Great Adventure

Adrian and I decided to celebrate our end of the summer by taking my nephew Zac and his nephew Isaiah camping for two nights near Idaho City. The week leading up to our departure had me re-considering, wondering what the hell we were thinking! But I'm SO glad we did. We all had so much fun!

The boys wanted to help crank up the tent.





One thing continued to surprise me... the sheer amount of dirt these boys managed to accumulate on their bodies, not to be bothered by it. We'd wash them off and within minutes they'd look like this again. I eventually accepted defeat.




Target practice. All of us had a turn.



A snake that had all three of the boys giddy with excitement.


Too much excitement.

Not sure about this face... but we were sure having fun!


Last morning fun on their rock.


We all had so much fun it's decided that this needs to happen every summer! But Adrian and I are both so glad to be home, in the quiet, with our nap time intact.

Dog Park

Nampa just opened up a dog park this summer and it's really close to our house. Initially I didn't think that we'd be able to partake in the joy because Nacho has such a big-dog complex that he's aggressive with anyone but Molly. But Adrian thought if we bought a soft muzzle that he could still enjoy the time off of the leash without landing us a big lawsuit. Unfortunately he still really isn't very social. He growls a lot, and rubs his face in the grass constantly. Plus, he's the only dog we've ever seen there with a muzzle. But at least he gets some exercise. Molly gets a little overstimulated and foams at the mouth the entire time we're there so people are a little wary of the long strings of goo hanging from her face. It's very exciting. The other night there was a huge crowd there. It's just a riot to watch all of these social dogs, even if mine isn't one of them. And some of the breeds are really surprising.

Raspberry Festival

We had another great year at the Raspberry Festival. From what I hear, sales were down from last year for most of the vendors. I didn't see a huge drop from last year's sales. I would say it was pretty comparable. With all of our expenses and the amount of time I spent on my work I'd say I only broke even. But as I've been telling everyone, like teaching, I don't do it for the money. I do it for the love and the fact that people from all over the country have a little bit of my world in theirs. That part is pretty darn cool.



What was left...One surprise this year... My plates that were so desired last year did not sell! I sold one of the 7. The mugs did well and the neti pots about the same as last year. The minis, as always, were a hit. So I don't know what I'll do for next year, but I'll definitely focus on the completely functional, like mugs, perhaps a teapot or two, and spoon rests (by request). I guess I have a year to figure it out.