August started at our house with Naomi starting her new job selling corn. She did a fantastic job and was very reliable. It was fun to have her share her experiences with us at the end of each day.
Right around the first part of the month we spent a day in Magrath helping a cousin lay sod at their house. It was an absolutely amazing transformation - going from all that dirt to a nice green lawn! We enjoyed a delightful barbecue afterwards and stuck around long enough to help get enough sprinklers going to keep it all wet. Of course the trick is to have lots of sprinklers because once you get the grass wet, you can't walk on it or you risk leaving deep foot sized depressions behind.
After all that we decided to go for a swim. Our first choice, the Raymond pool was temporarily closed as someone had gotten sick in the pool and it had to be cleaned, so we went out to the park anticipating playing in the water there.
It all started out great. The kids got in the water, they had their toys and were prepared to spend a whole pile of time splashing and keeping cool until Richard got out and discovered a whole pile of tiny black bugs on him. I have no idea what they were, but they filled every fold in his swimming shorts. The more he moved, the more fell off of him. The ants were loving it, because they would grab those tiny bugs and haul them off for a veritable feast I'm sure. When Richard discovered his pockets were also full of bugs, the girls all exited the water rather quickly. Everyone was done swimming!!! You know, we had wondered, when we drove up, why so few people were playing in the water... I guess the bugs scared them off too. The kids traded swimming for playing on the swings and other playground attractions while the adults visited by the water. We really had a nice time and it was hard to leave when the time drew near.
Funny, as we walked down to the beach, we passed a group of would be swimmers leaving the area. I wonder why they didn't warn us of what the water contained. I guess, it is pretty easy to resist sharing information, especially in this age when people communicate more on electronic devices than they do in person, but even still, I think that if the Savior had been there, He would have warned us and then allowed us to make our own decision. I know that, because that is what His prophets have always done, put out the warning and the call to repent, but ultimately we make the final decision as to what we will do.
In August, Breanna earned a cake pop maker. She loves to bake and this little device makes round little cakes that are a bite of sweetness. She likes to dip them in chocolate, or frosting and serves them with a toothpick or if they are not too sticky, then by the handfull.
Of course, one sour experience with swimming didn't rule out swimming for the rest of the month. A while later, Naomi took all the kids out to Sherburn lake to play in the water. It was a beautiful evening and they had a great time playing together. A sibling bonding time. I remember those experiences with my own siblings fondly. I can't even count the number of hours we used to spend every summer swimming in the little irrigation ditch at the end of our driveway or out in the pumping pond behind the house. In fact, we would spend several hours out there in a day! That's how it was for the kids at Sherburn. What a beautiful day!
We even managed to get a little time for work in during the month. Since we had taken down our old fence on the east and replaced it with a 6' fence in the spring, we had a whole pile of fence panels that were still in fairly reasonable shape that we didn't want to throw away. As we thought about it, we decided that they would work very well in the front yard. We dug in the posts and put up new supports to attach them to and then we put a top plate that runs evenly over the top of the fence for a finishing touch.
We finished the west side first and got it all installed and painted. Myles built a new gate to go on that side for easier access from the west alley. He did a fabulous job! It looks amazing! In fact, he even built me a bird house to sit on the corner part of the fence where the level changes. We haven't got it up yet though, but he made it to match our house! ☺ He has gotten to be so handy. Fortunately, he takes after his dad.
At the end of August, before school started again, we decided to celebrate our anniversary - 23 years this time! We spent a number of days camping together in the Crowsnest pass. We hiked up a quadding trail that crested a hill opening up quite a panoramic scene to our view! It was lovely! We could see Crowsnest mountain with yellow hills glimmering below. It was BEAUTIFUL! Behind us, on the other side of the ridge we could see a waterfall. I love the sound of waterfalls. There is something so peaceful and serene about the sound of running water. It reminds me of a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants that describes the voice of the Lord as sounding like rushing waters. What a beautiful description!
Besides setting out on new explorations, we did a fair bit of hiking in the woods. I also love it in the trees. I love the sound of the wind as it touches the tree tops overhead, yet it is so calm and peaceful at their base. I love the lush green vegetation, the shade and the fresh air. I also love the discoveries that we find along the way. On one particular day, we were walking along, and just up ahead we could see some wildlife on the trail. It was a sage grouse family.
The male grouse was doing a cool dance and it wasn't in the least bit afraid of us. He kind of wagged his tail as he strutted and led his hen and chick into the tall grass and off into the trees. That was so COOL! We were within two meters of him as he displayed his feathers. We never saw any bear, but we did see a fawn and a bunny as we continued to hike.
Another one of our cool discoveries was an old cabin in the woods. It's not very big and mostly rotted, but there was still an old bed spring there leaning up against one of the part-walls.
Of course there is always the inspiring scenery that comes into view as you hike along a trail. I LOVE how the scenery changes as the light increases or diminishes. The same mountain can take on several different looks.
What a glorious way to finish out a summer month... in the mountains with your best friend. We had really beautiful weather and we got to see some new areas that we have never before explored. What made that even better was discovering them together. At one point we hiked up a nearly vertical hill. The trail even started disappearing and I was beginning to wonder if we would become lost. However, I knew that all we had to do was go back down and we would easily pick up the trail we had left behind, BUT, if we hadn't scaled that hill, the glorious panorama of the valley would not have been opened to our view. It was worth the hard work and effort that it took to get up to the top! In fact, I can't wait to take the kids on that same hike next year!
I feel so blessed to live so close to such grand and majestic mountains! There is so much to feel and experience there. I love being there, and after I leave, I always look forward to my next visit. We sure had a great summer!
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