Silver Lake

Last week we had a few glorious days before the cold and rain hit.  I'd heard weather reports so I was feeling urgent about getting back up the canyon while the leaves were still at their prettiest.  So, one day the kids and I (minus Sam, who was teaching his class) went up to walk around Silver Lake at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon.  It was BEAUTIFUL.  The colors were amazing.  So amazing, in fact, that we returned five days later (after the snow had come) with Sam to see if they were still as good.  They weren't, of course (which made me extra glad we hadn't missed them earlier) but the mountains are beautiful anyway. It is a lovely walk around the lake (boardwalk and easy trail) and we hope to return again next year!  I'll include a few pictures from both of our trips, the warm and the cold.

Before and after.  Not much change in this sweet girl's sunny mood, but her head was better bundled the second time. :)

Before

After (brrr!)

My faithful helper

This was on the second trip--see the snow on the mountainside--but what a lovely mirror lake!

Squaw Peak

We drove up to the Squaw Peak overlook to see the leaves on our way down to the football game last week.

While we were there, we got to watch two hang gliders launching off, as well as . . . whatever this winged thing is (paraglider?).  It was really cool.  The hang gliders were caught up in the wind so smoothly, it didn't even look scary.

Naturally, everyone spent the rest of the time pretending to be hang gliders (no one actually launched himself or herself off the mountainside, luckily)

Later, we saw them waaaay up above us, like tiny birds

This was shortly after I told Junie to "go on ahead"

A lot of cute people (by the way, Abe's Honey Bear shirt "counts as his BYU shirt", he says, because he loves it so much).  Last time we went here, there were a few fewer.

I was there too

Textures and yellow light

Another lovely time of year at Red Butte Garden.  There are still a lot of flowers but everything is starting to look a bit exorbitant and overgrown.  France in the 1780s.  We better enjoy it while we can!

Eating her sandwich.  She did eventually finish it.

Junie loves to be outside

There were lots of butterflies out and I saw these two gorgeous ones!

Love these textures

Black-eyed susans

Glowing berries

I like this picture; it captures the warm and cool dichotomy that seems so characteristic of Fall

Luminous baby at sunset

Wild animals, and other zoological curiosities

There has been an infestation of animals in the yard lately.  I would call animal control but they don't seem to be hurting anyone.  Just building factories and things.

The birdie will lie down with the bear

A lovely little nest

Cheetah-print (very on-trend for the season)

A braid (back and front)

I made a bunch of hats for Daisy a long time ago and she wouldn't keep them on her head.  Now she will (but they are starting to get too small).  And now that she has hair I don't feel like she needs a hat so much.  Ah well.

She likes to dress herself up in anything she can find lying around (and by "lying around" I mean, even in laundry baskets, drawers, etc.)  Here she has Abe's sunglasses, Ky's shoes, Sebby's socks, and somebody's old backpack.  And Sebby's lawnmower.  When the older boys are at school she really lives it up with their toys. :)  (Don't worry Mom, this is before I fixed the sleeves on her dress)

Aren't they cute?