Graduation

 The last day of May we headed into town to go witness my nephew's high school graduation. The weather actually cooperated (a rarity for the end of May) and graduation was held outside. In this part of the world, it's common to have graduation on weeknights. (Where I grew up, graduation is held on the weekend and then graduates have open houses and well wishers spend their day traveling from one party to the next.)

We got there during the procession and the bleachers were packed and people were stacked a few deep at the top (you enter from the top due to the hilly terrain), so we couldn't really see anything. We decided to go down to the side and then spotted some front row seats empty. What great luck!

 Clay gave a short speech and got to sit up on the podium for the entire ceremony.

 This is what it looked like slightly zoomed from the bleachers. They were way out there! Because they were so far away, it didn't look like many graduates, but it turned out that there were 92. (There were 101 in my graduating class.)

 Being in the front row had the added advantage that the kids could roam, and Desert Girl took the opportunity to check out the neighbors.

 The football field area is quite scenic, with mountains on either side.

 Then it was time to get diplomas. It didn't take long to get to that point--being outside meant it was a little chilly and windy, so no one wasted any time.

 Seeing Clay graduate brought back lots of memories from high school. I am lucky to still stay in contact with some of my awesome high school friends. We had some really good times together, and still try to meet up periodically.

The school superintendent wore jeans! It's a little different culture out here in the West.

After the ceremony, the kids had a fun time chasing the cousins out on the astro-turf (is that what it's called?). It stays nice and green year-round.

Then it was time to go and for the graduates to start the next chapter of their lives.
Good luck, Clay, and congratulations! We wish you a wonderful future.

Rodeo Fun

Delta, Utah was having a rodeo this last weekend for three days, so we decided to go to it Friday night. Amazingly we made it on time for the Grand Entry. (I say amazingly because my husband ended up having to work late and then we had to take a potty break on the way there which is a little time consuming when the little ones that have to go are buckled into the very back of the van!)

I'm always so impressed with how easy the riders make riding a horse look!

Then it was time for the exciting riding to begin! They started with bareback riding, and many of the riders stayed on the eight seconds and more.

And here's Isaac! Jenny and her kids came with us, which made the night even more fun. Isaac loved running up and down the bleachers.

More bucking horses. Ouch. Just watching them makes me ache.

Desert Boy and Ava were keen spectators--sometimes! There was a good crowd, but still plenty of room for more rodeo fans. The weather was about perfect.

I don't know exactly what they were looking at when I snapped this photo, but it must have been good!

Then it was time for mutton bustin'. About a dozen little kids wanted to try their best to stay on the back of a sheep.

Most of them immediately fell off.

One little tyke was like a tic, though. I didn't even notice he was still hanging on for a bit, as he held on so well! (He's on the sheep second from the right.)

Then it was time for steer wrestling. In this round, the steer won.

When I asked Desert Boy what his favorite part of the rodeo was, he said the dessert. He was mightily impressed by the snowcones. You can see what color Ava had.

Back in the arena was a really bizarre show with monkeys riding border collies. I had never seen anything like it.

After running around the bleachers for awhile, Isaac finally got tired and was willing to sit still--in his mom's arms.

 

I didn't get photos of all the events, mainly because the fast action and low light were challenging conditions for my camera. Above is one of the barrel racers-they sure were fast!

I wanted to get a nice shot of all the kids, but probably waited a little too late into the night. They all stayed awake throughout the rodeo. Three fell asleep pretty fast on the way home, but Desert Boy persevered until the last half hour.

I'm really glad we went, it really brought out the spirit of the Wild West. Plus it was some downright good entertainment. 

Hiking Fun

 It's been a really busy week, so I was glad to go take a hike today. And what's better than going hiking? Hiking with friends!

 Unless you're a kid. Then the best part of hiking is stopping for a picnic with friends.

 The kids soon showed that they still had plenty of energy after hiking.

 Mission almost accomplished.

I'm not sure what the mission was, but they had  a few projects that seemed important to them.

 Desert Girl and Isaac tottered down the meadow and started sharing something. It was too cute for words.

 The uneven ground made it seem like they would fall any minute, but both managed to have a pretty good sense of balance.

 Meanwhile, the bigger kids were getting cold in a little snowbank they found.

 After a few warm days, they were ready to play in snow again!

