Here It is a Groove Slightly Transformed...

Did you see that?  You didn’t?  That was June zipping by. 

As school closed its doors for the summer long recess, we headed west for an orthodontic appointment.  Rebecca has a special set of teeth, and there is only one orthodontist in the entire nation that can treat her, and his office is in the Bay Area.  So we did what any family would do, made a vacation out of it.  I have said it before, and I will say it again, the worst 8 hour stretch of road ever is Salt Lake to Reno.  It’s times like these that light speed would come in handy.  

We had a blast in the bay area, Lafayette, CA to be specific.  We spent time with Rebecca’s sister, Kristin, and her husband Dave, the orthodontist mentioned above.  The kids got a kick out of Dave’s energetic advertising of the new trail cam’s he had purchased.  They have not stopped chanting “Trail Cam dot com” since we’ve been home...thanks Uncle Dave, really.  They are also anxiously waiting for additional pictures.  While there, we were successful one night with this nighttime marauder.

We also spent a day in San Francisco.  I talked everyone into joining me at a baseball game.  The Giants took on the Cubs.  AT&T park is a great place to catch a game.  I want to be there in person when someone hits a homer into the bay behind right field!  

We saw the sea lions at pier 39.  I could watch those things for hours and not get bored.  They grunt and roar and push each other off the piers and it really is just something you have to see.  We rode the streetcars, ate some seafood, and escaped from Alcatraz! (By not going.) 

We finished with a day trip to the Redwoods.  We spent the afternoon hiking around the huge trees and had a nice lunch in the Big Basin State Park.  It was a fun, quick getaway, even though the drive from Reno to Salt Lake is the second worst drive in the world.  (See above for the first worst.)  The kids had fun, and its always good to spend time with family.  Rebecca’s braces are progressing nicely, and the doc scoped out Tierra to begin a plan for her mouth.  We may have quite a few trips to the orthodontist in our future.  Perhaps I should get my pilot's license?

While driving home, I was called to go to a fire in southern Utah, so we got home about 8 pm, and I was out the next morning early to head to Bicknell, Utah.  A huge forest fire was burning in the mountains above Bicknell and Teasdale.  If you have never heard of these places, don’t feel bad.  I hadn’t either. They kept me for a week, camping in the back country at night near the fire line, fighting fires by day.  (Detailed post about fire coming soon to the other blog)  I hiked some pretty country, and had another awesome wild fire experience.  I sometimes can’t believe they pay me for that.  True, its very hard work: 16 hour days, fighting fire without water-or at least very little water, and carrying all your gear on your back.  Hanging out in the back country with Yogi and Boo-boo, avoiding mosquitos, ticks, bees, and other creepy-crawlers.  All the while fighting raging forest fires.  I don’t understand why everyone doesn't want this job!!!

While I am gone, Rebecca and the kids go about their summer, playing with friends and basking in the sun.  Hope you are all having as much fun as us!