Even though it's still May, it feels like summer is here. Last year on this week we went skiing. This year we went to the lake, and Evelyn went to Silverwood. Kinda crazy. 

There are some good little stories in the captions this week for those who are interested.

We celebrated our 19th anniversary. It is quite the life we have built together.

Addy (far left in the picture) at her NJHS thing with some of her friends. It's like a smart people club or something- I'm not a hundred percent sure.

Lindsey's friend invited her to a thing that is sort of like scouts, but with church stuff I think. Again, I'm not totally sure, but this was a little award ceremony they had and Lindsey got some patches.

While Rachel was gone last week with Evelyn, we built a bench. It's not just any bench though. This is the old Chair 3 from Lookout Pass- the one that we have ridden a hundred times as our kids learned how to ski. They replaced the lift last year as part of their expansion, and we were able to pick this relic up for ourselves. This chair then, is a physical representation of an intersection of our own family history with the history of skiing in our area. I think it's pretty neat.

And here it is on the front porch of our Wallace house. We have filled this place with fun historical artifacts, but I especially love that we have some of our own history with this one.

Rach and I got some touring kayaks with the intention of exploring more of the waterways around here. We went out on Friday for a quick sunset paddle. It was very lovely. Little did we know at the time, but this was only the beginning of a pretty spectacular night.

I'm excited for some kayak camping with this girl

Once the sun went down, we went to a lakeside restaurant with a nice patio and good food.

When we went back to the lake to retrieve our boats, we were surprised to see the parking lot full of people. Like, really full. People everywhere. Just mulling about, looking at the sky. I was confused. Was this some cult awaiting the rapture? It sure looked like it.

And then someone kindly informed us that the Northern Lights would likely be visible that night and that was the cause for all the activity. We took out a blanket, sat on the lawn, and joined the crowd.

Things were uneventful for a long time. Sometimes if you pointed your camera at just the right place and took a long exposure, you could see stuff in the screen. People seemed pretty excited about it, but honestly, it was a little "meh." Rachel liked doing the camera thing. As for me, I covered up with the blanket and closed my eyes.

But then things changed. The sky sort of just exploded (visually- no sound obviously). That is the picture above. Everywhere around me I could hear people saying "wake up, wake up." When I came out from under my blanket I could see, without any artificial enhancement, colors and streams of light. It was pretty cool.

Here's another one from our little spot on the lawn. The phone camera still enhances it a bit, but it was honestly pretty neat to just the naked eye as well. The later it got, the more spectacular it was. We called our kids at this point to wake them up and then drove home to enjoy the show with them.

To conclude this part of the blog, I have to include this random picture of Addy on our deck. I took it a few weeks ago and didn't think much of it. It didn't make it onto the blog or anything. Just a random picture on my camera reel. Which is the whole point I am about to make. Because look behind her. Look at that sunset. I mean, we get a light show virtually every night of our lives. Most mornings too, if you are willing to wake up early enough. And it is spectacular and magical every single time. Personally, I think it's more beautiful than the display of Northern lights that we saw. But it is so "normal" that these moments are just taken for granted. I get that what happened the other night is something new and surprising to most people who live here, and that is noteworthy. But I also think we don't have to look all that hard to see magic all around us. We really do live in a beautiful area.

The rest of these photos are just from things we have been up to around town. Here is a lake day with the kids (different from our sunset paddle). It is nice that so many waterways are so close to our house.

Here's from a bike ride that Rach went on with her friend. 

And these next two are from a park day where we all brought skateboards and just cruised around for an hour or so.

Also, happy Mom Day to this one. She's a good one.

Have a good week!

"It was the best night of my life." -Evelyn

Sometimes things just work out perfectly. This was one of those times.

Rachel

It began about three months ago when Evelyn was online looking at the touring schedule for her favorite band, Cheap Perfume. There it was, May 2nd in Boise at an all-ages venue. Now, I knew that Cheap Perfume was Ev's favorite, and that meant something. She has delved into musical history of the past 40 years, and musicians, bands, and music are things that she is passionate about. Heading to Boise would also give us the chance to check out the campus and nearby recreation (something on Ev's bucket list).