 Jenny adjusting Emma. It was a good workout for the moms!

 We found a side channel of the creek that was just right for the kids to putter in.

 The flowers are really amazing. All this spring moisture has provided us with a bounty of color.

What a great way to spend a morning!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Backyard Biodiversity Challenge #3 - Mammals and More

How are you doing with your birds?

Since I last posted, I've noticed American robins and collared doves (which were around earlier in the winter, I just didn't notice them the days I was looking around the yard). Yellow-headed Blackbirds are back in force, just flying by our house to get to the wetter areas. They are so colorful. It's too bad they're not found in Indiana, as with their black and yellow coloring they are perfect for Purdue.

We've been seeing baby Great Horned Owls in the yard. One morning Desert Boy was waiting for me outside. When I came out the door, he pointed up at the roof, and said, "Look, Mom."

I looked up and saw two baby owls on the roof, one with a mouse in its mouth. So cool.

Yellow-rumped Warblers and Yellow Warblers are hanging out. Due to all the snow up high, I'm hearing a lot of Pine Siskins still. And we found a dead Cedar Waxwing on the grass, not sure what happened. The ants are eating it now.
Anyway, keep recording your birds.

And here's Backyard Biodiversity Challenge #3:


What mammals, amphibians, and fish live in or visit your backyard?

It might be hard to see the mammals, but perhaps you can find sign of them. Rabbit pellets? Raccoons knocking over garbage cans? Gopher holes? Mouse droppings in the garage?

Are you hearing any spring peepers? This is a great time of year to listen for frogs.

Unless you have a pond or stream in your backyard, it might be difficult to get anything from this class of organisms. But hey, once in awhile it's nice to have an easy category!

The Great Dinosaur Adventure

Last Saturday I wanted to get out of the house, and I knew bad weather was coming, so it was now or never. There was a place at the southern end of the mountain range known for having plants not found anywhere else in the area, so that was our destination. I loaded up the kids, told my husband where we were going so if we broke down he'd come find us, and off we went. We didn't see any people the entire day, but we did see some sheep.

 The southern mountains were beautiful, and colorful flowers dotted the benches (slopes coming down from the mountains).

 We stopped near some rocks to go "rock climbing." Desert Boy decided after a quick try that it wasn't quite right for him. Desert Girl tried out her newly acquired bush-whacking skills. She did quite well.
Then we had a picnic lunch. That always makes every trip fun. Afterwards Desert Boy wanted to climb the hill on the other side. I wasn't too enthused, but he really wanted to go, so up we went.

 I did find a couple interesting flowers on the way up, and the views were really nice.

 At the top, Desert Boy found a couple bones. He was delighted.

 We wandered over the flat top and looked down at the wash on the other side. The bottom was bright green with round circles.

 It was so quiet, and it felt so desolate! One of the things I like best about the desert is the sound of it.

 But then little cries irrupted the silence. Desert Girl had found what made all those circles down below--harvester ant mounds. She had been intrigued by one and wandered close enough that the ants started crawling on her. One bit her, and she was none too happy. We hiked back to the truck and continued on our trip.

 The next road we traveled was nearly a tunnel through the sagebrush. These are some of the tallest sagebrush, and densest, that I have ever seen. The kids napped while we bumped along on two-track roads. There are very few signs out there, so it's a really good idea to have a map.

When Desert Boy woke up, he wanted to go home. I told him we weren't quite done with our adventure. He wasn't happy, but when I told him we would look for more bones, he perked up.

 Then we found LOTS more bones, and he was so happy! I wouldn't let him take anything that still had hair or blood on it. I guess I'm a mean mom.

 We went farther and he found even more bones. I found flowers. Desert Girl found more ants (but observed them from a distance). So we were all happy.

 It was getting cloudier and windier, so it was time to head home.

The next day when we woke up, we were in for quite a surprise:

 Back to winter! It was a great day for relaxing. And for Desert Boy and his daddy to work on their project: putting the bones together. Because these weren't just any bones, they were dinosaur bones. And they were both very determined to recreate the dinosaur.

This is what they came up with:

It's a very dangerous dinosaur, even though it's small.

This dinosaur skeleton now holds a place of honor in our house.

It may take us a while to top The Great Dinosaur Adventure.