Waterfalls

 High water has created waterfalls in lots of interesting places in the area. The one above is in a channel that is usually dry. In fact, we "canyoneered" it last summer during the Fourth of July weekend when one of my brothers was out visiting.

 This is a flood control structure on one of the creeks.

And a view of it from downstream. All this water is a little frightening, so we've been careful to keep the kids far away from the fast moving water.

A different flood control structure. These help prevent the creek from cutting the banks.

This roaring creek is in one of the nearby campgrounds. Some campsites are extra damp!

There's not much snow left to melt up top (although we went hiking over some five foot drifts at 10,000 feet today). Still, there's plenty to keep the water running high for a few more weeks.
Waterfalls in the desert seem like a special treat.

Clean and Dirty

 We've been spending a lot of time outside lately. I'll let the photos speak for themselves!

Lots Going On

There's been so much going on that I haven't been able to spend much time on this blog. Here's a little video to compensate until I have more time:

Snake Valley Festival-Ice Cream Social

We're gearing up for a busy weekend at the Snake Valley Festival! It started last night with they yummy ice cream social. They had my favorite ice cream--mint chocolate chip. Plus it was lots of fun to talk to people I haven't seen in awhile and meet some new folks. Here are a sampling of photos:

 Desert Boy just had to be in the photo.

 I love the look in Desert Girl's eyes.

 She's a real goof.

 Isaac was also enjoying his ice cream.

 There was a good turn out.

 The kids loved playing in the background. Tori challenged me to a chinup challenge. We tied.

 Even the big kids were liking the playground.

 The kids loved drawing with chalk on the old basketball/tennis court.

What a fun evening! We're looking forward to more fun today.

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.