a star valley fall

We grabbed our backpacks and jackets on friday and headed over the mountain and across the plains to visit sister in Star Valley, Wyoming. We usually visit a couple times a year--but this was my first trip there in the fall and I just fell in love. If I thought I could survive the winters......we just might have stayed.



a morning drive

a dark and cloudy fall morning. brisk air, a light

looking for ghosts

When we were in Montana last month, we ventured up a steep and windy mountain road to Granite Ghost Town. Silver was discovered, and the town boomed in the late 1800s--quickly topping out around 3000 people. There was a library, a school, a hospital, churches, saloons, and houses--all atop the mountain. 

And now.....well, now....it's ruins. Piles of brick, lumber, and scraps of metal. Broken

a walk around the lake

ohhhhhh the lake. 

Lake Louise. 





An unbelievably bluish-greenish, wonderful, magical, icy cold mountain lake.

we loved it. 

Depending on the weather/time of day/cloud cover/where we happened to be standing.....the colors changed. 

From green, 

to blue, 

back to glowing green, 

to turquoise. 

I feel lucky to have experienced this place with my little family. 

There is only so much a

O Canada

When can we go back? 

I just can't get over how perfectly pretty everything was. 

We decided the best word for this part of the world was....

WILD. 

Everything. 

The mountains. 

The rivers. 

The waterfalls. 

Everything seems so tame where we live, in comparison to this great place. 

Wild animals--everywhere! 

The forests--so thick and dark and misty.

Glaciers massive and sparkling and

one last drive

dear big old magnificent girl,

 

where to begin? I remember the first time I strapped my fifteen month old babe into your back seat and set off on to Utah roads, where sunsets are pretty and drivers are.....well.....crazy. 

It was love at first drive.



You helped us move. Across the valley with stuff piled high, you made trips back and forth and to and fro, carrying our belongings to this

insta-canada

a few phone snaps of our road trip into Canada. 



notes:

-the Montana/Canada border where we crossed was literally a barb wire fence.

-photos taken near Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise and the many windy roads in between.

-Canmore was my favorite town.

-It was chilly. But beautiful. But really, chilly.



the end.

insta-montana

more photo vomit here. a little instagram action of montana. 

oooohhhhhh montana how I love your open roads, big sky, puffy clouds, old buildings, ghost towns, thunderstorms, clear lakes, and cutest cousins.


notes:
-images near simms, fairfield, choteau, dupuyer, avon, and georgetown lake, montana.
-Granite Ghost Town was a huge hit with the kids (and myself)
-next time you are camping, have

photo vomit

I have about one bazillion photos to go through.

One. Bazillion. 

And I can't decide which ones to post and how/when/what order to do so. 

We saw blue green lakes/raging waterfalls/wild animals/wildflowers/meadows. 

We hiked/drove/and drove/and drove/camped/roamed/fished/explored.
Utah/Idaho/Montana/cross the border/Alberta/British Columbia/and back again.

So that's when I just photo vomit

dear moab, I love you

miniature me+delicate arch



After the race, we packed up and headed to Arches National Park right outside of Moab, Utah.



Wow.



Why haven't we traveled down this way before? We have lived here for 6 years now, what's wrong with us?!! It's only a 4 hour drive ( I realize to some this may seem excruciating, but since most of our roadtrips are 8+ hours a 4 hour drive is a breeze!), and it's

somewhere in wyoming.....

....and even a few miles of utah.
the road crosses back and forth across the state line approximately 37 times.

I took a quick little trip over the mountains this weekend to see my sissy
 and her (very) new (extremely) teeny little girl.

I love driving.
loooooooove.
long open roads.
tiny towns where everyone waves as you pass through.
(literally, everyone waves at you)
stopping for cows.

(un)planning ahead

As many of you know, I have spent the last few years traveling back and forth from here to San Francisco to see a Lyme Disease specialist. Well it was that time of year yet again, and we always try to plan something fun to go along with the appointment......so it's not sooo......Dr-y. We've hit up the city the past few times so we decided to go in another direction this time to explore. 
*side

insta-roadtrip

driving to big basin state park, californiaWe've been busy! driving, driving,and more driving. aaaaallll the way down to the coast for a dr's visit. With the kids playing at grandma's house, we went off to play on our own-in the redwoods at Big Basin.We camped out (of course there were s'mores), ran through the forrest, and took one billion photos......more coming soon. 
here are a few of the

favorite places of 2011

Happy New Year! 
I'm so excited for this brand new year and all it will bring!

I love looking back over last year as a whole and thinking about all we've accomplished/enjoyed/endured/overcome/explored/eaten/on and on and on.
It was a very, very good year.
Here is a little peek at some of my favorite places from the year. 
wyoming, salt flats, san francisco, big lagoon, redwoods, millcreek, dog

this and that

penryn, california
How was your holiday weekend?Did you eat butter and sugar until you just about burst? I sure did. 
Yet here I sit, dreaming about all the treats I'll be making over the next few weeks....mmmmm........treats.So far on my list I have cookies and toffees and puddings. Oh my.
My favorite thing about spending time with family, is the late late (LATE!) nights (that turn into early

sunset on summer

The Beach House.This is our ninth end-of-summer here. It is a real. true. vacation. Salty air you can taste.Running from the waves (and then chasing them back into the ocean) Digging for sand crabs (and bringing them home in the laundry.....whoops)Reading and lounging and sleeping in the sunshine. Ten crazy little boys and three just-as-crazy little girls who go-go-go from sun up to sun down.Late

among giants

I feel a little ache in my heart as I post this......

going through these photos makes me want to go back. 

so. 

so. 

badly.

I have never been anywhere like this in my life--

and to be there with just my little family was absolute perfection. 



We spent the entire day exploring.

I was so proud of my Littles--their little legs carried them over five miles in one day. 

up hills.

down

the 4th

big lagoon, california happy birthday, america

fingernail moon

north north northern california




note: I am about to photo vomit. all over the place. at first it may be just one at a time....a little here and there. and then BOOM.photos everywhere.

go somewhere

whether you find yourself, or get lost....I hope you're on your way somewhere.

book talk and some photos

I know I know. I owe you a big wordy healthy living post. I sat down to write one and....got super distracted. I'm finally reading the book series that everyone has been talking about for years.(um, Hunger Games, etc, not Twilight....ew)(please don't send me hate mail for not liking twilight)(please also know I think Edward is booooooring)(I think I just lost half my readers)I read the first last