How I Spent My Summer Vacation – The Badlands

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Kim Halloran-Fry

We are back to school officially and I am LOVING it. Now if I just had about 4 or 5 more hours in every day or if sleep were more optional than it is for me life would be pretty ideal. As it is, I make notes and compose posts that never see the screen because yeah…. sleep. Food. Sports.

Since I am this far behind I figured I could just roll all those unpublished summer posts into the ubiquitous back-to-school essay theme this week. The Badlands trip was incredible. Temperature and timing came together to make for a perfect visit that started out nicely enough and got better by the hour.

Summer in Salt Lake City

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Kim Halloran-Fry

A walking tour of Salt Lake City is what some of us decided on for Saturday. We haven't explored downtown much since we moved back and not by foot much at all. It's been on the list of things to get to. The forecast was 90s for highs so we headed out late afternoon to avoid the worst of the heat. (Yes it's a "dry heat" but hey, that's hot)

The tour commenced in the car whilst the driver (aka me) wandered around downtown looking for a place to park. This took a long time. Imagine a long, long time of me making discouraging comments about my ability to locate such a spot, the other drivers, and the unfortunate placement of detour signs. I am so not the person for that job. I can't spot the spots until I am right up past them. Easily overstimulated. Poor sense of direction. Just not my strong suit all around. So the parking part was not fun.

The walking with the camera part was more fun. It always is. : ) We started from west Temple Square.

Checking directions and where to find the Apple Store and dinner.

We spent some time shopping at City Creek which is about as lovely as it gets. Feels way more like a European market town than an outdoor mall. BUT it has West Elm and Anthropologie. Win, win. I found two books we are going to talk about more this week at Anthropologie of all places. I am a little obsessed with them. More to follow.

Walking towards the Salt Palace.

The Capitol Theater is being reno'd and the sidewalk opposite was as well unfortunately. Such a fabulous facade even if I can only share a peek of it. It was just cotton candy colored wonderfulness. Like a vintage carousel on a wall.

Oldest and youngest sons : )

We stopped for dinner and then walked back to the van. It was absolutely ideal weather by then. Balmy without a hint of breeze. That meant the reflecting pool at Temple Square was able to do its job nicely. After waiting for it to settle again after a certain 10yo tossed a pebble in. ; D

There is never enough time when you see your adult kids. This is the pain of this stage of life as opposed to the sheer exhaustion of the early years of parenting. It's what causes old moms to say all those annoying things about cherish the moment and these days are over too fast and blahblahblah. We know it's annoying. We can't stop ourselves. The words tumble out of our mouths even while our inner younger mom selves remember exactly how exasperating those comments were. But for real, y'all. You become greedy with these moments that once seemed to defy all laws of time passage.

These were my moments this weekend. They are over now but they were wonderful.

yee-haw!

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Kim Halloran-Fry

One of the highlights of the summer was daughter date with Alannah to the rodeo. As you approach the fairgrounds your heart beats a little bit faster. Boots and hats at every turn. Flags flying and music playing. Everything that's good about Americana was there in abundance.

We went on military appreciation night and they did not disappoint. Mounted flag bearers from all branches of the military rode in. Skydivers brought in the various branch flags.

And Old Glory.

By the time we got to the riderless horse I had to put my sunglasses back on. After 30 yrs with the USAF and now several more as an Army mom, I am a puddle by the time the anthems are over. It's just a lot for a heart.

We were treated to an incredible show with a fabulous emcee and clown duo. And even better music selection.

And those faces. : )

We left the park after dark, totally pumped up. It was one of those nights that renews your faith in your fellow man.

Summer at Hickory Hill Farm

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Before this summer is completely over I am determined to document the things we have seen and places we have been together. I'm serious. Gonna try anyway. First stop…Wisconsin.

When we were in Wisconsin we were able to catch up with an old school friend. About the same time we left the Rockies for our European adventure some years ago, Gretchen left the Rockies to create a new life for her family back on the soil she grew up on. Back in the day her parents had farmed this land and sold Shaklee vitamins to my husbands folks. She inherited their love for the natural world and the great outdoors. When both parents were gone she had a vision to bring the old homestead back to life as a modern market farm and is working hard to do just that.

It is a year round effort to cultivate Hickory Hill Farm. Nothing goes to waste. In the spring they tap the sugar maples for syrup. Summer time they hit the farmers markets with organic veggies, eggs, edible flowers and wild-gathered herbs. In the fall they harvest corn, spelt, and wheat. Winter brings fresh cut pine and dried roots to the market stalls. In between there is weeding, mending, reparing, building. It's just awesome. It's a lot of work. A way lot. Food, it's a miracle truly.

Once upon a time I thought this was my destiny. It turns out I was wrong but it is super inspiring for me to follow Gretchen's journey. She is amazing. So glad we were able to visit in person.

And, people? If you have never looked out over a lush, central Wisconsin valley and smelled the veggies and grain ripening in the heat or felt the rain pelt down from heavy clouds overhead, you don't know what you are missing.

It was good to be back.

