Last summer outing with the family.

Max was too close to me to get a picture. The boys loved it. We could see trout swimming around. I just recently sealed the bottom of the canoe with a no-slip bedliner and it worked great. Caleb wish we could have been fishing. He had a hard time not leaning over the edge of the canoe, so he kept us on our toes.

Hiking in Snow Canyon

A few weeks ago we stayed in St. George for a family reunion and we went hiking in Snow Canyon. It was really beautiful. I didn't think I would like the desert scenery so much, but there really is a lot of plant and animal life. Cubbies wanted to scale some rock faces despite having the proper equipment. He might be an adventuresome fellow when he gets older.

Here is Max. Showing, in sign language, how much more fun he had than everyone else. ;)

Hiking in Wasatch State Park

We had fun hiking this over Memorial Day weekend. I was amazed at how well Cubby did trail running. He had some pretty sweet moves jumping off some rocks.

Fishing on Jordanelle Reservoir

My boat is starting up much better now. It was fun to take the family out fishing. We decided to buy a state park year pass, and I can already tell you it will save us money. The first day of fishing, my family and I headed to a little cove not far from the boat ramp. The weather was looking a little sketchy, so we stayed close. After 30 seconds of getting a pole in the water for Caleb, he caught a Bonneville. We kept catching Bonneville consistently until I started throwing a crawdad rapala and caught this good sized Smallmouth Bass.

Griffin and I went the stretch of the reservoir at full throttle and it still seemed to take forever to get from one end to the other end. I think it was the first time my boat had ever gone for that long that fast. We found some pretty sweet coves that the fish finder showed as HOT, but they proved fruitless, so we headed back to our first little cove and spent the rest of the morning catching Bonneville. We raced a couple of boats, hit some pretty big wakes, and got sprayed a few times.

"Gene"- my boat's first trip out for 2009

After shooting I took Devin from work out on the boat.
The ol' Merc didn't want to fire up right away after being winterized, but it finally did. It ran great after the first initial start. Devin and I did some casting and trolling for Tiger Muskie, but the rain and lightening set in quickly. No luck. But it was fun racing the boat around Newton Reservoir.

Trap Shooting with guys from Alpine

It was fun to get out and shoot. We shot some pistols too. After 3 boxes of shells, I had to quit. I'm glad I did. My shoulder was sore and bruised the next day. My Smith & Wesson 12 gauge was reliable as usual.

Smithfiled Easter Egg Hunt at Mac Park

The hunt is on.
Mad Scramble.

Max not sure what to do.

Max found a piece, so he was done.

Cubby getting lots of candy and Max eating his one piece.

American West Heritage Center

The family at Baby Animal Days.
Caleb afraid of the huge ox.

Max kicking a goat.

Max learning to be soft to goats.

Max before his balloon flew away.

Me and Cubby in the big barn.

Me and my silly boys.

Conference Sunday Drive

A few Mule deer by Smithfield Rock Quarry. They look a little ragged from winter and a bit scrawny as well.

Logan River Walk

Winter is finally over! My Family and I got to go on the Logan River Walk over conference weekend. It was perfect outdoor weather. We have had some good snow storms since then, but it is supposed to be nice again this weekend and upcoming week. Hopefully I will have more regular posts coming with nicer weather. I have the greatest family.

Jazz vs. Memphis Game

On Tuesday, February 17th I was able to go see the Utah Jazz take on the Memphis Grizzlies. It was the first game that Andre Kirilenko was back in since his injury. He played really well and he got a lot of cheers from the crowd. Miles and Brewer had some sweet dunks. I went with 3 other guys from work and my brother-in-law, Griffin. Leaving Logan wasn't bad, but Sardine canyon had several trucks stalled out from the snow drifts. We made it safe to the game and they closed down Sardine Canyon. Fortunately, by the time we went back through they had re-opened the canyon. I'm excited for the next game I get to go to with my Father-in-law and all my brother-in-laws. My boss said I could pick any game I want from the season tickets he has-what a great guy:)

Ice Fishing on Mantua Reservoir

I went ice fishing on Mantua Reservoir a couple of weeks ago and didn't catch much. I caught a few small perch that I didn't even bother to take a picture of. I found out from some other fishermen that I should have cut the perch up and used the meat. I guess that is how everyone was catching them. As you can see from the picture I walked a good distance to my spot. It was nice to just be out, but it would have been nicer to catch something decent too.

My new want....

The Ruger Lightweight Compact Revolver (LCR) is an evolution in revolver design and boasts the following features:** Long-fiber, glass-filled polymer fire control housing helps reduce recoil.** Aircraft quality aluminum monolithic frame with a black synergistic hard coat provides sturdy, rigid support for the cylinder and barrel.** Extensively fluted 400 series stainless steel cylinder is lightweight and compact, but strong and durable enough to handle .38 Special +P loads. It is treated with an advanced form of Ruger’s Target Grey® finish.** Cylinder front latching system uses titanium components, optimized spring tension, and enhanced lockup geometry to ensure that the LCR’s cylinder stays locked in place during firing.** Friction-reducing cam fire control system results in non-stacking, smooth trigger pull for this double-action-only revolver.** Replaceable ramp front and fixed U-notch rear sights. ** Internal lock is hidden unobtrusively under the grip and does not interfere with the fire control mechanism in any way when disengaged.** Hogue® Tamer™ grip helps reduce perceived recoil. Crimson Trace® Lasergrip® model offers the advantages of a laser sighting system.

Winterizing the boat...

I finally was able to get the time to winterize the boat. I put a fuel stabilizer in the gas tank and ran it through the motor while I fogged the engine. I also checked the gear oil. I tarped it all off and stored it in a garage. Hopefully it fires right up for the first fishing trip in the spring. I was hoping to take the boat out one more time, but I just couldn't find the time when the weather was cooperating. Caleb still talks about going fishing, so I can't wait to take him again.

Ward Turkey Shoot...

My ward had a "Turkey Shoot" last Saturday. It was a competition of Shotgun, Rifle and Pistol shooting. A new guy in the ward named Mark and I were a team and we took second place. I got stuck in a shoot out playing "Annie Oakley" with the Elders Quorum President, he finally beat me. I think I shot over two boxes of shells playing "Annie Oakley"- it was really fun. I need to get Lori to go shooting with me some time. Our babysitter fell through so she volunteered to stay home, so I could go shooting. Such a nice wife :)

Sharp-Tailed Grouse

I got to go bird hunting one last time thanks to Chris, my boss. He let me a couple of guys take off from work a little early to go. We went to Clarkston on some land that the Bagley Brothers had hunted before. We had two dogs with us that helped out. The dogs were acting really birdie when we saw two sharp-tailed grouse get up and fly. In Utah the sharp-tailed grouse has its own special permit to hunt of which none of us had tags for. At the base of the mountain in an open field we kicked up about 30-40 more sharp-tailed grouse. We saw a couple of hen pheasants, but no roosters. We came across another covey of about 35 sharp-tailed grouse not too far from the truck. It was fun to get out and see some birds even though we didn't shoot anything.

Utah Pheasant Hunting

Opening day of pheasant hunting season in Utah... Finally, I am back to bird hunting. Obviously its a lot like hunting birds in Iowa, except you don't see as many out here. So when I saw this one, I shot it pretty quick. I went all day and it was the first rooster that got up and flew. Caleb thought the tail feathers were pretty cool. The season only goes until the 16th of Nov. so I am hoping to go a couple of more times before its over. It's great exercise!

Pricey Porcupine Pics!