House O' Sullivans

Every year, Casey's boss, John Lambert, gets a couple of elk tags and free range rights on an expansive (we're talking nearly 6,000 acres) private ranch in the Fish Lake National Forest just south of Salina.  The land owner, Dan Jorgensen, owns several historic homes that Abstract works on, and so the hunting and lodging at the old homestead ranch house is offered as trade for the masonry work.  Casey has been down there several times to hunt.  I'd gone once, several years ago, when Sophie was a few months old and was excited to be on the short list this year.  No one else from Abstract could go this time, so Casey invited his parents and his brother Sean (along with his wife, Kim) to come down with us.  For beautiful five days, we lived in this little piece of paradise: This is the ranch house where we stayed.  Although this is the site of the original homestead house, built in the 1860s, that home burned down, and this one was built in the late 180...

My sister, Mary, had the genius idea to take the kids up to Snowbird to ride the aerial tram today.  We traded a can of green beans each for a spectacular ride to the top of Hidden Peak. Although it was nearly 70 degrees in the valley today, at 11,000 feet it was quite chilly and WINDY!! Zeke, Hallee, and Sophie, enjoying a ride up to Hidden Peak with their cousins this afternoon. As soon as the tram unloaded on the peak, the kids took off running.  This was our official winter preview!  Even though none of them were prepared with snow pants, they were not deterred and took to liberally rolling around in the snow straight off. Zeke on the peak! The wind was gusting so forcefully and erratically, that I worried that little Hal would be swept over the edge.  But alas, she stood her ground. Soph After the ride back down the mountain my kids scurried into the woods, following bunny tracks to Little Cottonwood Creek, where they ended up playing...