House O' Sullivans

I have always loved fall more than any other season.  Myriad brilliant colors emerging from the monochromatic green of spring and summer--nature's magic trick.  The smell of damp, cool earth.  Chilly mornings warming into pleasant days with the rising of the sun.  And the feeling that SOMETHING is coming--foreboding, but simultaneously exciting and energizing.  With all of the hustle and bustle of late, we haven't gotten into the mountains as much as we normally do so yesterday,   I decided that today would be the day to bring the kids to one of my favorite spots to walk in the magic of fall--Porter Fork.  My sister Mary called this morning, so I invited her along and my mom came too.  We packed a lunch and headed for the hills.    The leaves have just started to fall, so they are still crisp and colorful and delightfully magnificent.  Porter Fork is cut by a narrow, winding road lined on both sides with rusti...

I took the kids to the Utah State Fair earlier this month.  It was opening day and since it was a Thursday morning (most kids were in school and most adults were working), the masses hadn't yet arrived, which made it so much more enjoyable.  My kids all got in free and it only cost ME 5 bucks.  What a deal!  Karen, my sister-in-law, was taking her daughter (Maya), and her dad (Marcial) and invited us to come along.  I convinced my mom to come (that was easy since she is up for ANYTHING) and we had a fabulous time gallivanting around the fairgrounds.  Perusing the cows, pigs, sheep, goats, bunnies, birds, and horses is usually the main event for us.  This year we went to the "Utah's Own" tasting tent and enjoyed an all-you-can-eat, Costco-on-steroids sampling of lots of yummy locally made foods that equated to a free lunch.  My mom and I also found a perfectly ripe nectarine tree near the horse stables that we raided.  So ...

This morning CBS and I dropped the kids off at Kristen's house and then headed for the hills. Casey wanted to hike to the fabled upper reservoir in the Bell's Canyon Cirque.  Although the first part of the hike (to the lower reservoir and up to the first waterfalls) is fairly mellow, it morphs into a relentless STEEP, bouldery, poorly maintained trail.  Did I mention that it was STEEP and BOULDERY?  Well it was.  After about five miles of extreme uphill, I sat down to let the sweat evaporate and bask in wilderness beauty while Casey did a bit more searching for the upper reservoir (to no avail).  We did locate an amazing campsite surrounded by clear, spring fed streams that we want to haul our kids to next year, but never made it to the upper reservoir.  We must be getting old, but we DID have fun AND it was a gorgeous day in the Wasatch. CBS posing near the first major waterfalls  ...