We packed our bags and headed out early on Thursday morning. (Ev opted to skip school for the concert, which, if you know Ev, is a big enough deal in itself to show her excitement!) Our plan was to go directly to campus and hang out there before heading to the concert. We wanted plenty of time, but along the way we started seeing things that would be fun to check out. We started a list of random places that we wanted to stop at on the way back. 

On the way down, we listened to a few podcast interviews with Cheap Perfume, and we listened to some of their songs. This sparked some fun conversations with Ev. I enjoyed the passion in their music, and the harmony of the two female lead vocalists (Stephanie and Jane). It had a melodic aesthetic that was unique and fun. I was looking forward to hearing this dynamic group in person.

 

We set up distinct rules: We will only stop for roadside fruit stands!

Unmentioned rule: We will also stop for goats. That happened.

We arrived in Boise and enjoyed a walk around campus.

After a quick freshen up at the hotel, we headed to the concert venue. We decided to go early since Cheap Perfume had sold out in Seattle the night before, and The Shredder only sold tickets at the door. As an important side note: the advertising for this show was a bit non-existent. It was on the tour schedule, and Ev had emailed the band before the event and received confirmation, so we crossed our fingers and went with it! We expected to be greeted by a line waiting to get in, instead we arrived just as Cheap Perfume's van showed up.

We had some time during set up to check out the venue. 

Ev

We got to the venue an hour early, so it made sense that nobody was there yet. Odd, but not unusual. While waiting for the bands to set up we played pool (neither of us are very good). As the night went on it was apparent that nobody else was coming, and the first band, Hoity Toity, started their set. The lead singer had a lot of energy despite the only people watching being us and the other bands. Their set was really good and I bought a CD from them. Then it was time for Cheap Perfume to set up. I was so exited as they burst into one of my favorite songs, "Wasted." Stephanie had even more energy than the last band's singer. It was like their music hit me like a brick wall, it was so loud and fast and just really cool. A couple songs in, Stephanie told us we could do whatever we wanted. It was basically a private show, so we could even lay on the floor if we wanted to. She asked if we had song requests. my mom asked for their song about Donald Trump because she listened to it in the car on the way there. They hadn't practiced that song for this tour, so I requested another one of my favorites, "Dogs Against Dogs Hollering." They dove into the song right away. Throughout their entire set I knew every single song, and I didn't stop grinning until the set ended. 

After the set ended my mom asked if we could get a picture with the band. They were all more than happy to, and brought us up on stage for it, which was so cool. I told Stephanie that we drove 7 hours to see them because they were my all-time favorite band, and it made her really happy. I also showed them all my Cheap Perfume patch and pin that I had made, and they were super exited that they had influenced someone so much.  She hugged me and had tears in her eyes. I asked the drummer if I could get a picture of his kit because I play drums too and like looking at different kits. It felt a little weird but he was totally cool with it and thought it was sick that I played drums. 

We watched the last band's set and they did really good too. While in the car we had listened to some of their music. It sounded nothing like Cheap Perfume and we didn't think it would fit but it actually did pretty well when they were live. When they finished we went to the merch tables. I wanted to support all the bands because we were the only people there that night due to poor advertising. I got 2 stickers from Sarah and the Safe Word (the last band) and a sticker and CD from Hoity Toity. As for Cheap Perfume I got an "It's Okay to Punch Nazis" t-shirt and a vinyl record. I asked them if they could sign it and they all did. It was really cool and they left messages on it. I also got Stephanie and Jane to sign my Cheap Perfume Patch. They wanted to give me something special, so they gave me a picture strip from when they first released that album. There's only one in the world and I have it now. I also talked with the bassist and drummer about playing drums and my band, and how I hope to start another one with some other friends. They thought it was sick, and it was a fun conversation. It was getting late and unfortunately we had to go, but I will never forget that night. 

One of a kind!

We considered an edit, but this fit the image of the band's female punk edge

We played three games and confirmed our suspicions that we are both not very good

Rachel

I had an excellent night, and the bands played their hearts out! At the beginning of the night it seemed strange being the only ones there. But there were nothing but good feelings in that room. We had a unique experience, and are excited to go to Utah and see Cheap Perfume headlining for Bikini Kill. 

On Friday morning, we headed out on a local hiking loop. 

Sandstone does NOT make good climbing holds!

A view of the campus from above

Evelyn's sleeping place if she ever becomes homeless. It is always good to have a backup plan.

