The Case of the Missing Month

Okay . . . am I the only one who feels like we skipped straight from June to August this summer? ;) Where did July go? I am amazed by how quickly that month disappeared. I would actually like another 30 days before August. All in favor?

I know there were at least 2 family reunions, a couple of camping trips, girls' camp, and wedding preparations for our youngest son going on last month . . . but still---August is really here already? Je suis sure!!! or better yet: Zut Alors!!! (French for "What the crap?!!!" or words to that effect.)

I'm sitting here this morning, looking at my growing list of things I need to accomplish before the end of summer . . . and I'm not sure it's all going to happen. I didn't even get a garden planted this year, which says something, since I always plant a garden.

To make myself feel better, perhaps I'll share a few pictures that may help me discover why the past 4 weeks sped by so fast:


We began the month of July with the annual Crane Clan Reunion. This year we camped at Heise Hot Springs near Kelly Canyon.

A good time was had by all. Here's a shot of Kennon, two of his siblings, and his mommy.

And here's a picture of Kennon's Aunt Marie, and his mother, Verdene. The two sisters don't get together very often, so it was good for them to spend some time together.

On the 4th, we all headed down to see the fireworks display at Idaho Falls. Here's a shot of Kennon's cousins from Oregon: Spencer, Nicki, and Steve.

Kennon and I traveled to the Elkhorn Campground near Palisades after that reunion and camped for a day or two. While Kennon fished, I made new friends.

We then camped for a couple of days at the scenic Cottonwood Lake Campground near Smoot, Wyoming.

Here we met up with some of the members of my family tree who were also there camping that weekend. Pictured are my Uncle Ben, Aunt Judy, and their daughter: Carrie. We had a great time visiting and hanging out.

We also did a little bit of fishing last month. Here Kennon is posing with the fish he caught.

And here I am posing with the fish I caught. ;) What can I say, I am my grandfather's granddaughter. =D [Kennon caught two of the perch and one of the trout pictured. But I caught the rest!!! Brag, brag, and brag some more.]

We also enjoyed Girls' Camp with our stake last month. Here's a shot of our faithful 3 who attended the entire camp this year, plus my 1st counselor, Tricia, and myself.

And here's a shot of just about everyone else who was part of the Bennington experience at girls' camp this year. (A couple of our girls traveled back and forth this year. Also shown is my 2nd counselor, Lanette, and our camp director: Kim.)

This is a shot I'm pretty proud of---possibly the best picture I've taken all summer: a horned owl that happened to glance down at me as I took his\her picture. This is a wild owl that inhabits some cottonwood trees near Menan, Idaho.

We also played at the famed Bear Lake last month. Our son: Derek, daughter-in-law: Kristen, and their tiny daughter, Aari, came up for a fun weekend.

Aari had a good time playing in the sand and water.

She also savored corn on the cob during our lovely grill fest held later that night.

The coolest day of the month\year\decade!!!

So . . . I guess when you look back through the pictures of what took place this past month, it does rather put everything into perspective. July was a blur because we packed so much into those precious weeks. I suspect August will follow suit. ;)

Enjoy what's left of the summer. I know I plan to do just that before the sun sets on the month of August. =D

Upon Reflection

The picture above is one I snapped last week while on a fishing\camping adventure with my husband. We were both trying to catch catfish, which is easily one of my favorites. This tasty fish can be fixed in a variety of ways, making it an extremely versatile main course.

We had been informed that the catfish were biting at Alexander Reservoir, or should I say, what is left of Alexander Reservoir, near Soda Springs, Idaho. This usually large body of water has been drained for dam repair work. (No pun intended.) The only water left in the vicinity is the river that flows into this reservoir.

So we set up camp near the river, and began trying to catch the elusive catfish. We caught more than our share of small yellow perch, and Kennon caught a large freshwater sucker. Then it happened, I caught my first catfish. It put up a heck of a fight, but when I finally reeled it in, it was quite small, all things considered. It was only about 8-9 inches long, so we set it free, after I made Kennon take my picture with it to prove to our offspring that their mother had indeed caught the fish of choice.


I caught two more just like it. (And no, it wasn't the same fish. I suspected it was, but Kennon pointed out the second one was larger, and the 3rd one was smaller.) Sensing I was destined to catch one we could keep, I walked down the bank and cast out where I believed I would catch a big catfish. I had just settled down beside my pole, when it nearly flew into the river. I had to pounce on it to keep it from disappearing. As it was, I lost my bobber.

Kennon saw that I had a fight on my hands, and he hurried down to help. He offered all sorts of advice while my pole nearly bent in two. Now wouldn't you assume if someone was dressed like this, they would know what they were talking about?

Au contraire. I heeded every bit of advice, closing my eyes at one point during this adventure, certain my "antique" pole was doomed. (Important note: I've had this fishing pole since I was about 10 years old. It's my lucky pole, the one I used when my father and maternal grandfather taught me how to fish years ago. Never mind the fact that a few years ago we spotted one just like it in an antique store for $30.00. My siblings and children still make fun of me as a result, but I like my fishing pole. It possesses great sentimental value.)

I obediently kept the line taunt. Kennon adjusted the drag. (I have no idea what this means, but evidently it's important.) Still my pole continued to bend in half. Fearing for its life, I was about ready to cut my losses to save it when things went very still. The bad news was, the line was stuck. Kennon figured it was one of two things:

1) The silly catfish decided to sit on the bottom of the river to outwait me.
2) The silly catfish ran under the lava rocks that lined the river bank and I now had a nasty snag.

It turned out to be door number 2. Long story short, I lost my tackle, but saved my pole. (stupid catfish!) As I sat sulking, I saw that the sunset was beautiful. So I pulled my trusty camera out of its case and began snapping pictures. As I did so, an interesting pelican landed in the river nearby and swam quite close. I was able to get the picture you see above as a result. It's possibly one of the prettiest pictures I've taken all summer, and a shot I would've missed had I been busy catching catfish. ;)

Moral of the story: life very rarely turns out the way we envision. Sometimes the best laid plans go up in smoke, or in this case, under lava rock. Instead of pouting, it behooves us to look around and see what other opportunities lie in our midst. The beauty of what we may see will surprise us, filling us with hope, giving us a reason to smile.