Cool cars

There is a classic car event held here every summer. We thought we'd go check it out Friday night. When I went years ago, I remember the cars being parked and being able to walk around in admire them. It turned out that we had chosen the night of the street cruise and were there about an hour early. So we stopped by a new cupcake shop and shared two key lime pie cupcakes. The kids threw pennies in the fountain. This is something they've been looking forward to doing this summer. We popped in to the fancy cheese shop and sampled some cheese. We tasted and bought a sheep's milk cheese named "Helena." Then we found a place to watch the cars from and bought creamsicles from a nearby ice cream cart. Eating them was a messy process.Our favorite vehicle was the DUKW, a WWII amphibious truck. It was fun to see the old cars driving around town all weekend. Henry was even wearing his car shirt.

Our raspberries

are ripening. We check on them every afternoon.

Craters of the Moon

This was my first visit to the Craters of the Moon National Monument. It is a bizarre landscape formed by lava flows. We had a picnic lunch with the cousins once we arrived. We walked the North Crater Flow trail. This poor Limber Pine had to struggle for survival against the wind. It was so windy we had to hang on to our hats. We climbed through the Indian Cave lava tube. Mark carried Helena and I had Penny in a wrap so it was a little tricky to scramble over the rocks. Henry and Nora enjoyed the hiking.

The Zoo

Idaho Falls has a zoo that is just the right size. They have a nice selection of animals and it is a pleasant afternoon outing. We were rained on briefly while watching the "Animal Encounters" show, but Mark's sister Becky had at least a dozen umbrellas so everyone was able to stay dry. They have lots of babies currently. We saw the baby camel, but couldn't spot the baby wallaby. Nora couldn't believe this was a baby until we saw the adult camels.The kids with almost all of their cousins and two of Mark's. Helena did not want to be part of the picture. We met one of the zoo workers walking around with a falcon. The peacock had his tail fanned out. Henry's favorite part was the machine that squashes pennies. The flamingos were favorite animals.

Idaho : Day One

There was another birthday present waiting for Henry at Grandma's house: a volcano to build! We started that process right after breakfast. Grandma's lemon tree had ripe fruit that they got to harvest. We met cousin Luke for the first time. There was a birthday party for Penny with cake and presents. And lots of playing with cousins and jumping on the trampoline.

Penelope : One year

She has two teeth on the bottom. She is a fast crawler, can pull to standing, and can climb stairs. When she crawls she usually has her right hand in a fist and her left hand flat. She hasn't figured out cruising along furniture or walking with assistance. She is a beautiful, happy girl.

On the way to Idaho

We stopped at Shoshone Falls this time. Water levels are high all over the Northwest and the Falls were impressive. They are 212 feet high. There is a nice park that the kids would have been happy to explore all afternoon. It was nice to be out of the car for a while. We stopped to see Grandma Irene and played for a while and had yummy tacos for dinner.