Tour Part II.

This is the frog that Avery, Lexi & Riley caught on Saturday. It's name was almost Buddy (like its ancestor that was captured a few years ago), but then we decided it was a girl frog & chose the gender-appropriate Buddette.

This is one of the dead animal heads (well, antlers) that is mounted around the cabin. Did you know that antlers that fall off animals are called sheds? Kind of like toenails, I think, but they are a prized possession around these parts, especially if they have a lot of points (that means they are older??). Sometimes the boys in our family go tramping around the woods for hours looking for them. Shed hunting, it is called. When Danner was still a relatively new puppy & the general opinion of her was still a bit up in the air, she proved her worth by running up to the cabin from the woods with a shed in her mouth. A true Hudson dog, & clearly worth keeping around.

This is the sandcastle that Lexi, Avery, Erin & I made on the beach. You'll notice the protective outer wall, the meticulous landscaping, the soccer field, walking paths, swimming pool & draw bridge. The project was abandoned before the moat was completed.

This is Quincy - daughter of the Christopher & Erin family. It took us a bit to be friends (living in New York = total stranger for those that have relatively short-term memories), but I think we made a connection. She's precious.

Recent highlights:

• Going to my parent's ward on Sunday, the only "home ward" I've ever had. Loved seeing all of the adults I grew up with, happy to now fully consider them friends (& grateful to have the opportunity to apologize to several!).
• Breakfast at Elkin's.
• Chocolate Moose Tracks [peanut-butter cups] ice cream with huckleberries, chocolate sauce & whipped cream on top.
• Finding the sunken island at the south end of the lake (think 5 feet deep in the middle of the lake). We'll go back with all the kids the next time I'm back. In a week.
• Meeting one of my parents probably-very-nice friends who, when hearing that I live in Manhattan said, Oh wow! I feel so sorry for you! I hate New York! It's such a terrible, crowded, dirty city! My response, with a smile & in a very innocent way: Oh, where do you live? Spokane? Really? That must be so miserable. I'd NEVER live here. We're living in New York FOREVER. We love it. (Friends, if you meet people from Wichita, New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Rexburg, wherever: Please don't tell them that you pity them for their chosen home. It's rude.)
• Buying Mike a tshirt that says, Bears love people. They taste like chicken. (Priest Lake, Idaho). I'm not sure that it will be worn, but it was funny. And as my dad said, he can wear it every day next week in preparation for our trip .