full and there was no place to go but forward AND we were driving at night, or feeding time, for many kinds of animals. I cannot tell you how frightening it was driving slow around the curvey, mountain roads, constantly beeping at, swerving from and stopping to avoid all kinds of animals. We kept count and the final total of game we narrowly avoided were 12 deer (including one buck with a 12 point rack on his head!), two moose and three foxes. NO, I am not kidding!

It took us to 3:30 in the morning to get all the way through the mountains. There was nothing left to do but head to Boise and spend some of our food money on a hotel (super discounted, because we checked in at 4 a.m.). By the way, when we mentioned to the near calamities we had with animals en route, the desk clerk said, "yeah, that's why locals don't drive in the mountains at night!"

Ok, so, duh. Now, we know.

After a few hours sleep, we had a decision to make - give up and head home, or try the mountains again, hoping that by Sunday afternoon many campers would have left. We opted for the second and that is why I have the following pictures to show you of the next two heavenly days.
About 40 minutes from Boise, inside the Sawtooths, we found a near empty, stream-bordered campground.

The children were joyous when we decided on this double campsite.

The trees were HUGE and wonderful.

And right next to our campground was a sweet little stream...

...where someone had written a message of love to someone special...

That message was magical to us and we didn't remove it.

Sparkling water over the rocks...

We set up our tents ...

My daughter tried finger painting with mud.

Mark took pictures of the water.

The next day, our brave boys bathed in the frigid water...

The experiece really "woke" them up! :)

My daughter even took a dip.

But the greatest surprise of all we found our last day on a hike...

The mountains hold a secret...

Can you guess what it is?...

Can you?...

Shhh...don't tell a soul...

Fall is ever so subtley starting in the higher elevations! Isn't it wonderful?

I hope you enjoyed our camping trip. For more Outdoor Wednesday posts visit A Southern Dreamer.

Love,

Elizabeth

Outdoor Wednesday - DC Ducks Tour of Washington, DC

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted A Southern Daydreamer ...

Today, I am sharing Day 2 of our recent vacation back home to Virginia and North Carolina.
It's timely, having just celebrated our Nation's birthday, to share with you a tour of our Nation's Capitol.
Yes, that's right! We caught a "duck" at Union Station...However, these ducks are WWII vintage amphibious craft. Essentially, they are boats on wheels which take tourists to many wonderful
sights around the city, both on land and in the Potomac River.
Our boat is called the "Lame Duck" (cute). Here are my precious children, Sarah and Robert, standing next to it.

Above is our lively tour guide, who not only wow-ed us with some little known facts about the city, but who was quite humorous and entertaining in his own right. Doesn't he have a nice, friendly face?

Union Station is right across from Columbus Square, a large monument honoring - you guessed it! - Christopher Columbus.

You're going to laugh, but my middle-aged brain is struggling to remember what some of these buildings are. I believe the one above is the National Archives, Greek Revival style.

We passed the White House very quickly so I really had to jump to take this picture. Ever since the Oklahoma City bombing, no one can drive right in front of the White House anymore. The street is blocked off (fear of car bombs). Also, there are snipers walking around on the roof (can't see them in this photo). Look at the cool scooter things that these tourists are riding!

Here is the famous Lincoln Memorial seen from in front of the World War Two Memorial. Did you know that the Lincoln Memorial was built by the famous architect, Henry Bacon, who happens to be the grandfather of the actor, Kevin Bacon...AND, Kevin Bacon comes from a long line of architects and supposedly is the first male in his family not to follow suit.

I want to say that this is Patrick Henry..., but I can't remember exactly. Like his tri-corner hat, though!

This Memorial Bridge is arguably the most beautiful bridge in DC. It was first opened in 1932 and was dedicated by President Harding.
The Washington Monument was built to commemorate President George Washington. Construction began in 1848, but halted 150 feet up because of a lack of funds and also the Civil War. Construction began again and was completed in 1884. There is a difference in shading of the marble that makes up the first 150 feet from the rest of the structure, which attests to the halt in construction. Upon its completion, it was the tallest building in the world, until the Eiffel Tower came along several years later.
..Another view of the monument.
Halfway into our tour, we drove out onto the Potomac River and then our duck became a boat. The children on board were all given an opportunity to try their hand and steering. Above is my Sarah...
..and here is Robert.

Following our swim, we were given duck beaks and were allowed some time to try out their quacking noises...Sarah and my sister, Jeanie.

Gorgeous sculptures and fountain.

Our beautiful Capitol. It took many years to complete the building that we all know and love. It was begun in 1793, was partially burned by the British during the War of 1812. Finally, was completed just prior to the Civil War.

The Supreme Court of the land. Construction was completed in 1935.
One happy, but tuckered out boy, who enjoyed his DC adventure.

If you are interested in including a DC Ducks tour in your next trip to our Nation's Capitol, check out the website HERE or call: 1-202-966-DUCK.

Also, I highly recommend the Spy Museum. That was our first stop on this same day, but do to a restriction on personal photography, I have no pictures of the fun we had there.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour. Be sure and check out more posts for Outdoor Wednesday by clicking on the link above.

Blessings,

Elizabeth