Yard Transformed

Our backyard has seen many exciting improvements this summer.  

Isaac's favorite addition is the super-cool swing set that Nana and Grandpa built:

He loves to slide, swing, and climb.

Kind of outdoes the old slide, huh?

My favorite addition is the wood shed that Matt built:

And it's almost half-full!  Already time to prepare for winter.

 Matt is going to add siding to this windward side to keep out blowing snow.

Retrieving wood from here . . .

will be a much more pleasant experience than wrestling with a tattered tarp and a frozen pile of wood, as we did last winter.  That large pile of wood in the middle of the yard was our former stockpile, and that's what it looked like after going through most of it.  Imagine the mountain that was there at the beginning of the winter!

Mom helped get the project started when she was visiting.

We are reclaiming our yard--the wood pile is almost cleaned up!  This pleases Duhgus immensely.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but our house now dons 3 different roofs--shingle, brown metal, and bright green metal.  Though this roof mosaic has some character, we plan to spare our neighbors the eye sore and paint the shed roof to match the brown metal roof.

The final yard improvement--the garden:

We are growing spinach, kale, lettuce, squash, potatoes, carrots, radishes, and onions, with varying degrees of success.  The lettuce, radishes, and kale are delicious! We still have to wait for carrots, onions, and potatoes.

First Look

Happy to be on the trail again!

We have lived at the base of the impressive Wind River Mountains for more than a year now, and yet, our knowledge of them has been limited to what we can discover from distant views and short, family-friendly hikes.  Ever since moving here last June, Matt and I have been anxious to hike further into the mountains to get a better taste of their beauty and grandeur.  We finally got the chance to do so!  While Nana and Grandpa were in town (photos from their visit coming soon!), they encouraged us to leave the little one with them and get out for an overnight hike.  We said, "Hmm, well, OKAY!"  With a toddler in tow, it's been 3 years since we've been able to backpack, and with another one on the way, we know it might be another few before we get to do it again.  We couldn't pass up this opportunity.  Thank you for making it possible, Nana and Grandpa!!!!

We decided to hike into the Cirque of the Towers, a popular backpacking destination in the Winds.  We knew it was a feasible 2-day hike that would allow us to enjoy awesome peaks and high country lakes.  We were not disappointed!

Big Sandy Lake

Cirque of the Towers peeking out from behind Jackass Pass

How I love grippy granite trail.

Filling up on water before the final push up Jackass Pass.

Granite peaks towering above.

Cirque of the Towers

Doogie was pretty pleased with the weekend's outing.

Awe, such a pretty pup.

Looking back towards Sandy from the Pass.

4-month-old little Yossi on board.

Black Joe Lake, home for the night.

Camp spot.

Clear Lake, the next morning.

Duhgus, always a faithful companion.

How long before we get to do this again?  Next summer might be out since I'll be a nursing Mama . . . Several summers after that will once again require child care . . . Then there will be two young boys with short legs who will prefer shorter hikes (but possibly overnight?!) . . . and finally, maybe, eventually, we'll all backpack for real as a family.  Of course, by then Matt and I might be too feeble.  Good thing we did it while we could!