Cougar Tracks?

Here in Utah our snow is melting pretty quickly. Laura and I headed out to snowshoe today with our furry boys :)
It wasn't the prettiest day. It was a bit hazy and there was a cool breeze but it was great just to be out excerising and chatting with a friend!

I always keep an eye out for moose. I've taken some pictures of moose over our years of living here but not any real great ones. I'd love to get some better ones! At a safe distance of course:)

I'm also aware that we could run into bear or cougar. Cougars are usually in the higher country and are known to avoid humans typically. So today seeing what we're almost certain were cougar tracks was a little unnerving. We were on Old Snowbasin Road adjacent to the Ice Box Canyon area. The first paw print we saw caused us to look at each other and say "What the heck is that?" It was BIG. It was way bigger than a dog print. They weren't fresh. Sadly there were bunny tracks alongside the cougar tracks for the next 1/2 mile or so. You could tell the cougar at times was walking and then you could see where he'd run. At some point we lost the trail as it merged in with the groomed road.

A good reminder to always be aware of your surroundings :)

Laura and her boy Fred

Me and my boys Koda and Max

Snow melt off and icy creations

Laura and I - the camera was sitting on a post

A bit concerning...............hey Mr. Cougar, I hope you're not still lurking about :)

A good 5" wide ( same paw print as above )

I found this picture of a cougar track online and I'd say it's a pretty good match.

Well, that was our big adventure for the day. The boys came home and have been semi passed out the rest of the day. They run hard up and down the hills and through the trees when we're out.

It's like a little slice of heaven for them and I pretty much agree :)

Snowboarding and Goodnight Moon

Ben has been taking snowboarding lessons up at Powder Mountain these past few weeks. He loves it as we knew he would! I've been taking him up there and sitting on the outdoor deck or in the cafetria watching him and enjoying the mountain atmosphere.

The base elevation for Powder Mountain is 6,900 ft. and the top elevation is 9,100 ft. There are over 7,000 acres of skiable acreage and over 500" of yearly "real snow".
The only road going up to Powder Mountain is very steep with several grades exceeding 13%. It can be a dangerous and sometimes deadly road for people unfamiliar with the area. Your goal should be to use your brakes as little as possible while going back down. Downshifting is your best friend on that road :) Tap lightly if you need to slow down. If you ride your brakes you'll either lose them or be smokin' by the time you get to the bottom.

Yikes!....Now that I've scared you from driving up to Powder Mountain.....it's really worth the drive. It's very pretty and come May/June time the rushing creek on the side of the road from the snow melt off is worth the drive :) A little common sense goes a long way!

Sunday was Ben's last lesson and DJ was able to join us up there after he got off work. Almost a year later I am still so, so happy he is home for good and able to share in everyday life with us!! Dani works just down from Powder Mountain and was also able to come up for a little bit. Her and I left before the guys did so I could take pictures down around Pineview Reservoir before it got dark. She was in the van following me and we pulled into a parking lot off the road where the van got stuck! We had to call DJ and Ben, who were already on their way home, to come back and help. They were very sweet about it and we pushed the van out in no time!

Dani and I sipped hot coffee from Maverick (they have great coffee)and chatted while we were waiting for the guys to come help :)

It's so easy to take things for granted isn't it? I try very hard to cherish the everyday ordinary moments. These fun, sometimes crazy, and yes, even frusterating moments are going to quickly and then these wonderful gifts from God (our children) will be living their own lives.

Powder Mountain Snow School

Still loving the shadows on the snow!

Ben

I love this picture :) Where did my little boy go?

Ben

Peaceful Evening Light at Pineview Reservoir

My camera was drawn to this beautiful tree :)

My very favorite picture of the day.......I couldn't help but capture all this color and texture! It feels like home.

This is Snowbasin from our backyard. (zoomed in a bit) The sun was setting, bathing the mountains in a rosy hue. There were a few wispy darker clouds rolling along the ridge of the mountains. They almost look like smudges on the picture.

Not bad for a backyard view :)

This is looking north towards Ben Lomond Peak - standing by our side door. I zoomed in just enough to cut out the houses on our street.

Good Night Moon.......that was Dani's favorite book when she was little. We about wore a copy of that book out we read it so often!
This was last nights moon from our yard as the sun was setting. That's as far as I could zoom in.

I need to finish this post and go make Cinnamon Nut Biscotti and do laundry :) Blessings!

Love At First Sight and Snowshoeing :)

Sometimes love comes unexpectedly.........in furry bundles.........and hits you smack dab in your heart!

Such a thing happened to us this week :)

Saturday night DJ and Ben were running some errands when Ben called..........

"Mom, you guys need to come to Petsmart right now."

"Why?"

"You just need to come.......there's this dog"

As we drove to Petsmart I already knew it was a done deal. I had no idea what kind of dog it was but the girls and I looked at each other and said "We're bringing this dog home."

Walking into Petsmart I caught sight of the dog Ben had on a leash and it was all I could do to keep my heart from melting all over the floor!

I said "We'll take him!"

Ben said " His name is Max"

I said "We'll really take him"

Ben said "If he doesn't get adopted this weekend he's going to the pound"

I said "Well, for crying out loud, where's the paperwork? Let's get this show on the road!"

