Mountain Magic

Now is the season to picnic in the mountains
and collect the autumn colors,
storing them up against the long winter ahead.

On Thursday,
my faithful Honda transported myself, a friend, the dog and two full sacks of edibles
up to nose-bleed country at the top of Pole Canyon,
home to wild turkeys, deer, elk, black bear, cougars.

Along the way, we came across this gobbler,
who showed up with twenty of it's buddies in the bush.

Just a few minutes down the road, these three friends came hoofing by . . .

TAA DAA . . . the million-dollar view from our beloved picnic spot.

Majestic country, really.

Ms. L brought a homemade concoction she lovingly calls "Prune Whip".

(Adding chocolate improved the flavor.)

I brought marinated cucumbers with gourmet balsamic vinegar, aged for 18 years.
(Sounds weird. Tastes divine. No chocolate needed.)

Chica, La Magnifica, queen of all she sees!

After feasting on our vittles and the view,
we jumped back into the Honda and headed down a rocky backroad for more adventure.
In the shade of the pines, wild asters were growing prolifically.

Various shades of bright berries can be spotted here and there.
Can we safely eat them?
No clue.

Finally, time to turn ourselves around and head home.

The sun highlights different fall beauties and I long to hold them tight.

They are so transient.

************************************************

The next evening, several of us headed to Sundance resort
for a chance to ride the ski lift as the full moon rose over the mountainside.

Now THAT was spectacular!

In My Small-ish Kitchen

Summer 2010 is SO DONE.

Time for my Lovely Lassies to learn how to create their own after-school snacks.

In my rather small-ish kitchen,
they whipped up
mini-pizzas,
fruit & yogurt parfaits,
ham, cheese & veggie tortilla rolls,

and THESE:

Apple slices lathered in peanut butter, then rolled in granola!

They are finger-lickin' good. Promise.

One adult leader with twelve lassies is NOT ideal.
So I invited moms to come.
Babes in arms showed up too - a package deal.

The gal carrying a little munchkin BELOW
reminds me of my daughter Leah with her collection babes in arms.
(Now, L has her own child with the same inclination. PROOF HERE.)

After the snacks were constructed and consumed,
the action headed to the family room where there are two large chests of dress-ups.

All of these girls are still willing to have a Wild Rumpus.

Being 'cool' has not set in.

Here's an exotic princess perusing a poster of our SUMMER CAMP.
What a million-dollar smile!


Wanna join the fun?

The Color Parade . . .

It has started.

I took the camera up the canyon this morning for PROOF.

The shot ABOVE was taken on the front side of the canyon,
where I begin my morning strolls.

There are places INSIDE the canyon where the colors are barely beginning,
as you can see above.

But it ain't gonna stay that way long, no siree bob!


(A REAL post coming on Sunday.)

6 Days with Kelty & Rella May

My daughter Kelty grabbed a way-too-cheap flight from Chicago
for a six-day trip to her Home Land - UTAH.

Miss Rella came in tow and demonstrated her resiliency
with nary a cry on either flight and a happy disposition throughout her visit,
despite being yanked from any normalcy in schedule or surroundings.

The Utah Shakespearean Festival is a family tradition
spanning the decades
and we managed to secure tickets for the last weekend of performances.

My friend Bonsey joined our merry band for this overnight trip to Southern Utah,
which included a morning at some hot springs along the Virgin River.

These springs also bring back cherished memories.

Below - exactly TEN years ago . . .

Don't you think we look better NOW verses THEN?

Can't say the same for Kelty since she was gorgeous ten years ago . . .

. . . and still is!

The BIG difference for Kelty is her SIDE KICK!

When we got back home, I had some great times with that Side Kick while Mommy took some breaks.

At first, little Rella wasn't quite sure about having big dog CHICA in her space.

However, she quickly warmed up to our furry friend.

And they even became dear PLAYMATES!

Meanwhile, Kelty headed over to the horse barn
to spend quality time with HER favorite playmates!

Thanks for coming, Kelt!

I didn't even MIND mailing back the cell phone.

Ethiopia Travel Companions Hit Utah!

Our merry band of Ethiopian travelers held a first-time reunion right here in Utah.
In fact, right here at my very home.
(Do you recognize the trees behind the back deck, kids?)

Just four months ago, we explored a completely different world TOGETHER,

experiencing life from unique angles.

