Christmas Lights

 With Desert Girl getting extremely excited over Christmas lights, we decided we would visit downtown Salt Lake City at night. She said, "Whoa!" every time we saw cool lights. Soon she sounded like a train, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" It made us laugh.

 I liked this fountain, it made me think of aliens--or amoebas--emerging and doing a little water dance.

 We were surprised how many people were wandering around Temple Square on a Sunday evening. The light displays were terrific. When I looked at this photo, I noticed that there were even more lights (from building tops and high windows) illuminating the scene.

 But then we had to take a detour. Desert Boy's biggest wish wasn't to see Christmas lights, but to ride the Trax train. So we walked down a block to the station and waited for the train.

 He can't wait to get on!

 Here it comes, the big moment!

 We rode down a couple stops, got off, then got on a returning train. That counted as a train adventure, and Desert Boy was happy. I think I've only been on the Trax trains once or twice before, and again I was impressed with their cleanliness.

 

Then it was back to Temple Square to look at some more lights. Uncle Ed's friend Nick told us about the Nativity scenes, so we went over to take a look.

 The Nativity scenes were so interesting, representing different cultures. I didn't see signs saying what cultures, so we just guessed. I really liked seeing Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the angels, and Wise Men shown in different ways. It was also fascinating to see what animals they chose to accompany each scene.

 These Wise Men seemed so serene.

 These angels are ready to trumpet!

 I really liked the bird in this scene!

Merry Christmas!

Adventures with the Cousins

Last weekend Megan and Kayli stayed with us for the weekend. Desert Boy was so excited to have a sleepover with the cousins! One of the first things on the agenda was to work on the tree house.

Megan was eager to get to work with the hammer, while Kayli started painting beautiful designs on the walls. I don't think Desert Boy liked me intruding on his quality time with the cousins. He kept scowling at me!

Kayli is painting under the new coat hook. This is going to be one classy tree house!

Megan was making a bench for the tree house.

Desert Girl found the bench just the right height for her. She enjoyed conversing with her cousins. Maybe they understood her better than I do!

They laughed a lot.

The next morning was time to head into Ely, Nevada to take advantage of the free train ride weekend. I had to go somewhere else, so I gave my husband the camera and he managed to snap about five usable photos during the entire 2 1/4 hour ride.

This is a diesel engine on one of the side tracks. They had a steam engine pulling their train.

It looked like Kayli had a good time. She took over 300 photos on her camera.

As the train pulled into the station, I went up to the window and got the camera so I could get a few photos.

It was a nice day for a train ride, quite different from our chilly last experience.

The engine backed the train into the East Ely Depot.



Time to get off the train and off to the next adventure.

In the afternoon, we headed out to the garden, and Kayli and Megan helped plant seeds.

We gave Desert Boy his own plot where he could plant anything he wanted. It will be interesting to see what comes up.

Desert Girl liked playing in the wet dirt.

That was fine as long as she stayed in the wet dirt where we hadn't planted anything!

Here's a tiny pea plant poking through the ground.

And a bit higher.

The first pea leaves. Wow, those kids are sure super gardeners!

Everyone had a great time and we hope they can come back again soon!

Special Night

Last year Desert Boy was fascinated by the Christmas train at the Border Inn. When it was put away, he cried. Almost every time we went out to the Border for the next year, he asked if the train was going to be there. Denys appreciated his memory and invited him to help her set up the train. Of course Desert Boy was more than happy to oblige.

He didn't even bother to take off his coat, he was so excited. This little boy can sure work up a lot of enthusiasm!

He was very curious about how this train worked. It runs on batteries, different from his wood trains at home.

Dad helped a bit, too.

Meanwhile Emma was happily exploring everything and was attracted to the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree. I think we're going to have to figure out a way to keep her out of our Christmas tree at home once we put one up.

Denys set up her village inside the track, and then it was all ready to go. Except for one problem. The fuzzy white snow had gotten caught around the wheels of the train last year, and it wouldn't let the wheels turn freely, so the train kept stopping. Out came the needle-nosed pliers and began operation Remove the Snow.

Nomi graciously corralled Emma for awhile, keeping her from more trouble.

Operation Remove the Snow was successful, and then it was time to watch the train go around and around the track. And around and around some more. And around and around. While we adults went on to other things like talking and chasing Emma, Desert Boy didn't move from the train table. He wanted to watch that train go around and around some more.

My husband tried to get Emma to pose for a photo, but she had other things in mind. She is getting quite rambunctious.

I think we could have left Desert Boy at the train table all night. He was happy as could be.

I imagine that we'll be going back out to the Border quite a few times in December. We had a delicious salmon dinner while we were out there--one of the best dinners we've had at the Border. So it won't be a hardship for any of us to go back!

A Snowy Train Ride

We headed to the East Ely Depot on a cold, snowy Saturday morning to ride the train. It was the annual food train, where you donate food and then get to ride the train. The bad weather deterred some people from riding the train, but we just added extra layers.

Desert Girl looked at her brother for guidance on this adventure. Desert Boy is an old hand at train rides. Well, at least for a three-year old.

Each train in the car had a wood stove in it, but it was still a little chilly. So I put Desert Girl in her warm oversuit.

Oh my goodness, can she get any more adorable? She garnered lots of attention from other train rides and the conductors.

She was pretty good at hamming it up.

Desert Boy enjoyed hamming it up, too.

He was in charge of the tickets.

It wasn't snowing much as we left the station and went on the tracks along the side of town. I wanted to get some different photos from the last time we took this route, last November. I think I mostly succeeded. Even though it was cloudy and cold last year, the views looked a bit different.

One thing I hadn't noticed last time were the city stables. Farm animals aren't allowed inside the city limits of Ely, so anyone who wants to have horses (or other large animals) can put them here.

We saw Dale at the train crossing, waving to everyone on the train. It was fun to wave back.

The Renaissance village was all decorated, and we hope we can visit sometime soon to enjoy the festivities there.

The passenger cars were also decorated in Christmas decor, which became obvious when we went through a tunnel and the little lights brightened the car.

Last time I wasn't fast enough to get a photo of the ore cars that were placed in the ravine to help stabilize the banks, but this time I got the shot I want.

The old West town looked forlorn in the snow. In fact, as we went up the canyon, it snowed harder and harder.

The fake cemetery has some amusing epitaphs.

It was a cold and snowy scene from the train.

Desert Boy really wanted to see the snow plow train, but it wasn't that snowy.

On the way back we amused ourselves with treats and photos.

Desert Boy even took a photo of Desert Girl and me that came out well.

It was a fun train ride, and we're already looking forward to our next excursion. The train holds many Polar Express rides during the next month that include visits to the North Pole to see Santa Claus. To find out more, check out the Nevada Northern website.