Hello Toof-less!



WITH . .

Miss Brinkley lost another tooth this week, which I think is worth mentioning. I don't think she's lost one since Dec/Jan, when she lost 4 within a 2 week period! She told Kev last Monday morning that it was really loose. He told her to keep working on it and he'd take a look when he got home.

He ended up  getting home pretty late and wasn't able to look at it until Tuesday morning before work.  He checked it as he was heading out the door and popped it right out. We were all a little concerned about the tooth fairy being able to find Brinkley and (especially) not forgetting about her way up here in the mountains, but alas, she is one reliable old gal!



AND WITHOUT!



4-Wheelin' for Them, Relaxation for Me

So, last Fall Kev bought a 4-wheeler. He said for hunting, and then in January, he joined Search and Rescue and uses it for that also. He doesn't always get to bring it camping because we don't have a hitch on the camper and we drive a 'burb, rather than a truck, so in order to get it here, he has to make extra trips in the 'burb. This trip though, it's here, and this morning he announced that he was taking the girls for a ride. And much to my excitement, they took drinks and snacks, which means that I can probably count on them being gone at least an hour and a half. Wa-hoo! What are my plans you ask? Well, I'll give you a hint. They involve a comfy chair in the shade, an ice cold Dew, and a good book.

Parade

Yesterday was the Kamas Fiesta Days Parade. We went to the parade last year but I'd forgotten how great it is. This parade is definitely one of Kamas' best kept secrets. It was short, 30-40 minutes tops. The parade route is fairly short, so there's not enough time to create huge gaps in between the floats. It's also very uncrowded. In Davis County at least, parade routes are just person to person. Yesterday there was at least 10 feet between us and anyone else. And the best part - they threw TONS OF CANDY. And only about 50% taffy. The rest was good stuff. Plus we got t-shirts, frisbees, small toys, pizza, freshed baked chocolate chip cookies, popcorn from the local movie theater, and toothbrushes. There were several times I had to help the girls gather because they just didn't have enough time in between to get it all. I saw a lot of candy just left in the street, which I can't imagine. Kind of a sign of the excessive world we live in when kids don't gather every last piece of candy thrown. It was grand fun!

Uh - just a short side-note to people who throw Otterpops. Please don't. Otterpops are the most idiotic thing to throw. Do the throwers not realize that when the pops slide along the pavement they get little holes in them. And then they start leaking - all down the front of your shirt. And that's only if you're lucky enough to try to eat it right then. If you don't and stick it in your loot bag, then it melts all over your candy. Plus, by the end of the parade route, the Otterpops are just slush and that's no fun. There was one truck yesterday that was handing them out, and the lady had one that she'd cut in two. She handed one half to each of my girls. They ate it right then and it was done. That's the only way Otterpops should be given in my book!

Rodeo

July 24^th is a big state holiday in Utah. It’s Pioneer Day and most little towns celebrate with all sorts of festivities – parades, carnivals, fireworks, rodeos, festivals. It’s big do-ins! Bountiful is no different. A parade, carnival and yummy food in the park. For this reason, for many years I didn’t want to camp over July 24^th because I didn’t want to miss Bountiful Days. Then, last year, I discovered that bless Kamas’ little heart! They celebrate too! And they even have a rodeo! For those of you that haven’t been to a small town rodeo, you really are missing. These little rodeos are America at its best.

Kamas calls their celebration Fiesta Days. Last year we went to the Bull Wars, which was a lot of fun. This year we decided to try out the plain old rodeo. Mostly because it was kid’s night, which that means that kids get in free, and free is one of my favorite words. : )

I had gotten rodeo tickets last week and picked up a flyer with a schedule of the festivities, but then couldn’t find it. I wasn’t worried though because the front office here at Camperworld always has a schedule posted. Of course by yesterday though they had given all their flyers out and someone had nabbed the posted one. I knew from my tickets that the rodeo started at 8pm, but I also knew that there was some kind of kid’s event that went on before. I wasn’t too worried though because I figured there would just be a bunch of overpriced rides and food and the later we got there the more money we’d save. So we headed into the rodeo at about 6:45pm. I dropped Kev and the girls off and went to get drinks then came back to meet them. Well, apparently, they had a whole LOAD of those blowup toys, helium balloons, water bottles and it was all FREE. From bounce houses to a rock wall to slides to an actual bull-riding ride. And they all closed at 7pm. Kev had gone to a couple as they were wrapping up and tried to get the girls on with the last kids that were going through but the operators said, “No, we’re closed!” So rude! He finally got them on one. I arrived by then and we headed to the bull-riding, which had a big line, but they were still letting kids ride. We didn’t know if we’d make it for a while, but they finally got to ride. I felt bad that they missed most everything else, but they were thrilled with the bull ride. Brinkley left her hat on, hoping that it would fly off during the ride, just like a real cowboy, and it did! She was so excited. They were OK with not getting to do anything else. I guarantee though that I’ll get there early next year. FREE kids rides? That’s unheard of!

