Autumn in Utah

The drive up to Tony Grove Lake in Logan Canyon

Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year!! The blue sky like only fall can bring, crisp mornings and warm afternoons, colors that warm your soul, the smells that speak warmth and comfort like baked apples, cinnamon, vanilla, pumpkin, cloves and nutmeg.

I love to be outdoors and enjoy any chance to head for the mountains!!

A little over a week ago I spent the day with my friends Laura and Deanna. We left at 8am and drove up to Ogden Valley. We took the Avon Road out of Liberty, which took us to Cache Valley.
What an amazing road. It takes you through ruggedly, beautiful country!

We dropped Laura off in Logan then headed up into Logan Canyon. Our destination for the day was Tony Grove Lake. 7 miles up from the main road. The elevation of the lake is 8100 feet! Always worth the drive :)

We ate lunch by the lake and soaked in the view! There were two chipmunks who weren't a bit shy and even tried crawling up our legs as we sat at the table!! No, we didn't feed them but obviously someone has!

I sure hope you have beautiful fall scenery to soak up wherever you are :)

Rustic - Avon Rd.

So pretty - Avon Rd.



This tree  is very striking - Avon Rd.



Fall colors reaching up - Avon Rd.

Blanket of maple leaves - Avon Rd.



Symphony of fading color - Tony Grove



View from our picnic table......I could have sat there all day!  - Tony Grove



Curious chipmunk...not shy at all! - Tony Grove



Pretty contrast - Tony Grove

What a cute little guy  - Tony Grove

A relaxing place to spend some time - Tony Grove

Beautiful Retreat

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to go on a womens retreat with my friend Laura and her church. It was a wonderful 3 days filled with laughter, powerful prayer time, beautiful scenery and contemplating what legacy God is calling me to leave with my life. I'm looking forward to sharing more about this weekend in future posts but for now I wanted to post a couple pictures from the weekend :)

The retreat was held in the Sun Valley area of Idaho. The retreat camp was in a pretty canyon filled with evergreens and a small river.

I love woodpiles! They evoke a sense of nesting and comfort to me :)



This was the  cabin that most of our group stayed in. Wouldn't it be beautiful painted cabin red with window boxes and a nice wood door?



A rustic bell tower outside the cabins





We spent a few hours in Haley, ID on Saturday afternoon.
I love the weathered building and red vines!

  


Every small town needs an old red truck :)



Bell tower to the Episcopal church

Episcopal church



I love this building....I was in a hurry so didn't go look to see if it was a church, old school building or maybe community center




I'm not sure what this building is either but it caught my eye.......Red is such a wonderful color :)





So peaceful







Bubbling Water




More Bubbling




I love how the water looks in this picture



Looking down the road from the camp

Fall colors :) The dead tree adds alot of texture.

I hope you are enjoying a beautiful autumn wherever you are!

Park City Soccer Tournament

Ben's comp soccer team participated in a tournament up in Park City yesterday and Thursday.

I love watching soccer games! :) It makes me happy, frusterated and gives me a bit of an adrenaline kick as I watch my son out on the field.

Their first 2 games were not impressive at all :( They did win one of them but they certainly didn't play their best and their coach let them know!

Last nights game was awesome :) Neither team scored and we

didn't end up in the finals today but they played with heart and purpose.

The fall season is right around the corner. Yeah!!

I love the sports mode on my camara. It puts it in continual shoot mode and you get some great shots you wouldn't otherwise.

Below is a play by play of Ben and a player from the other team fighting for the ball....

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Date With A Beautiful Window

Monday DJ and I decided to go on a date since the kids had plans for the night.

We took the ATV's up to Hardware Ranch. It's so beautiful up there! You drive through Hyrum then up Blacksmith Fork Canyon to get there. It's worth the drive as you can ride for hours up there alternating between wide open spaces and pretty aspen/evergreen forests.

We put on 40 miles and enjoyed every minute! :)

There's such a sense of freedom and relaxation as you cruise along taking in the scenery around you. In my mind I pictured a beautiful old window behind me and all the days stresses and cares floating off my shoulders and through the window! :) Beautiful indeed.

At one point we were riding side by side and I was thinking how connected I felt to DJ even though we weren't talking. I was beginning to write this blog post in my mind about my wonderful evening with my husband......the moment was ruined by a chunk of testosterone (sp? ) when DJ sped off leaving dust on my face!
Needless to say the blog post started taking a different turn in my mind! Ha Ha :)
In all actuality I would've done the same thing....I get a little competitive when I'm driving :) I guess that why I loved driving in Sicily & I love NASCAR! )

We saw alot of wildlife as we were out later in the evening. Antelope, bunnies, lots of deer and the highlight of the night was the young moose that ran across the trail about 20 feet in front of me. He was gorgeous! Dark, chocolatey brown with his awesome antlers.

We ended the night back at the trailer with the stars just coming out. We sat on the trailer and ate peanut butter and jam sandwiches!

I'll take another date like that anytime!

Beautiful indeed :)

The road between Brigham City and Logan

This is where the journey begins

DJ  getting the ATV's ready

I love the little hairs sticking up!!

Beautiful :)

I love cows!

About 20 antelope ran across the road in front of us

What a sweet little guy :)

Glad to call Utah home :)

Isn't he handsome!

Wide Open

There's a couple of calves amongst the brush

Momma came from the other side of the rode to make sure we weren't hurting her babies

So peaceful!

First star of the night - we sat on the trailer & ate pb&j sandwiches while looking at the stars and talking :)