On Keeping the Bridge

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Revisiting some thoughts from a long time ago. Namely, that you don't have to slay all the dragons, just the next one. Overwhelmed much? Maybe you will be reminded too over here.

Feeding Grandma’s Chickens

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Where I come from houses are white and barns are red. Not always, but very often. It just seems the way it should be. My mother-in-law's farm is such a place, Wisconsin perfection with mown lawns and flowers planted near the barn doors. On summer evenings it is idyllic. The little girls loved peeking inside the big red barn with her and visiting the hens.

Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds,
Exhilarate the spirit, and restore
The tone of languid nature.
~William Cowper

Star Spangled

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Kim Halloran-Fry

There was some debate over where to see fireworks this year, our first in Utah. Zach and Megan were in town and voted Park City since none of us have been yet so that's where we headed.

First stop while it was still light out was the Alpine Slide. One boy needed to think about a few minutes before committing. We don't push that sort of thing but do encourage when they are on the fence and seem intrigued, if a little unsure. We walked closer to the gondolas and slides and watched for a while and that cinched it. Tickets were ordered and up they went….

It was a loooong ride up. So long that they texted us selfies. Then let us know they were on the way down.

Down was awesome. At least until catching up with Tess. Then it became increasingly less awesome til the end. Cautiously spontaneous, she is. She was dead set on doing the ride but did it her way. (read: slow ; ))

Since we have had a stretch of scorching hot, dry weather we didn't consider that the cloudless skies would be anything else yesterday. All our years in the Rockies should have made us wiser than that. The wind picked up as we arrived and the Weather Channel app was warning of rain coming in right about showtime. We debated for a while, but having lived in the Rockies we decided to ride it out and see. Good call. With a change in wind direction the clouds went off course and all predictions were cancelled. We enjoyed a beautiful show.

A Presidential 4th

Posted on July 4, 2015 by Kim Halloran-Fry

My story telling is out of order, which is par for me, but it seemed a perfect day to share the Rushmore visit. This group of our kids had not been before so we made a little detour in our travel plans to make it happen. We ended up visiting on a picture perfect day.

Some Rushmore and presidential reads for summer:

Who Carved the Mountain

Abraham Lincoln

George Washington

Meet Thomas Jefferson

Who Was Teddy Roosevelt?

So You Want to Be President?

Lisa’s retreat

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Kim Halloran-Fry

It was flukey, this little detour. My friend Lisa and I have a knack for never being in the same place at the same time, yet we move in similar enough circles that the rest of our families have been. We have seen some of her clan at various camps. My husband and son even had brunch at her Las Vegas home not too far back when traveling through. Despite the fact both of us lived in Colorado for many overlapping years we were both so busy with homesteading and homeschooling and general child corraling that our paths only crossed online.

That changed this month when she arrived back to her new heartland homestead (after marrying off a daughter in Denver) just as we were coincidentally passing right by. Other women might have begged off but Lisa messaged me en route and urged us to stop on the way. The difference between a 49 year old husband and a 29 or even 39 year old husband? "Sure! Why not," says the 49 year old man. Yes, gone are the hurry hurry, stick to the schedule days. We have every bit as much to do as we ever had but perhaps enough perspective now to know we really want to make the time.

We were greeted out front by Penny, the Wonder Dog, who was a modern-day Nana of Peter Pan fame.

and strolled past the napping kitties…

to the place I had come to see….

Lisa is blessed with a bevy of ingenious and industrious offspring who had the vision and determination to refashion the old summer kitchen on the property into a mom's retreat, a writer's haven. It is cute as can be and screams Lisa from the minute you approach the door.

They had paid $75 to have a local electrician shore up the wiring. Then came the brilliant part for me. They found a local fence builder who happened to keep a large stash of old pickets. They repurposed them for pennies a piece to panel the interior.

Is this awesome or what?

There are whimsical Lisa touches everywhere you look. Just a feast for the eyes. She is all set up with coffee, wood stove, and enough reading to keep her out of trouble a good long time. Are you jelly? I am. : )

…and here we are finally, as we loaded up for the next adventure. I'm so happy to have been able to steal away an hour with this wonderfully witty fabulous redhead.

Saturday in the Park – Ogden, UT

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Before the road trip we hit the Ogden Arts Festival on a hot, sunny afternoon. Live music, great booths, and a fabulous vintage fashion fair. Back story – I was something of a hippie kid. Summer weekdays in Milwaukee were sticky, sweltering, grimy. If you hung on til the weekend you'd hit a festival – all summer long. And we did, my single 20 something mom and I. I can still feel the heat radiating from the fairgrounds cement and smell the hops from the brewery as we passed by on our way to the lakefront. (If you drove through in that era, you know exactly what I mean : ))

Summer of '15 in Ogden is uncannily similar, right down to the shoes and the stickered vans lining the streets downtown. If there was a soundtrack for summers like this it would be this. And for the record I heard them perform this live though not in'73.

I hope your summer is filling up with happy hot afternoons and sandals and sizzling food on paper plates.