Ski Lessons

Desert Girl went for her first ski lesson last weekend, at Brian Head Resort near Parowan, Utah. We were trying to hide from her so she wouldn't spot us and want to come over to us. She and an older girl were with an instructor. They were on an itsy bitsy hill. The instructor didn't even bother to wear skis.

The instructor report was that she did everything well until she got to the sliding part. Yep. That sliding just didn't go so well. I guess it will be awhile before she's a ski aficionado. Desert Girl told me that she didn't want to go back to ski school because the sliding was scary. I asked her if she would go back if her friend Isaac went with her. That generated an immediate yes!

Desert Boy did much better. He took his second lesson (his first was last year). This time he learned how to stop (sometimes) and to turn. After his lesson, he was thrilled to take us on a tour of the dinosaur trail, a narrower trail with dinosaur cutouts (smart thinking, Brian Head!). Then he wanted to go to the terrain park. He did some mini-jumps, but not the mountain high one (hey, I didn't do that one either!  it was about a foot high).

The weather was good till the last hour, when the light went flat and it started snowing. My husband and I spent most of our time over on the harder mountain. I definitely found some runs that were a little too challenging for me. I also had a great time learning to go through the trees. I've been skiing a few times this winter, but am taking baby steps trying to improve--I really don't want to get hurt! My husband makes it all look easy. 

Here's a quick video of Desert Boy getting off the ski lift, which I think can sometimes be the most challenging part: 

Then came Desert Girl's favorite part of the day: a chocolatey snack.

Old Man's Cave

 We had a fun caving adventure this week. Clint had heard about Old Man's Cave and wanted to go, so we got a permit and the key from the Forest Service. The cave is only open October-April due to a maternity colony of Townsend's big-eared bats that use it in the summer. Fortunately the snow had melted so we had no problem driving to it. The kids were really anxious, and as soon as we stopped they were off hiking running.

 The entrance isn't huge, but it is big enough to walk in. Except there's a gate in the way.

 And the gate has a rather small entrance. That was okay. Three of our cavers were small.


Jenny was ready to photograph our adventure.


It wasn't easy to photograph, as it was so dusty inside. We went first into the lower level and explored there. Then we headed into the upper level and got to a less dusty section.

 It had been many years since I've been in Old Man's Cave, and I had forgotten how colorful it is. It also has a lot of walking passages, making it very pleasant and a change from many of the little holes in the Great Basin.

 We did have a little crawling, just to remind us how good we had it for the rest of the cave!

 The two ladders made the kids feel like they were on an especially adventurous mission.

 The cave has some beautiful formations.

 Here's Jenny going down a smaller passage.

 We made it to the back of the cave and signed the cave register.

 Clint checked all the holes to make sure we weren't missing anything good. We skipped the passage to what I know as the clay room (I think it's actually called something like the grand palace). It's a narrow little chute that goes into a room where you get totally dirty and it's hard to get out of. Maybe when the kids get older!

 For now, they were happy goofing off and telling cheesy jokes.

 It was hard to get them to stay still for a photo! Do you like Ava's and Desert Boy's footwear? Oh my, we didn't notice till it was too late. And I didn't notice Desert Boy had his boots on the wrong feet till more than half way through the trip. They didn't seem to slow him down at all.

 We tried to get the kids to take a photo of us, but this is the best Desert Boy could do. Maybe Jenny got a better photo with her camera!

 On the way out I admired other cave formations. There is really a lot to see in the cave, and I wouldn't mind a slower trip to check it out more thoroughly. The kids were really ready for a snack by this time and moving fast to get out of the cave.

 I did stop to take a few more photos. This area must have been spectacular before the formations were broken. Many of the formations were sold at Lehman Cave so people would stop breaking the formations in that cave. Ugh. Fortunately people came to their senses and stopped selling the formations, some of which may have taken over a million years to form.

 Not far from the entrance Clint noticed this huge two-foot long spider web. I had seen several recently in another cave, so I was totally excited to see this one in this cave. I'm hoping I'll hear back from a cave biologist soon to find out what kind of spider makes this web.

 Seeing the natural light at the entrance of the cave is always a welcome sight. As much as I love caves, I also love getting out of them safely!

 We were treated to beautiful light as the sun descended behind the nearby mountains.

 The kids ran down the mountain, but I stopped to take a look at the sign outside the cave giving a little more information about the bats.

 It was a gorgeous afternoon, with mountain shadows stretching into the valley. I'm going to make it a goal to enjoy this magical hour more often this year. It usually falls right about dinner time, so I think we may have to have some picnic dinners in scenic locations.

The kids still had plenty of energy after the cave trip, although they scarfed down every snack they could find. We'll have to see how much they remember of the cave trip in a few months. It was a good outing--thanks for the idea, Clint!

Desert Boy's Art

My friend Jenny inspired me to get some photos of Desert Boy's artwork. He's really developed over his few years, which I especially notice when I compare Desert Girl's and Desert Boy's styles. (I need to take some photos of her artwork before they end up in the recycling bin!)

Desert Boy is with me as I write this. He says doesn't the picture above look like a silly penguin?

 Tiny people and a huge person and a bird that doesn't fly with wings but has an engine on the top of it and a jetpack under it

 A teapot

 My mom and me under the rainbow

 Snowblower train

 My dad and me with Henry the dog

 Diesel steam engine on rusty, old tracks

 Bumblebee laying eggs on a flower

 Handprint turkey for Thanksgiving

 Desert Boy is still learning how to get letters and numbers in the right direction.

 Bowling balls that want to knock down the tree

 Bell on a clock tower

 Train with the Big Dipper

 Skyscrapers, sun, and flower

Turtle, snake, and lizard

Time to Plant Seeds!

 I started getting weekly emails from My Square Foot Garden a couple weeks ago, reminding me that it was time to start seeds indoors. Last year I just bought seedlings from the store, but this year I decided the kids would really enjoy seeing things grow. So we bought a couple supplies:

In particular, I bought a mini-greenhouse seed starter kit for $6.99 and some potting soil. I also bought a couple extra packets of seeds, although I had more than I thought left over  from last year.

 The kids got the soil moist in a big metal tub and then started filling in the plastic trays. I thought they would like this a lot, but it wasn't nearly as fun as I had anticipated. Oh, well. I guess playing in mud is more enjoyable when it's less supervised.

 Then came the seed planting. Desert Boy did a fine job, but Desert Girl thought it was fun to put seeds into extra spaces. Hmm, we may have some surprises coming up.

 We carefully labeled everything with little bits of paper secured on toothpicks.

 Then it was time to water with a little warm water on the bottom of the tray and add the plastic cover. I put the whole tray up on top of the refrigerator, hoping to find a nice, warm place for it. Our house is usually about 65 degrees and I had read that germination was best about 70 degrees. It turns out that the refrigerator is near our door, and all the opening and closing lets in some drafts, so I found a place on top of a high cabinet. It didn't have good light, but the seeds don't need light at this point.

 Three days later, I took down the tray and we saw seedlings! Broccoli, spinach mustard, sunflower, and parsley (which probably really isn't parsley because that takes longer than three days to germinate) had just barely emerged from the soil in six of the little spaces.

Desert Boy is keeping a record of the sprouts. It's been good for his math, reading, and handwriting skills. Today was day 4, and we had sprouts in 11 of the compartments. This is fun! The plastic cover seems to make a big difference, as many other times when I've tried seeds indoors, I've invariably let the plants get too dry. Hopefully this year we'll have much better success!

What plants do you like to grow the best?