This is a popular spot first thing in the morning catching the warm morning sun
We had a family bike ride to the park last Sunday and Henry was adorable going down this slide over and over
Henry also loved throwing the ball to us
Henry has been whispering in our ears and laughing afterward as if telling jokes. It is so cute!
New sprouts in the garden are so exciting
We had so much fun at the park on Sunday that Kim took the kids back the next afternoon
Henry has been loving this shape sorter toy thing
The best is his reaction after Kim helps him open it
Henry has decided he likes peanut butter
I worked on Memorial Day (Monday) because the weather was kind of cruddy. I then took Wednesday off so we could go hiking as a family
We went to Pulaski Tunnel Trail, which is just past Wallace, Idaho (an hour away from us toward Montana)
This is a historic hike and the picture below explains the history
Lyza and Nixon each had a camera and were ready to explore and document the trail (I wonder who they get that from?)
There were lots of nice bridges as the trail crossed over the creek
This type of view of the creek was pretty common
Henry had lots of energy at the beginning
At about the 3/4 mile mark we made it to this bridge, which was probably the best part of the hike
I got the tripod out, screwed on the ND filter, and started experimenting with some long exposure shots of the running water
I was happy with the results and the surreal look it produced
Meanwhile the girls were taking selfies
Henry loved throwing rocks into the water
There were lots of these weird caterpillar things that Mason loved playing with
After that spot at the 3/4 mile mark there was another mile and a 1/4 with the majority of the elevation. There were a few more nice views of the water but it was mostly steep climbs with no water views
Mason started to get really tired and got a shoulder ride from his mom. Henry was on my back by that point because he couldn't keep up on the steep parts
After about the 1-mile mark the kids were running on tic tacs
Mason was a trooper and looks so cute holding Kim's hand
The information along the way gave nice opportunities for breaks
These flowers were pretty
Here is a picture I took on the way up
And here is the same spot on the way down taken with a long exposure
I don't think this broken tree was supposed to be part of the trail
Mason got really tired and was held for some of the hike up
When we finally made it to the top this way the payoff: a view of the tunnel (across the creek) that Pulaski and his men hid in during the fire. The tunnel has been closed off so even if we decided to get across the creek we would not be able to go in
There was some nice seating at the top for us to rest and have lunch
And for Mason to play with ants
Henry got to get out of the back pack carrier and stretch his legs again
An opportunistic chipmunk found part of a sandwich one of the kids left on the ground
Lyza also enjoyed playing with the caterpillar things
We got a family picture together at the top
Mason and Henry both had their superhero shirts on
There were so many little butterflies along the trail
On the way back down I was able to run ahead and take pictures without slowing anyone down
This is probably my favorite. It was a waterfall right along the side of the trail
Here is another spot along the trail
And another
And a few more back at the nicest spot
Mason found a nice resting spot along the trail on the way down
The hike out was definitely a lot easier than the hike in
That creek all eventually fed out to this point just before the parking area and then flows through Wallace in cool canals
I almost didn't try to get this picture but it turned out being one of my favorites
As we were leaving Wallace we found an interesting area that showed different mining equipment and the materials that they mine in the area (each of these cages if full of different things that are mined)
This exhibit taught about how the workers would communicate by pulling a long cable attached to a loud bell and different patterns of the pulling/bell would communicate different actions to take, like raising a bucket full of the stuff they were taking out of the mine
They also had this tunnel that taught about how the tunnels are supported
After such a big day of hiking (4 miles total) the kids earned some ice cream and Henry thoroughly enjoyed his
The next day Kim braved the outside world and went shopping for some new running shoes
One of the perks of working from home is that I can spy on the kids while they are playing in the backyard
And I can also chase the squirrels away before they dig in the garden
Last Sunday when we went to the park we took butterfly nets and other apparatus so Lyza and Nixon could try and catch a lizard in the forest. They didn't see any and by the end of that trip Lyza was really disappointed. Well, she got a chance at redemption four days later when they were back there for a beach day. Another kid caught one of the lizards (a blue tailed skink) and she got to hold it. Everything was right in the world again!
Apparently Nixon spent most his time there digging a big hole
This video catches Mason's iconic laugh that sound like the Count from Sesame Street
What a wonderful sight!
Friday morning I set up the humming bird feeder for the first time this year and got some birds right away
Kim also made banana chocolate chip muffins for the last day of school and the boys were super happy about it
Kim and the kids went to the beach late morning and I got to pick Henry up for his nap time. Henry helped drive home
Lyza loved this unicorn floatie
Nixon went on two runs this week with Kim. The first time he ran a mile and the second he ran more than a mile without as many stops
We went on a walk at the same time they were running any Lyza found this little green worm
School is officially over! Nixon mailed a thank you message to his teacher
Kim got up early yesterday morning for a long run (13 miles 😦)
Nixon also got up early but fell asleep on the floor shortly thereafter
Kim ran up and down a mountain twice (13 miles total) and lived to tell the tale. This picture was taken the second time up
Henry loves this little slide
We have been seeing glimpses of Mason and Henry being good friends but they usually don't last too long
The bees are busy pollinating our raspberries
We hope you have a great week
Take care