Like, ABOVE, cozied into the carved-out monk dwellings in the rock walls of the ancient churches . . .

. . . or standing with our eyes at the level of the 138th floor of an Ethiopian termite high-rise condo.
(There are thousands of mounds dotting the countryside.)

What an honor to have my friends show up inTHIS part of the world!


Please come again soon.
Love, Ginger

. . . and they came.

Yes, they DID come!

The day after the Spaniards left, Cousin Jim & his daughter
arrived precisely at HIGH NOON.
The meeting spot - Nephi City Cemetery.

It may seem a bit odd that we were reuniting in the cemetery.
But, hey, it's OUR cemetery.
Somehow, our family inherited the northwest corner of this small-town resting place.

In other words, we McCune descendants get to REST there free of charge!

Now, how did we score that sweet deal? No idea.

Anyhow,
my great-great grandparents, two sets of great grandparents,
my grandparents,
quite a collection of aunts and uncles,
my very own parents
and other assorted kin
are all taking a long, long nap together at the Nephi City Cemetery.

In my clan, it's a happening place.

And it so happens that my cousin's daughter wanted to absorb some family history during this visit.
I was happy to share the cherished tales.

Of course, the funny stories are the best ones.
Like, the fact that my Grandma Leah always jokingly complained
that she was going to be forced to babysit her sister's babies
-who died in infancy-
throughout the eternities,
because they were all buried right below her plot . . .

OR that her husband might roll over
and she'd be thrown in the road and hit by a car
since her plot was next to the street.

This dear grandma had a sense of humor to beat the band, I tell you!

After the cemetery, we headed over to the Nephi Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum.
and perused some family memorabilia.

**********************************

The day after Jim and Katharine left,
the clan gathered to honor my nephew Austin
who just completed 2 years of service as an LDS missionary.

BELOW: A shot of Austin and his dad (my brother)
who is holding a sample of the 100 lunch sacks
decorated with missionary ties & name tags
created by my very clever sister-in-law.
She also prepared a mountain of food to go INTO those 100 sacks!


Several kids took their sacks & booty up to a tree fort and I just HAD to climb up and snap a shot.

The NEXT day, my son arrived from Nevada.
It was a short trip, but we did enjoy a fabulous picnic dinner together
and two nice long chats.

The day after Arian left, my goddaughters arrived.

(Photo taken @ our favorite local restaurant ~ CAFE FRESH!)

I thought that I'd only get Victoria + Breanna,
but a BONUS goddaughter (and kiddos) came along -
Paige.

Paige's daughter Brooklyn fell in love with my dramatic play treasure boxes.

These gals come from a VERY active family.
They tramped around the world for a year and thus they are the happiest when they are MOVING.

I can ALWAYS count on them to hike the canyon with me.

The little ones DON'T slow them down one bit.

Well, maybe just a WEE bit. Long enough to intensely study a layer of quartz in a rock by the trail.

How I wished my birth children could have joined us over the last three days!

They would have LOVED our late night conversations
during which we solved the world's problems AND laughed our guts out.
VERY LATE NIGHTS, but worth every minute.
Truly SLUMBER PARTIES.

How am I a godmother? Look HERE.

Losses & Gains

Last summer, I lost a brother to RUSSIA.
Ken and his wife are overseeing the LDS missionary work in that smoke-filled part of the world.

This summer, I'm losing a sister to CHINA.
Wendy and her husband Byron heading out to teach English at a university in Nan Jing.
I don't know a THING about Nan Jing.
It just sounds very far away.

Wendy & Byron are highly energetic and up for a challenge.
It's hard to believe this very FIT sister of mine birthed 9 children
and then raised another one, to boot!
Byron is nearing 70, but he's not too old to compete in a 110-mile bike race,
hitting the finish line in 6.5 hours.

Currently, W & B are picking up Chinese in 'Crash Course' style.

(Three sisters, together for the last time in a long, long while.)

Wendy and Byron leave.

Others come.

Today,

CARLOS & CARLA

visiting from Madrid, Spain.

(Shot taken a few short hours ago.)

On Friday,
my cousin Jim and his daughter, arriving from Texas

On Monday,
my goddaughter Vic and her sister Brianna, blowing in from Calgary, Canada.

I believe they'll be staying for a week or two until they head back to college.

Life seems to a constant interplay between losses and gains.

Or is it just MY life?