Recently we bought a boat so this past weekend we took the three boys and went to Patagonia Lake to go fishing for the day.
It was a perfect day to be out on the water...
Jared and I sat in our lawn chairs by the edge of the boat and dangled our feet in the water. It was a nice way to cool off!
The trophy of the day! haha
Justin caught a bass, it was too small to keep though :(
"The Lord don't lot time to the man when he's fishing. You don't get any older while you're fishing." So, now, you girls go with them. See? And I'll come down and join you, if I can. And you know, "The good Lord," they said, "don't lot time to a man when he's out fishing." Do lot of it when you-when you feel all twisted up. It's the best thing to relax on, I ever found in my life, is to go fishing."
On Thursday afternoon the girls were supposed to fly out of Tucson. However, when you fly standby no plans are "for sure" and they ended up not being able to go home that day. We decided to take advantage of the fact that we were already in Tucson and go hiking in Sabino Canyon. After a quick stop at Walmart for water bottles and oranges we headed up the Phone Line Trail. Three and a half hours later we were hot, sunburnt, exhausted, and riding the tram out to the parking lot!
Just leaving the visitors center...
Joy spotted these adorable little cacti under a bush.
The Phone Line Trail goes along the side of the mountains on the south side of the canyon. It's quite a hike to get up to the actual trail, but once you're there it's pretty easy going.
Resting in the shade...
It might not have been such a smart idea to hike 7 miles in 100 degree heat!
:: Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit ::
Joy actually picked one off and poked a hole in it and was sucking the juice out. It actually tasted pretty good! Just be careful not to get one of those tiny brown thorns in your lip!
I love the rugged scenery of Sabino Canyon.
That little winding road you see to the left is the tram road. We had to hike .7 miles down to it to catch the tram out.
Every so often a cloud would cover the sun and we would hike with renewed vigor in the lovely coolness it provided!
This is a picture as we descended on the trail down to tram stop #7. (There are 9 stops total but we didn't have time to hike all the way to the end of the canyon. The last tram of the day goes at 4p.m. otherwise you have to walk out 4 miles.) The line you see up on the hillside is the Phone Line Trail.
WE DID IT!!!!
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Friday morning I took the girls back to Tucson for their 12:30 flight. It was sad to say good bye!
This past week we had visitors from the east coast... Hope and Joy came out for the annual Branding at the Isaacson's ranch. Moriah, a friend from Indiana, came with them and we all had so much fun together.
One evening when Justin got home from work we shot skeet.
The shotgun was quite heavy for Joy but she shot it a few times!
Saturday was the Branding at the ranch. All the kids love to get in the pen and help the guys brand the calves.
Shalom and Hope
There is a small pond there so the boys and Justin took their poles.
It was a beautiful day!
Boaz and Zion getting a ride on the donkey.
Joy :)
Hope, Carol, and Shalom going horseback riding.
Looks like you got quite the lapful there, Joy! :)
Joy and baby Judah after church on Sunday.
Monday night a bunch of us went down to Sierra Vista to watch the fireworks.
Justin and Hope tried coyote hunting three different evenings. Hope shot at one but missed, better luck next time!
One afternoon the girls and I went hiking in the Chiricahuas.
My beautiful sister, Hope
Hiking up the stream bed
We saw a flock of turkeys and quite a few deer on the drive up.
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We also hiked Sabino Canyon the day before the girls flew home,
stay tuned for pictures and the story behind that adventure!! :)
