Everything's Peachy

 It is amazing that only an hour or so away from the city you can find yourself in the Blue Ridge Mountains and feel like you are light years away from the hustle and bustle of Washington D.C.

 I took the kids to Hollin Farms to pick peaches this week and we had a perfectly lovely day.

 After picking peaches and raspberries we went home to make cobbler.

 Here is my Harley Approved cobbler recipe.

6 Large Ripe or Nearly Ripe Peaches

1 Cup Splenda (or real sugar)

2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch

1 Box Yellow Cake Mix

1 Cube of Butter

Boil diced peaches, Splenda, and cornstarch for 1 minute and place them in a prepared 9 x 13 baking pan.

Sprinkle the peaches with cake mix and then drizzle melted butter on top. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Serve warm with whipped or ice cream.



Mormon Pioneer Days

One of the highlights of our vacation is the 3 day Mormon Pioneer Day Celebration.  There are parades, dances, races, rodeos, a demolition derby, barbecues, a carnival, reunions, and lots of time with family and friends.  This year the boys rode a float one day and then watched the parade the other two days.

On the Ferris Wheel

The cousins about to take a wild ride!

Atley at the derby with his dad and uncle Jeff.

Nostalgia

It is kind of weird watching your children do the same things that you used to do in the same places that you used to do them. Also, hearing my mom sing my kids the same songs she used to sing to me never fails to give me a little deja vu.

I took lots of trips down memory lane while I was home, taking the kids to Splashland was one of those trips.
 Splashland is the closest swimming pool to my home town, about 25 miles away. In fact, it is where Scott's grandma took Scott & I  on our first date when we were 12 & 13.  It has been closed down for a long time but reopened a couple of years ago. I took the kids swimming there and it brought back lots of memories, like never being able to swim until someone pushed me in the deep end and my only other option was death.  I swear it seemed like yesterday that I was jumping off that same diving board.

We spent a lot of time on the playground or at the park.

In other news, we went to a "Gators in the Park" event with some friends while we were on vacation.  Most of the little girls were afraid of the critters, of course Harley tried to put some in her pocket.

Snakes & Streaking

Santa Fe

One day we went to Santa Fe. Nash still has a thing for Indians. Oops! I mean Native Americans. Oh, wait I think I mean American Indians. Whatever the proper terminology Nash wanted a glimpse of the old west. We traveled to Old Town Santa Fe New Mexico, which happens to be more than 400 years old.  We toured some old churches. Nash bought some beads and pottery from a Navajo woman, and we enjoyed the culture of the Spanish Mission.

In all of the shops, my favorite things were the textiles. I love bright colors and if I only had an unlimited supply of money I would have gone bizerk buying this stuff.