Back in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake

Saturday, May 17, 2014

We are enjoying perfect weather here in Utah.  After a leisurely morning we headed over to Camping World.  We had a very productive visit.  For one we finally scored the doormat style step cover like Penny has that we've been coveting for a year.

AND it's coordinating door mat!

We also got a new shower head that will save us gallons of water (according to the labeling).  But perhaps our biggest score was a new camp chair for Simon.

We brought it inside for him to get used to it.  Of course the addition of his Bath & Body fluffy throw didn't hurt.  We put him in it several times and he would just step off it and go lay in his regular bed.  But after we stopped watching him and started minding our own business we looked up and he had climbed in and settled into it.  Since then he hasn't gone back to his regular bed.  

Success!!!!

Afterwards we took a drive to see what the old homestead looks like.  We moved to Oregon in 1988 and this valley has grown beyond belief.  So we weren't optimistic about the survival of the little cottage where Dave and I started our life together.  However it looks about the same as it did when we left except for a little fence around the front yard.

When we lived in this little two bedroom house it was a rental and the owners had a nice newer ranch home next door.  We had a nice corral and hay shed for our horses out back and bought hay from the landlord.  We learned from several folks in the area that it was one of the original houses built out in that far southwest corner of the valley and the farmer who lived there raised ten children in that house.

Yikes!

Well it was a perfect little spot for Dave & I to start out.  Across the street was a good sized horse operation where they bred race horses.  We learned a lot from Wayne & Janina who lived there.  And we would watch the place when they took their horses out of town.  We could also ride our horses across the street, up our neighbors driveway and be up in the bluffs within minutes with endless space for riding.  But mostly we rode the horses - and walked the dogs - along the tree line next to the house.

The tree line is also as it was.  These alfalfa fields are owned by the LDS church, so it's not a surprise that they have survived the encroachment of suburbia.  There are miles to walk along these tracks.  It was great to see this part of our past still intact.

We also got to meet up with Alena and her husband Andy and daughters Janessa and Ashley.  What a cool family.  Those girls are nice AND funny.  And just plain lovely.  Which is no surprise given that's exactly what their mom Alena is like.  They introduced us to Famous Dave's BBQ.  I was sitting next to Andy who gave me good info on the offerings.  It was a good experience and let's just say I have some ideas for mixing things up next time I make mac-n-cheese.

Today we are meeting up with all three kids and all their kids for a bbq at Travis and Bridget's place.  Sure to be a good time.