Chocolate Leaves

As part of our leaf unit we made chocolate leaves. I guess I can't say it taught us that much, scientifically speaking, about leaves, but we did observe that some leaves worked better for this than others (we liked the rose leaves best, for just the right amount of stiffness, yet flexibility for peeling off). We also liked doing mint leaves because you don't have to peel them off. And it was a good cooking lesson. A chocolate leaf could make any cake more elegant!

We used the tutorial here (her leaves are gorgeous, with the different colors of chocolate!) and found it pretty straightforward---though our attempts resulted in a lot more broken and partly-peeled and half-formed leaves than hers seemed to. :) Still, we had enough good ones left to decorate some Sebby Cake, and the boys were happy to eat all the ugly ones. I had to put the leaves on while the cake was too hot (we were rushing off to take dinner to someone) so they melted a bit. But they were very pretty anyway! We'll make these again.

Lake Solitude Hike

Off from Silver Lake, there are a couple trails leading off to other lakes. We've always wanted to explore them, so this week, with some fellow hike-loving friends to keep us company, we tried the Lake Solitude trail. It was just right for kids (10 of them, to be precise): not too steep, not too rocky, and not too long or tiring. Unless you were carrying a heavy baby. The leaves were beautiful---though, as Andrea said, you really have to go every other day or so if you want to see all the colors. The underbrush had already changed and some of the trees weren't quite ready to change---but anyway, what we saw was quite sufficiently beautiful!

We were lucky enough to see two moose! They were on the same side of the lake as last time, but this time they were in the water.You can see them both in this picture.

Closer.

Eli forges ahead

After Miriam and Seb were done with the picture, Harriet figured out we were taking one, and smiled sweetly for it.

I love this. Children swarming on this rock like beetles.

I call this picture, "I, Cowen, have conquered this rock."

Nice pose, Emmeline

Aaa! So pretty I can't stand it.

Emerging from the forest into this gold light. Lovely.

A companionable rest.

We got to walk right under this ski lift, to great excitement among the group

The lake itself was really pretty. Only two of us fell in the mud.

Sweet Harriet was so cute on this rock. She's such a happy baby! But brace yourself, it gets cuter . . . 

Eeeee!

We had such a great time. What a beautiful hike!

On the way out, this stand of red aspens caught my eye. These same aspens were orange and red last year, too! Is it their location that causes it, I wonder?

We were hurrying off to get to Abe's choir concert, but I kept wanting to stop on the way down and take pictures because it was SO beautiful. "Don't let me stop," I'd say to the children. "We're in a hurry." And then, while they all yelled, "No, no, don't stop!" at me, I'd say, ". . . Oh, I just can't resist!" 

En plein air

 

Swarming children in paint shirts

Sam wanted to teach us how to paint trees this week, so he thought it would be a good time to work "en plein air." We found this beautiful dry riverbed (by the granite quarry for the Salt Lake Temple) in which to work. It was a lovely, quiet spot.

Watching

Working

"Look, I found a rock!"

I love Sam's tiny, tiny painting

Snowbird Tram

Another excursion we went on was to the Snowbird Tram, which we think about doing every Fall, but usually decide is too expensive. It was cheaper with me as the only adult (though we missed Sam!), and the youngest three were free, but it was still a lot of money. "Once in a lifetime!" I told the boys. :) We enjoyed it accordingly. The tram takes you up (over beautiful scenery) to the top of Hidden Peak, 11,000 feet up. It was interesting to see how scant the vegetation was way up there (hardly any trees!). On the peaks below we could see the elevation lines where various types of trees grew---this was too high for anything but conifers, and not many of them! 

The other tram (we were on the red one)

A few hardy wildflowers (Heartleaf arnica)

Thistles

Guess who wanted to look over the edges of all the cliffs?

Tram mechanism (fascinating!)

Looking out

UPDATE: Everyone kept busy making their own trams out of various things at home for the next few weeks. Here are a couple of Sebby's:

The red and blue balls are the "trams" going along the yarn cable

Then he progressed to making paper cars that actually had doors, so he could put his tiny animals inside.