After our casual hike, a kind stranger informed us that our tire was completely flat. Note to self: my new Prius does not have a spare, instead it has a quick tire fix kit that will get you to a tire place. This fix was a lifesaver, and so much easier than changing a tire! I am just happy it didn't happen out in the middle of nowhere on our way home. Ev and I took a nice walk to a drink place and a thrift store while the guys at Big O took care of our tire.

On to buffalo wings for lunch! This was a must. It was almost as important as the fruit stand.

The boneless vs regular wings debate is a big one. A major breakthrough occurred when Ev admitted that bone in wings tasted better (she still prefers boneless). That, my friends, is a win!

We were now ready for the drive home. I was the driver, and Ev was the navigator. She was armed with a list full of random stops and mile markers to get us there. We constantly added random stops along the way. I am sure the other cars loved our u-turns of which we were already proficient with as Ev figured out how to navigate through Boise. This was, hands down, my favorite road trip ever. Here are the highlights.

"It's a bridge, Charlie!"
And on the bridge was a geocache

Look! A cave! Let's check it out.

From Riggins to Berk, Ev and I scouted out the river that used to be one of Logan's favorites to kayak. He was a kayaking maniac! (not necessarily represented in this pic).

We had two places we were really excited about- The fruit stand (we decided to get huckleberry pie to bring home to the family), and there was a sign for a farmers market near Riggins that was open in the evening.

We followed a road side sign for the farmers market. As we turned, we entered Paradise. Imagine a hilly, green canyon with a legitimate burbling brook following the side of the dirt road. Up ahead were baby lambs, chickens crossing the road, and a beautiful willow tree bent to greet a gently flowing river. There was a little boy, living his best life, riding his bike through the chickens. It was idyllic and memorable. We drove for about 2 miles before realizing we had been duped. On the way back, we found a woman walking up the road. She informed us that the farmers market had ended in 2019. We both agreed that the sign was quite tricksy, but the short drive was a highlight of the trip.

Our final scheduled stop was for huckleberry pie! We arrived quite late, due to the tire incident, and the little market was closed. Upon closer inspection, we realized that the hours were 9 am-12 pm daily. We overshot that by quite a bit. Oh well, huckleberry pie will be a good reason to go back.

"Mom" did not come on this trip, it was just two good friends.

This beautiful bird, with wings stretched across the sky, joined us at the end of our trip. 

Have a good week!

Climbing at Vantage, backyard barbecues, skateboarding, bike riding, and hanging out downtown. Must be spring!

Skateboard gang

Side note: Evelyn took her driver's test and passed, so she officially has her driver's license now. She already has big plans for the Durango and for trips that she wants to take.

I get a certain sense of pride when our family shows up to the crag- especially when other people are around. This is because I know the first impression we make; we're a big loud family with a bunch of kids. Now, I believe that everyone has to start somewhere, and that kids definitely have a place at the crag. I also understand that it can be super annoying to be around these families if you are out for a day of climbing with older, more experienced friends. Families, and especially kids, tend to set up eternally long top-ropes. They tend to take a long time coaxing people (loudly) to just trust the rope, or to step up to the next hold. There are often a lot of tears and frustration and yelling and a complete misunderstanding of crag etiquette. Sometimes there are even legitimate concerns about safety that put people in awkward positions. All of this can be especially frustrating when they are hogging a route that is clearly above their skill level, and that you and your friends want to be on.

Which is why I like our family. I mean, we have been those people in the past. Everyone has. But not anymore. When we set up next to a route that is on the harder side for the area I can almost hear people's eyes rolling into the back of their head. Especially when things are as busy as they were on Saturday. But then I also catch their glances and raised eyebrows when we go into choreographed action in a way that clearly speaks to our experience. In no time, someone has flaked the rope, someone else has tied in to lead, and someone else is ready to offer a belay. Parents (Rach and I) are sitting back and smiling as kids belay each other and efficiently clip their way up climbs. Any talking is either curt safety checks, or friendly banter- the same as the other people in the area. Most of the time, the competence of these kids surpasses that of the adults nearby. In short, I think that we often defy expectations and it's fun to be a part of.

Of course we have fun too. Kids bring a joy and playfulness to everything they do that just can't be matched.

Have a good week!