Things to do in Utah when you're us

So, besides the special agenda items planned for our Utah trip (fourth of july, family reunion, lagoon amusement park) there were plenty of regularly scheduled summer-in-Utah activities as well.

It did seem on this trip that I could tell that my kids are getting older, and this in some ways affected their interest and involvement in some of our usual Utah activities. For example, no one begged to go to the interactive fountain at Gateway, when this is usually a highly anticipated evening ritual with CD. (although I KNOW if we had actually taken them, they would have had a great time)

We got together with our friends Beth and Emily, but it was a bit more reserved playing this time because, well, you know, Harriet, Beth and Emily are girls, and Jack, well, he's a boy! Never used to seem to matter before...

Even the uber-traditional last night before leaving visit to Leatherby's for ice-cream was easily abandoned for a night-in playing a raucous game of Apples to Apples around Grandma's kitchen table.

But we are certain there will always be activities and adventures, old and new, to be found in our visits to Utah, which I am certain we will never outgrow.

Grandma's and Grandpa's backyard hill is the perfect place for sledding, regardless of the season, or the amount of ice available:

Next door neighbor's Kay's raspberries were back this year, as was her open invitation to come and pick to our stomach's content:

Quickly becoming a tradition, lunch with my summering NY friends at the Rio Grande Cafe:

(although only one of us above is still an actual New Yorker)

(Sean was good to us with the guac)

Jolet and Catherine

Drove WAY across to the other side of the valley to view and tour the new Oquirrh Moutain Temple with Grandpa and Grandma before it is dedicated.

a week or so earlier the statue of Moroni had been struck by lightning

And finally, saw and hugged friends and family as everyone gathered at the funeral of my cousin

David Miles "Butch" Evans Jr.

Gone too soon, Godspeed Butch.

Thanks to everyone who made us feel so welcome in Utah, and put up with us even as we as houseguests, like fish, began to stink after three weeks. We can't wait to come back and see you all again soon!

Mormons and Angels

Last Friday night was the annual OC cultural event Mormon Night with the Angel's Game. We aren't really Angel's fans, but we are Mormons and this is an inexpensive, fun event that we can participate in with our ward.  The night before had been Mormon Night with the Dodger's which would have been much more appealing to our family, but nonetheless Friday night we found ourselves in a sea of red at Angel's Stadium in Anaheim. 

Pete and the kids coming into the stadium

view of the field, stands, scoreboard and Anaheim from our seats

our last row seats! I like sitting here. 

 Henry is actually a fan of the Angels. 

(Or more precisely he's a fan of his friend Michael who is a fan of the Angels.) 

If the apparel is any evidence, there were A LOT of us Mormons there 

kids and the field

The mormon barbershop quartet "The Overtones" lead the crowd

in singing Take Me Out To The Ball Game during the Seventh Inning Stretch

The Angels pretty much got their booty kicked 

by the Texas Rangers the entire game.

Harriet played solitaire to pass the time....

the kids had just as much fun climbing around the front of the stadium as we were leaving

memorial to Angel's rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart

 who was killed this past

April when his car was struck by a 

drunk driver just hours after he had pitched

a no-run game at the stadium. 

See you next year Angels! 

Lagoon

This is the Richardson Family Raconteur's 

                            100th post!  

So, uh, well, anyways...

Back to Summer Vacation Blowout '09.  Upon arriving back to Salt Lake from our wonderful Western parks jaunt Pete and Henry caught a plane and flew home to California, ostensibly to attend summer school and put a little structure into the summer, but I think they just wanted to skip the 11 hour drive home across the Mojave desert.  This leaves me, Jack, Harriet and Jed with a week to hang out in Utah relaxing with friends and family and finding new places to explore. 

We have no problem at all.

One thing on the agenda was a trip to the amusement park Lagoon. 

Going to Lagoon was always the highlight of the summer when I was young. It was like the Disneyland of Salt Lake City.   Of course we always had Stake Lagoon Day when our stake members would go for one day at a discounted rate and share dinner time together in the pavilions of Pioneer Village, and we usually managed to fit in another trip or two with friends

before the fall came and it was open only on weekends.  

I honestly remember those days at Lagoon as some of the most fun, most wonderfully exhausting ones of my youth.  So, it had always been on my mind to take my own kids to Lagoon while they were still kids.   These are kids that have lived their whole conscious lives 20 minutes down the freeway from Disneyland, and even though we never held yearly passes or were certified Disneyophytes like many in our area, I worried a bit that Lagoon would not be nearly as enticing to them.  I had not been back in nearly 20 years, and was pleasantly surprised by what I found there.

We were there on a Wednesday morning as it opened, and were able to walk on to most any ride we wanted.  This trend would continue throughout most of the day - lines were short and once or twice the kids were the only ones on the ride.  The one exception was the water park Lagoon-A-Beach that was contained within the park - it was crowded and just got more crowded. The kids had brought their swimsuits with the plan to hit the water park, but ultimately we didn't spend any time there fighting the crowds.

near the opening gates, checking out the map to decide where to go first

the first ride we come upon is the first ride the 

kids jump onto - a transplanted Bulgy the Whale

riding the Kon-Tiki in the kiddie part of the park -

Jack can't wait for the bigger, better Tidal Wave

main street in Pioneer Village - 

fairly deserted at this early hour

(as always clicking on any photo enlarges it for better detail viewing)

Jack on the flying swings

taking a ride on the tamer train 

the train travels through a small zoo -

the camel has lost its hump 

The roller coaster at Lagoon is awesome,

a white wooded giant racer 

coming into the station

Jed is a tad too small to go on the racer,

 so I take turns riding with the twins while one waits at the exit with him

Harriet loves it

me too - I remember taking my grandma on this ride when I was younger

and it really shook her up. My dad loves this ride too.

the racer at the top of the first big hill

while the twins then take consecutive rides on the racer, I take Jed over 

to the smaller rides - no surprise he loves this spaceship with a gun mounted on it

I was glad he gave the boats a try and really enjoyed them

Skyride over the main midway of Lagoon -

something that hasn't changed a bit since the earlier days

brushing the tree tops on the Skyride

this ride becomes one of the kids favorites - lifts you up then drops you down, repeatedly

Harriet and me at the top 

Pioneer Village is in the back of the park - kind of a working museum

of early pioneer times in Utah. Also where some of the best water rides are.

Rattlesnake Rapids is new(er) to Lagoon -

tubing down rapids and going through caves and water falls

(our bishop's son was seriously bitten by a rattlesnake at scout camp earlier

this summer, so this ride is even more fascinating to my kids)

standing in the mist watching the tubers come out of a tunnel-

the actual ride was too wet to take photos on, but we had a fun time

We ride the Log Flume several times, becoming more soaked in the process

Jed waits patiently with me for the twins to ride the coaster a few more times 

the Terror Ride on the main midway

giant racer in the sunset

on our way out the gate at near closing time - the kids get soaked

playing in the interactive fountain

Summer night at Lagoon