We are all in love with Max. He's a cuddler and he adores Koda :) I wouldn't say Koda adores Max but he tolerates him nicely. Max is just under a year old and is a terrier mix.

Heather, Erin and I went snowshoeing yesterday and Max loves the snow just like Koda does. He kept up with Koda all day. They both crashed hard when we got home!

His name is.........MAX!

Max and Koda taking a little break

Koda and Max running through the trees

Max.........SO loveable :)

Over the side of the road.....looks like a piece of art

A closer view

I love Snowbasin

Pretty from any view

And this view

A little breezy at the top

Majestic......plain and simple

I'm always fascinated with the shadows on the snow :)

Heather, Max, Koda and Erin


What a beautiful day up at Snowbasin yesterday! The snow is melting fast though. I have mixed feelings about that. I love spring and all the beauty it brings here to the Wasatch Mountains but I've really enjoyed snowshoeing too.

Our group of ladies has decided to keep our Thursday outings going year round. When we can't snowshoe anymore we'll hike, bike or canoe/kayak. It's been such a blessing to have this group of girlfriends who all love to be out in nature as much as I do!! God's handiwork is so evident as we wander these beautiful mountains!

"Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"
~Psalm 8:1

Beauty and the Beast ~ We love Gaston!

Well, my intentions of trying to blog regularly fell to the wayside in January!

Ben was in the musical at his school. They performed "Beauty and the Beast" and he played the part of Gaston. He did an awesome job :) It was alot of fun to watch him try something so different than what he normally does ( sports ). It was amazing to watch such talent come out of a group of junior highers. They did an incredible job!!

DJ and I spent alot of hours in January helping get ready for the musical. We mostly helped with  the stage sets. It was quite an adventure and we worked with some wonderful people! 


My friend Monica's son, Tyler, played Lefou ( Gastons sidekick ). He and Ben were great together! They've gone to school and played soccer together since 3rd grade. Monica and I have done alot of PTA projects together over the years plus huddled at countless soccer games in the snow, rain, wind, etc. We work well together and she's fun to spend time with :) Her and her husband, Tanner, also helped with the stage sets and Monica and I did ticket sales.


I look forward to Ben doing more theatre ( hopefully! ). 

Ben's second mom ~ Monica

Monica putting Ben's stage makeup on

Tyler & Ben a.k.a. Lefou & Gaston

Gaston displaying his muscles :)

Gaston singing to one of the silly girls

Lefou & Gaston

Gaston, the Beast & Lumiere

After the last nights performance Gaston apologized to Belle for being so arrogant and rude! It was very sweet as this was Ben's idea :) 

Gaston with Grandpa and Grandma Vetter ~ It was so wonderful that they could come out for this musical!

Me, Ben, Tyler, and Monica

Monica & I at our ticket table

Me and Meredith, the musicals producer. She's the retired music teacher at our junior high. Her and I spent many hours together on this musical and I really enjoyed working with her :)

When I sat down to do this blog post after the musical I was sick to my stomach when neither the computer or my camera would read my card. I took the card over to our local photography store and they were able to recover all the pictures ( except our family picture with Ben ) ~ thanks to a wonderful employee who went the extra mile!


When I went to pick up the cd of pictures they'd recovered the employee ( who had a really cool British accent! ) put the cd in so I could see the pictures. There were 190 pictures but there were 2 pictures not on there that I wouldn't be able to get from anyone. Ben with his grandparents and the one of him giving Belle the flower. I told the employee about those two pictures and she told me to come upstairs with her and she'd try a couple things. She was able to recover those 2 pictures plus more bringing the total of recovered pictures to 26o! 


She became my hero at that moment :)


Which reminds me ~ I need to contact the store and let her boss know how awesome she is!

Escaping the Yellow Cloud

Northern Utah has some of the worst air quality to be had. It's a known fact. We get terrible inversions during the winter and they are packed full of pollution.

Not a cheery note to start a blog post with! When the opportunity arises to escape this nasty yellow cloud I'm all for it :)

Snowshoeing on the other side of the mountain is the perfect escape!! The air is clear and clean. You can look off into the distance and see.....well, you can actually see the landscape! Not a hovering mass of dirty air.

Enough about Utah's dirty cloud ( I really do love living here :).

Today Laura, Erin and I went snowshoeing for about 3 hrs. or so. It was another beautiful day. We headed out on a trail today instead of staying on the road like we did last week. It's absolutely awesome to be out in the stillness of nature.

I took our dog Koda with us today and he had so much fun. He went non stop running ahead of us and bounding through the deep snow off the trail. He was intrigued by clumps of snow falling out of the trees. He would stop along the trail and perk his ears up trying to figure out what was going on.

Today it was in the mid to upper 20's....a bit warmer than last weeks lower teens.




View from the parking lot

 





Our fearless leader today

Looking back on the trail

Trailside Beauty





Scrub Oak



Beautiful - "Cottonballs" Tucked In The Trees

Me - I Love Being Outdoors! :)



A Touch Of Autumn In A Winter Scene



I'm sure hoping tonights storm is enough to clear the air on our side of the mountains!! :)