In early June, we started planning in earnest for our upcoming Lake Powell trip. Otherwise, we just hung out doing summer stuff like hiking, swimming, gardening, and eating hot dogs.
The kids and I went up to Utah about a week before the Lake Powell trip to visit Grandma. We figured out a system where she blocked off the stairs and we used the exterior door to the basement to create our own separate living space. We then spent the cooler parts of the day visiting with her outside and under her awesome new Pergola-covered porch.
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| Escaping Los Angeles! |
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| Brush Fire |
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| Connor noticed that his Carl's Jr. cup had a Burger King lid. |
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| Turns out, the managers were friends, and shared supplies when things got scarce. |
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| Grandma had set up a kitchen area for us, complete with tiny fridge and microwave! |
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| Bubbles |
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| Connor's favorite day was when he got to shoot things from the Rhino with his Airsoft gun. |
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| We got take-N-bake pizza several times. Grandma baked it in her kitchen, then brought it out to us! |
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| More Drone Shots |
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| Sprinklers! |
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| I found a bird's nest in one of the little trees. |
Michelle sent us several update photos of the puppies. She does an intensive puppy-raising program called Puppy Culture that mandates all sorts of stimulation and socialization, including time with neighborhood kids! We still didn't know which one was ours, but they were all so cute we didn't care much. Grandma also got regular photos from the Savanna breeder who had Luna.
The day came when we packed up our stuff, bought a bunch of groceries, and met Ryan and the Murrays down at Bullfrog to try our hand at houseboating! It was a pretty safe COVID vacation, since we were an island unto ourselves, and our only real germ exposure was to the Murrays.
On the second day, we left our muddy campsite and went looking for another one. Unfortunately, while backing up in the middle of the lake, we hit a submerged boulder and tore off one of our propellers. We called for help on the radio, and the mechanic who came to look at it told us we'd have to manage with one prop for the rest of the rental period. Later, when we found a new campsite, the wind kept blowing the boat sideways before anyone could get it anchored and tethered in place. We kept trying to run it farther ashore, hoping that would help, but everyone was getting stressed and exhausted. (I was the designated little-kid babysitter, so I wasn't exhausted, but I felt so bad for everyone who was on shore trying to dig holes for the anchors over and over.) Finally, people from a nearby houseboat paddled over on their kayaks and saved us. They explained that our location was bad, and guided us over to a spot close to where they were camped. Several men in the extended family started retying our ropes and hammering the anchors in with a sledgehammer, all while cheerfully explaining the correct way to do things. These people were so kind, the were like guardian angels. We saw them the next day all dressed up on their boat doing home church, and I remembered why, sometimes, Utah is the best place in the world.
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| This photo was taken before the prop got destroyed. |
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| Trying to Beach the Houseboat |
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| Celeste likes her binoculars to make things smaller. |
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| Poor Kyle was really stressed. The awesome family came back in their kayaks and ferried him to our new spot. |
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| Apparently this is how you anchor a boat. Our rescuers are in the background. |
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| Snow Cones! |
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| Ryan brought a tiny retro Nintendo so the cousins could play MarioKart together. |
On day three, there was a lot of kayaking in the inflatables that Kyle and Kelli brought. We were in no mood to have to move the boat again, so we relaxed and alternated between the cold water and the 100-degree heat.
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| We found Connor stealing screens in our bedroom. |
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| Arya and Corinne collected shells and made mud balls. |
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| My favorite part of the trip was hanging out at the campfire in the evening. |
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| Kyle and I stayed up half the night just talking. |
On our second-to-last day, we rented a speedboat, and Kyle took the kids out tubing. This was definitely the kids' favorite part of the trip! On the last morning, the Murrays had to be out early to head home, but we (the Browns) rented another boat and spent a couple hours exploring the lake and tubing before we called it quits.
Later that day, we drove our two vehicles past Capitol Reef and breathtaking scenery, and spent the night in a pair of little cabins in Tropic, Utah. The next morning, we ate barbecue at the town park (it was an awesome late breakfast,) and finished up by checking in to a hotel room at Bryce Canyon. The following day was spent hiking and driving to amazing overlooks. We were surprised how much cooler the temperatures are at Bryce due to its altitude!
After another night in the hotel, the kids and I drove north to spend more time in Levan, while Ryan returned to his life of isolation and working from home. Luckily, his garden was doing great (thank you Harvey family!) but on the phone, Ryan would tell me a lot about the birds, lizards, and squirrels he could see from his desk window. I think he was a little bored!
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| Ryan Bike Ride |
I had not planned to spend the entire month of June in Utah, but I just couldn't make myself go back to California. In retrospect, I think I was dealing with a little bit of depression, but the escape of being at my Mom's house was wonderful. The basement-living arrangement was working well, and other than finishing up Certificate of Merit uploads and concerts, we had a lot of fun just relaxing. The kids did have summer schoolwork - everyone had to do daily math and Duolingo Spanish, and Connor completed a health class through BYU Independent Study.
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| Last Morning in Bryce Canyon |
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| Elise made Rice Krispie treats almost every day. |
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| Summer evenings are magic. |
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| Hawaiian Shave Ice! |
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| Summer Thunderstorm |
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| Celeste did drawing lessons on the iPad. |
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| I'm not sure what it is, but she was very proud of it. |
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| Voles often fall in the window wells and slowly die there. We secretly rescued these ones. |
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| Before letting them go, we fed the voles baby carrots to rehydrate them. |
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| Grandma gave us homemade Peasant Bread with butter several times a week. It was amazing. |
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| More Wind Storms |
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| Celeste and Garbage the Cat |
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| Cousins with Popsicles! |
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| There was a pre-CM virtual concert one day, with performances from almost all of Mrs. Yoder's students. |
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| It was a comfy way to watch a concert, but my kids looked grubby when it was their turn to announce their pieces. |
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| New Gaiter-Style Masks |
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| There were several wildfires in Utah - one enormous one was near Lake Powell, and another was north of Levan. The air was hazy all that week. |
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| Again, I'm not sure what the picture is, but the kid is pretty cute! |
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| Letters from Japan |
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| We found out there would be new uniforms at school in the fall (if school actually happened.) |
My mom gave me these great old pictures. From the hair, I think I was in early high school.
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| Grandpa riding Doc or Sassy (I'm not sure which it is.) |
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| Red Truck and Mapleton House! |
Covid Statistics for June:
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| United States |
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| Los Angeles County |
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