"Alternate" Plans!

So anyway, it was the alternator.  Just like the mechanic predicted, I drove for about 45 minutes before the car's systems started to shut down.  I was in Sardine Canyon and was able to pull over in front of Sherwood Hills and call AAA.  I've secretly been looking forward to cashing in on our AAA coverage, so this was perfect.  I was within 100 miles of home (50 actually), so I had the car towed all the way to Kaysville to good old Rob's Auto.  Fortuitously, Jennie and Ryan were both behind me.  Jennie pulled over and loaded 5 kids and Don Carlos into her car and took them home.  (Thanks a million!)  Ruby wanted to stay with me because, "Mom, what if you get stranded?"

I said, "Ruby, we ARE stranded.  This is what stranded looks like!"  It was nice of her to stay, and fun.  I think she likes the adventure, just like her mom.  Ryan pulled over and waited with us until the tow truck came.  I told him I would feel better if he didn't stay, and he said he would feel better if he did, so I let him.  ;)  Chivalry is not dead!  Thanks, Ryan.  (Scott was already at home, waiting for the kids.  He had had to leave to get to church.)

It was a gorgeous night to be stranded in Sardine Canyon, and I chose a lovely spot to break down, didn't I?   When your car breaks down, you definitely want to be surrounded by breathtaking views. While we waited, I told the kids about the day in 1983 when my family was spending Memorial Day weekend right here in this very spot, at Sherwood Hills Resort.  We got a call that my dad's dad had passed away.  It was the worst day.  So much worse than anything I had ever experienced in my ten years.  When I told my dad where I had broken down, I asked him if he remembered Sherwood Hills.  He answered, "I most certainly do."

In the tow truck, I opened this letter from Golda that I had tucked into my calendar the other day.  She knows exactly what the very nicest thing I could hear is!  "The house is so clean" is all I ever need to hear to feel like I'm on top of the world, because it's such a struggle to keep order.  So that note was a fun little treat as the tow truck guy careened around the interstate.  I am NOT a good passenger.  I have anxiety when someone else is driving to the point that I'm pretty sure I'm going to die in a fiery crash.  Control issues???

My adventurer and our trusty minivan, getting a free ride.  The van deserves it.  It's the hardest working car in the West!  And now, $500 later, it has a brand-new alternator and shiny new battery cables.  We should go on a road trip!

Cub River Cabin

Our day at Bear Lake was just a warm-up for a weekend at the cabin.  We arrived just in time to add our picnic supplies to the dinner Marlene was preparing.  Our original plan was to eat at the lake, but that second thunderstorm drove us out.  Hot dogs at the cabin were a good choice!

"Genius is the power of carrying the feelings of childhood into the powers of manhood."  - Samuel Taylor Cooleridge.  Bruce and Marlene have built (so far) a cozy, spacious cabin, a giant treehouse, a shed and fishing closet, a s'more station, a screened-in porch big enough to fit the whole family for dinner, and an extensive labyrinth of decks, providing ample space to sit and relax.  I have yet to see either of them relax much, however.  I think Bruce and Marlene are more comfortable working than enjoying the fruits of their labors.  The rest of us, though, have no problem kicking back to enjoy the tranquil, cute, and beautiful setting that Bruce and Marlene have created for us.  Through their efforts, Scott's parents have built for their family more than a cabin, more than a treehouse, more than a family.  They have created a legacy.  They have created a childhood that all of our kids will carry with them into the world and beyond.  They have created magic.

Fishing closet with a secret compartment in the floor for a cooler of worms.  Shhhh!  Don't tell!

Jackson is the official fire tender.

Uncle Wyan!  Uncle Wyan!

Jennie is the s'more queen.  It's good Jackson is in charge of keeping the fire stoked, just in case a s'more craving pops us!

So peaceful!

The treehouse has a slide, a wrap-around deck and two stories inside.  The boys stayed up until 3:31 am, according to Freestone.  Thanks for making the treehouse relatively soundproof, Bruce!

Petting a toy horse.

My car battery light went on when I was close to the cabin.  I pulled into a garage and the guy told me it was probably the alternator.  Bruce cleaned off the battery cables, to see if that would help.  The warning light went off, and we thought I was safe.  (foreshadowing...)

We lost Tizzy about every five minutes.  This time, she turned up at the sink, washing her hands very thoroughly.  So thoroughly, she had to strip down to nothing.

Bruce and Marlene have a birdhouse collection.  It's fun to look for them in stores and yard sales.

4-wheeler ride with my man.  Scott and the open road...just what I love.

Mother-Daughter 4-wheeler selfies.  Hmmm...

Michelle's brilliant idea:  s'more ingredients in waffle cones.  Delicious!

Marlene dragged out an old pool and a sandbag, and "The Beach" was born.  Hours of fun, I tell you.  The kids loved it!  In fact, they love everything about the cabin.  Minus Scott and Golda, who had to go to church, we stayed longer than we were planning.  It's hard to leave paradise.  Freestone even got to stay an extra night with some of the cousins and Grandma and Grandpa.  For a three-day trip, I packed:  Davis High sweatshirts, toothbrushes and swimsuits.  On the plus side, I didn't have a ton of crap everywhere.  On the negative side, we all had to wear the same outfit for three days.  Whatever.  Sometimes you have to simplify.  Organization takes a lot of time, and it takes the kind of brain power I simply cannot muster when I have seven kids talking to me every second of every day.  In fact, if my blogs seem a little scattered lately, it's because I am carrying on three conversations right now, one with an air conditioner guy, Ptolemy is screaming, and Ruby has 10 kids here for camp.  And it never ends.  You just have to adapt.  It's summer.

Dopp Exotic Vacations

We had a weekend trip planned to the Dopp Cub River cabin, and I was so looking forward to it that I tacked on a day at Bear Lake.  We left early in the morning and stopped in Brigham City at the dollar store for beach toys.  Tziporah put her bucket on her head and sang the whole way to the lake.

It was a cloudy day for the beach, but who cares?  Not Tizzy!

First order of business:  food.  Lots of it.

 The kids were swimming in the lake, until we saw ominous clouds moving toward us with alarming speed.  During the deluge, we watched a movie in the car.  So cozy!

Then it was back to the mud - I mean sand - to play and gather these little spiral shells that were piled up all along the shore.

 Instant guacamole!

Bear Lake is called "The Caribbean of the West," due to the sapphire blue water.  Every time the clouds cleared, the water positively glowed.  I want to go back on a sunnier day and pretend I'm in Aruba!  The truth is, though, that I'm happy being right here in my home state, exploring all the natural beauty that we somehow ignore 99% of the time.  We have got to get out more!

After the Caribbean, we got a raspberry shake and jetted off to Paris.  Idaho.

 Suddenly, Ptolemy stopped, turned around and said, "Wait.  THIS is PARIS!?!?"  No, Tolly.  There's another Paris you'll want to become familiar with someday.  It's even more exciting than Paris, Idaho!