Christmas Tree 2012

We picked out our tree the day after Thanksgiving and decorated it that Sunday after everyone left. I do think this is our best tree yet.  Only 3 more weeks til Christmas! We can't wait to go back to Lincoln to celebrate with family.  Now off to do some shopping!

November fun

Dustin, Heather, Tessa, Daniel, Ken, and Arlene all came to visit us for Thanksgiving.  We had a great time with them!  Wednesday night we had hotdogs and smores outside around the fire pit. Thursday we cooked and ate lots of food for Thanksgiving. Friday we had a picnic lunch at green mt, walked the trail around the lake and then went and picked out our Christmas tree at the farm. Saturday we took them to the US Space & Rocket center.  It was great having family to celebrate with on Thanksgiving and getting to spend time with them.

October fun

The beginning of October, Andrew and I built a fire pit for our backyard.  Teresa and Jesse came to visit that weekend so we were able to test it out and use it to make smores. So far we've really enjoyed using it when we have guests.  While Teresa and Jesse were here, they made us asian food one night and it was delicious.  We loved the sushi! 

Hummingbirds

I put out the two hummingbird feeders that I got from my parents and Andrew's parents for Christmas and prayed hummingbirds would find it and they did.  We have quite a few different types that come and visit our feeders, one is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird which has a red neck.  The hummingbird in the bottom picture sits on the hook and guards the feeders chasing off any other hummingbirds that want a drink.  The cats like to watch them from the window.  The hummingbirds are not scared of Andrew and I and buzz around us when we are outside.

Huntsville Botanical Gardens

My favorite tree

Sunday Sept 9 we went to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens.  We spent all afternoon walking the gardens and enjoying the plants, butterfly house, and nice weather.

Battle of Decatur

Over labor day weekend we went to Decatur to watch the reenactment of the battle for Decatur which happenned during the civil war in 1864.  It was interesting to watch with lots of big booms from the cannons.  We enjoyed homemade root beer and birch beer after the battle.

Lodgepole and Giant Forest

Our last day at Sequoia National Forest we first stopped at Lodgepole and hiked to Tokopah Falls.  Along the way we say some Marmots hiding in the boulders. They are the largest member of the squirrel family and we were warned that they chew on radiator hoses.  At every stop we made we had to unload all of our food and toiletries from the car and store them in metal boxes due to the bears.  Once we got to the falls we talked with some other hikers who wanted to know if we saw the momma bear and her cubs on the way.  Apparently we just missed them.  The next place we went was the Giant Forest full of Giant Sequoias and the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world. Interesting fact is the tree is estimated to be 2,200 years old and each year grows enough new wood to make a 60 ft tall normal tree. The Sequoias trunks can be up to 40 ft in diameter and 311 feet tall.  Next stop was Moro Rock where we climbed a lot of stairs to the top.  Moro Rock is a granite dome that you can stand on top of and see the Great Western Divide.  Very beautiful view!  Our last stop of the day was Crescent Meadow where we started out on the Eagle View trail.  All day we had been hearing about other visitors seeing bears and we still hadn't and I was a little disappointed.  Well, we were about 3/4 of the way to the top of the trail when Andrew spotted a momma bear down in the meadow, and then i saw her cub come running down the hill to her.  It was really exciting to see, so we tried to get a few pics before we got nervous enough that we decided to head back.  We wanted to keep a safe distance between us.  We headed for Tharp's Log instead, a cabin that a man built in the 1800s inside a fallen sequoia.  The day was a great end to our trip!

On the way to Tokopah Falls

A friendly Marmot

Tokopah Falls

World's Largest Tree

View from the top of Moro Rock

The way up to Moro Rock

Momma bear and her cub.  Probably will have to click on pic to see them

Tharp's Log

Cedar Grove, CA

We spent the next day exploring Cedar Grove, not far from our cabin.  The first hike we did was to Mist Falls, a 9 mile round trip hike.  It was a beautiful hike following a powerful river with great views.  We then explored Zumwalt Meadows and Roaring River Falls.  Great day!  We were exhausted by the end of it.

                                                                 Zumwalt Meadows

Roaring River Falls

Our Cabin

One of our favorite views

Mist Falls

Grizzly Falls