Lake Powell

We visited Tenille’s family in Utah and joined them in our annual Lake Powell trip.  Weather was nice (which means it was cloudy and not boiling our brains out.)  We seem to be in a bit of a lull where the "kids" are getting too old and not willing to be pulled more than twice behind the ski boat, and the "grandkids" are a bit too young to water ski or wakeboard.  However, the few times that we did go out on the ski boat, I had my "flagger" job stolen from me by one of the grandkids… There’s always someone younger and willing to work harder…
I did have some fun with our new zoom lens.  Tenille wanted me to get a picture of her jumping, because she’s not sure how many more pulls she’s got left in her…  It’s almost time to join me out in the pasture… (although I guess I’ve probably never been out of the pasture… )
We also went to go work on their cabin.  By "We", I mean Mark (Tenille’s brother) and Jeff (her father) went to work.  I followed them and watched.  I did help lift a few pieces of plywood, but promptly hurt my back… At the cabin, I witnessed a construction art called "framing".  Mark lifted himself up on top of the 2×4 frame about 10 feet off of the ground and walked around on it like an Olympic gymnast on a balance beam, except he was carrying a 15 lb tool belt, a Sawzall, an pneumatic nail gun, and some 2 by 4s.  It truly should be an Olympic event, although I’m guessing that "mistakes" are probably much more gruesome, as the ground is not covered with plush cushions, but metal grates, various cutting tools, ladders, etc…     It was truly incredible to watch, not to mention nail-bitingly nerve-racking.  I wondered if his wife knew precisely the kinds of things he did, or if it’s just described to her as "I just put on the roof… "  I really wished I had some pictures…

We also went to the “This is the Place” park, where “actors” are simulating life in the 1800s.  Caleb got a shave with a straight razor, got to do some surveying, rode a mini-train, heard the tinman make a bunch of bad jokes, and got educated in little school house.
As always, fun was had by all.  Caleb loved playing with his cousins, especially catching grasshoppers in the backyard.  Next stop with the Roberts clan – Disney World.