Random shots

Janessa and I planted tulips last year at the cabin.  Here they are coming up and blooming.  The next time I went over, they were all eaten.  We will see what happens this next Spring.
 

We had Fire Restrictions this summer so haven't been able to take advantage of our new seats around the fire pit yet.
 

Headed to Rifle, Colorado for the Encana Expo that Redi sponsors.  It was actually a fun night.  Several restaurants prepare meals and you can taste them.  It fills you up!
 

Dad is SOOOO proud!
 

The guys from Colorado, some pig and dad.  I didn't realize that Craig (Rifle Manager) was a big as he is in this picture!
 

Not alot to do while in Rifle so after the Expo we headed down random streets.  Here we saw a house fire.  I was too slow to get a pic with the flames shooting out of the second story window.
 

The firefighters putting on their protective gear to check the fire inside.
 

The fire was so hot that it burned the neighbor's siding off their home!
 

Boise, Idaho

Our room at the Owyhee Plaza Hotel, where the test was being done. We traveled with some strange bedfellows!

 

Boise Temple.

 

Right off the freeway and next to the church house. Not sure if the outside was marble but it was very pretty.

 

Capital of Idaho.

 

Woke up in Jerome, Idaho with ash covering our car on the way to Boise. There was a brush fire several miles away that had been started from lightening. The ride into Boise was smoke filled.

 

Twin Falls, Idaho. Evil Knievel tried to jump this gorge years ago.

 

Here's a video I found of the jump:


Did you know Twin Falls has a beautiful temple too?!

 

 

The temple and Stake Center were in a very new housing development. What would it be like to walk right outside your home and have the temple right there?!

 

 

Made it home late last night after dropping Jessica back off in Idaho Falls. Was hard to leave her there. Here's hoping she passed the practical section of her exam. On Friday, she takes the written portion in Pocatello! Good Luck Jessica!

Westside Diner

Picked up Jessica in Idaho Falls and then drove over to Boise for her Boards. I just happened to read a blog the day before I left about this diner in Boise so we had to eat there when we got to town. It was featured on Diners and Drive-Ins last year. We couldn't find the prime rib on the menu but the food was good. I had french dip. Jessica had a grilled chicken sandwich and we shared the spicy french fries and the ice cream potato. It was a fun lunch.

 

 

Guy signed the fridge.

 

Here's the "Baked Ice Cream Potato". It was ice cream rolled in chocolate powder and then sliced like you would a baked potato with whip cream on top. I was expecting fried ice cream so this was different than we thought it would be.

 

Saturday's trip

Drove over to Cokeville via Viva Naughton which meant driving on a dirt road through the forest for many miles. It was a pretty trip. Saw this waterfall near the summit and stopped to take a few pics.

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary dear! 32 years! Wow!

 

Last Leg of Trip

Waiting in Chicago for plane to take them home. Wonder how Janessa looked since they were in the air early this a.m.?!

 

Last Full Day on Trip

Where the Carolina Panthers practice

 

Giant Peach

 

Charlotte, NC

 

Kasey's in love!

 

Hawaii 4

Traffic was crazy on H-1. It didn't matter what time of day you were on the freeway, it was always crowded!

More traffic on H-1. You had to take this highway to get out of Waikiki so you had to put up with this each day. Some people who work in Waikiki drive this to and from work and they live on the other side of the island. They would tell us it can take up to 1 1/2 hours to get home. It is only 16 miles to get to the other side. Ugh.

Limos were used alot as taxis. We saw alot of them around Waikiki.

The fancy, expensive stores. No prices on the items. The only people I saw buying anything were the Orientals. Lots of tourists were from Japan, China or Korea.

Hawaii 3

Dole Plantation. A big ripoff. We took a little train ride and walked through a botanical garden. Not much there but we were able to see how pineapples grow.

Here is a pineapple plant. They grow right on the top.

A sea turtle that had been out of the water for about 30 minutes. They come up on the sand to warm themselves for a few hours and then swim back into the ocean. You can see where a tracking device use to be on her back. Now there is one on her side. A volunteer organization tracks about 20 of the turtles that come to this cove. This is Olivia.

We took a submarine ride and this is going out to the sub on a boat. You are looking back to shore and Diamond Head.

Of course we had to go when the temple was being refurbished. It is suppose to take about 18 months to complete the renovations. They are taking off the white paint and what you see is the volcanic ash that the temple was built with.

This is the view looking the opposite of the temple. The church owns the whole street down to the private park where you see the ocean. It is very pretty.

We took a catamaran ride out to see more whales. That is one out in the ocean. In the background is Waikiki and all the hotels. This was on the day we left and it had turned cold and very windy out on the ocean.

Here is what the catamaran looked liked. Even with rough seas, it rode very smoothly over the waves. You wouldn't have even known you were on a boat if you hadn't walked onto it.