end of July - Luna haircut, staff dinner, biking

I think it was the day after we returned from our six day vacation in Red Lodge that I gave Luna her second ever haircut. It seemed like it was 100 degrees every day and was taking Luna forever to cool off if we went for a walk or she played outside. I was worried about her being too hot so I shaved her down. I really like her fur longer but not when the curls are so distinct. She needed a bath and to be brushed here.

She was far less cooperative than she had been the first time I groomed her. I don't know what was up with that but it was frustrating. I got her body shaved down but she wouldn't let me near her head or legs and feet. I had to use the scissors for all that. It took forever!

Finally all done.

She was a much cooler and happier dog I think. 

She was cracking us up afterward the way she was chasing her tail. I don't know what her deal was but she doesn't usually do this. 

A couple days later on July 27, we went to Paul and Jana's for a staff dinner. It was really nice to see everyone since we were still on sabbatical at that time. We had driven the Chrysler New Yorker out there that night after Terry had it all spick and span. And then it rained buckets while we were eating, which was awesome for the drought and so fun to watch in the covered porch, but the Chrysler got dirty again on our drive home. Figures. 

The Wednesday before the end of sabbatical I went on a longer-ish bike ride with Denise and Jazmin at Bulldog, outside of Sturgis and the Black Hills Cemetery. The trail was all up and then all down, which was quite fun, plus we had good conversation as always. This is the field on the other side of the interstate where we stopped for Jazmin to attend to something on her bike. I left her to take in the pretty view.

The girls laughed at me for taking a picture of the cows hanging out around Denise's car, but I thought they were pretty. 

Corral Creek hike, Day 6 {Sabbatical in Montana}

 Sunday, July 23, 2017 was our final full day at Terry's family cabin in Red Lodge, Montana. We saved the hike up the gravel road for last. It was only a mile or so but we drove up to save our legs for walking.

Corral Creek hike road sign.

Off we go!

The Montana wilderness is a lot more wild and thick than the Black Hills. Everything was so much more overgrown than it seems to get here. 

The first of many creek crossings. This is where I started my Garmin watch to GPS map our route. 

Another trail marker in the pretty sun. 

Second creek crossing. 

Say cheese! It's not a good shot. My camera lens was having trouble focusing due to the snowball it received from Noah the day before.

 A little better...

We trooped and trooped through that wilderness, not quite knowing when we'd stop. The kids wanted to stop immediately. I think they were all hiked out from our Utah trip. 

Third creek crossing. Those were fun but they stopped all too soon. 

Evie's turn. 

Showing their muscles during a break. Terry and I kept saying that at least it wasn't as hot as Zion but they didn't think so and wanted constant breaks. They were so hot and so tired. Apparently 80 degrees is the same as 115 to them.

Another creek crossing.

A couple on horses had started not long before us. There were many piles for us to avoid on the trail... 

We kept right on going and when the trail emerged towards the front of the mountain we were surprised by how high we had climbed. 

Family picture time in front of that view. 

There were many rock slides.

Nearly the same view further on and higher up. 

Terry and I really wanted to keep going to the summit, but caved to the complaints and decided to stop here. 

We had been going mostly up for 1.67 miles. The other number is our pace. 

Samuel and Ezra have become quite the two little buddies this summer. They're always playing with one another, this time while we waited for daddy to finish... 

...to finish this! He carved our nickname into this dead tree. We want to visit sooner than eight years from now and try to hike past this point. 

Posing with our carved tree. 

Terry took a couple cell pics on the way back down.

I'm in these two! 

Crossing the creek again.

Pretty water. 

They climbed this big ol' boulder when we were nearly done.

Goodbye lovely little creek! 

Back at the cabin we had lunch and a quiet time and then played out by the creek some. 

We hadn't played at this little river, Sheridan River, since the first day we got there on Tuesday! This is looking down towards Rock Creek. It used to be all open down there but is so overgrown now. 

I hiked down there and turned around to try to capture the creek and kids. 

Creek and cabin. It sure does need cleaned up down there. 

I hiked down the little Sheridan Creek beyond the initial tree cover and it opened up just a little...

Where it got close again and just beyond that was Rock Creek where Terry used to fish in his youth. 

I climbed past more trees and bent down so I could see the kids upriver. 

More creek fun. 

I tried to teach Samuel how to jump over the creek and he misunderstood me and jumped right in. Evie's reaction was perfect. His crying and howling was typical.  

Next we walked down the road to the Rock Creek bridge again, like nearly every day.

I specifically instructed them not to get above their knees wet. Their being in that river still made me nervous.  

They stacked more rock cairns but had to give it up quicker than they wanted to since it started sprinkling. 

We went back to the cabin and had dinner, leftovers I think, and worked on cleaning up. I took a picture of this journal photo of Terry's dad and his brothers and brother-in-laws. Hilarious! I have no idea what's happening here but I didn't want to forget it. Some family function at Storm Mountain perhaps.

The following morning we got packed up and ready to leave. I had the kids pose in all the rooms to capture what they were like. This is the dining room and kitchen from the cabin's front door.

Closer look at the kitchen where you wash with Sheridan Creek water!

The other side. 

To the right of the dining room. That white framed doorway to the left is the white bedroom where the grownups always sleep. 

I swear I have seen this photo somewhere before. Maybe my paternal grandparents house...?

Looking back at the dining room from the far end of the living room.

Directly behind me are these three beds.

Evie had a scared face because of the mannequin. I have no idea why it's there or who put it there but it totally freaked the kids out. We put in the screen porch off the kitchen while we were there. Once I went out there to get a chair and the mannequin scared me half to death. 

Around the corner from the living room. Noah slept on that little white bed.

Through the doorway to the left of the kids is a little hallway. The stair/ladder leads up to the loft where Evie, Samuel, and Ezra slept. The door to the right in the bathroom. Straight ahead is the white bedroom where Terry and I slept. The cabin is laid out in a circle. You can run around the whole thing and that's exactly what the kids did.

Here's the little bathroom.

And shower. 

White bedroom.

Looking back towards the living and dining rooms. We've come full circle. 

I left the room through that door and turned around to take this shot. 

I took a few more photos outside while Terry was turning everything off. Not sure I got this view yet. It's what you see from the outhouse. 

I crossed the road to capture the cabin from there. 

Looking up the gravel road. 

The gate. 

Two neighbor's driveways visible from the gate on the other side of the road. 

Wagon wheel at the gate and the cabin behind. 

Cabin from the curved driveway. 

One last family shot, just like in 2009 when we had Terry's folk and Shari and Jesse. 

Goodbye cabin! 

Evie bid goodbye to the outhouse last of all. Ha! I hope we go back soon!