Close up of the cabin's mountain blue bird feeding his chicks. The female while blue is not as colorful.

For the third year in a row, this mountain blue bird and his mate have raised a brood of chicks in the birdhouse. The amount of energy the parents expend bringing insects to the chicks is incredible. We never hear the chicks until a parent lands on the doorstep and then they all scream for the bug being delivered. In years past the male would spend time each day pecking at his own image on the pickup mirror. He either learned better or grew tired of it as he did not do that this year.

Taylor Lansford, Katy Lundberg and Briana Castle on the deck. Just returned from a hike.

Good friends Terry and Lorene came in their motor home, parked in the meadow and enjoyed some porch time. Ashley Shumway from Phoenix also came for a few days and enjoyed some hiking and off roading. Of real note was the visit by Grandpa and Grandma Fletcher. The first time they have been to the cabin, and only for a night. None the less we were excited that now they have personally visited the cabin and can now talk about it with us via first hand knowledge. Sam isn't getting any younger and made the decision he was coming. Barb, accomodated and they drove up, stayed a night then went back home to Springville.

Sons Torrin, Dane, Bjorn, son in law Brett, and friend Brady put forth a herculean effort to terrace a portion of the back yard. They leveled, then collected huge flat rocks from the property, (denting the bed of my pickup) and put them into position. Son in law Brett was advised to take some breaks as he spent a lot of time and effort making the new patio of sorts. He responded that preferred working over changing his child's poopy diapers...So he got an awful lot accomplished.

We replaced the old mattress in the Love Shack, down on the rim of Cougar Canyon with a new one and here son Dane is using it to haul some grandkids around the dirt road in style. Well at least a minimal level of comfort as they sat in the back on the mattress.

Vander as part of his routine, sitting on his bench on the cabin deck.

Grandson Vander Castle, had a routine while at the cabin over the week of the fourth of July. He would come out of the cabin, wander around the deck, come over and sit in his little bench, grunt a few cheerful little chirps to signify he was happy, then repeat the whole process.