So, then we headed to the rodeo. I confess that I enjoyed the Bull Wars last year quite a bit more. Most of the riders fell off their bulls or horses before the buzzer rang, or they missed roping the calf or steer, so very few actually qualified, which is kind of a bummer. I’ll say right now, I am an animal lover, but I’m OK with rodeos for the most part. As long as the animals are treated well out of the arena, I seriously doubt the rodeo events hurt them in anyway. There is one event that I would get rid of though if I ruled the world - calf ropin’. Roping those poor baby cows, flipping them on their sides, sometimes by one leg, and then
tying a rope around 3 legs? Seriously?! Pick on something your own size! One poor little calf managed to get up on his 3 legs that were tied together, teetered, and then nose planted in the dirt. Pitiful! Once he was untied though, he did run off seemingly unscathed. Believe me, I was watching for signs of injury.

Oh, while we were waiting in the stands before the rodeo started, they were playing this aweful country music and the girls were dancing down in front. Then they came up and started harrassing Kev to dance with them. He resisted for a while, until Brinkley said, "Papa! Aren't you feeling it?" Well, he must have decided he was cause he went down in front and danced with them. Not to many Dads would make a fool out of themselves like that. It's no wonder they are both totally in love with him.

The night ended up with fireworks, which was about the best part. This afternoon is the parade and we’ll be there with bells on. Bring a loot bag and come join us!

Midnight Misery

I am posting this event, only with Brinkley’s permission. Last night near the end of the rodeo she told me, “My stomach is all twisted up, not like I’m sick, but like I did something bad and haven’t told you about it.” Oh, boy! First let me say, Brinkley is our confessor. She has a conscience the size of Texas and confesses any unkind deed or thought that ever enters her head. Sometimes she gets on a roll and I think that if I hear one more confession I’ll have to slit my wrists. It’s stuff like this: “Sometimes I say the word crap!” “Sometimes, when you get mad at me, it makes me really mad.” “One time, when I was little, I thought that I might want to wear a bikini when I get older even though it’s immodest”. Holy crow! Really? Just keep it to yourself sista!

So, anyway, during the fireworks last night, she tells me this about her stomach. I asked if there was anything she’d done that she need to tell us about, and she said no, not unless she meant to, and now she forgot. Well, that was that.

It was late when we got back to camp and pretty much went straight to bed. Well, at 3am, Kev and I were waked from a deep sleep by Brinkley. Her stomach was hurting bad. She was crying, clearly in pain. Of course, me, being the great mother I am, instead of wondering if she is OK, the first thing I think is, “I hope this doesn’t cost us anything because we’re in between insurance plans right now.” If you’ve never been there, I’m telling you, it’s stressful! So, she lies down in bed with us and Kev starts poking her stomach and asking questions, trying to figure out what the problem could be. Luckily it wasn’t her right side, which means Appendix, right? Anyway, long story short, we finally decided that she was constipated. Bad! Like it had possibly been 5 or 6 days since her last session. Holy cow! And though I keep a well stocked medicine cabinet in my camper, two things I do NOT stock are enemas or suppositories. So, bless Kevin’s heart, he gets up at 4:00 in the morning and heads out. There’s nothing open in Kamas, so he heads on to Park City. Then he can’t find anything open in Park City, so he heads back to Heber. Finally, he finds an open grocery store, makes his purchases and gets back close to 6am. By 7am Brinkley is feeling much better, he naps for an hour and then heads out to work. And me, of course I got to sleep until 11am! : )

Balsamic Chicken Sandwich

Showing my sandwich with the works, Kev's minus tomato and the girls minus tomato and basil.

A lot of times when we camp I keep the meals really simple.  Last night, with this recipe, corn on the cob, swiss chard and watermelon, I think I outdid myself a little.  I clipped this out of some magazine in the spring.  It’s from Jessica Seinfeld, Jerry’s wife.  She said, “Once, on a trip to Italy, Jerry had a sandwich he loved so much that he didn’t stop talking about it for years.”  So she experimented and came up with this, which according to Jerry, hit it right on.  I figured that if it was good enough for Jerry, it would be good enough for me and Kev.  Kev gave it two thumbs and I thought it was great too.  I’ll post the recipe as is, then tell how I changed it.

Balsamic Chicken Sandwich

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken beasts, cubed

½ t. salt

½ t. pepper

¼ c. whole wheat flour

3 T. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth

½ c. balsamic vinegar (must be balsamic)

6 T. firmly packed dark-brown sugar

½ c. broccoli puree (**see recipe below)

6 Ciabetta rolls

6 large tomato slices

½ cup grated mozzarella

Fresh Basil

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Spread flour on a sheet of waxed paper.  Toss chicken chunks in flour to coat completely.  Preheat oven to 350’F.
2. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high.  Add chicken and garlic.  Lower heat to medium and continue to cook until chicken begins to brown and garlic becomes fragrant, 8-10 minutes. 
3. Add chicken broth, vinegar and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  Add puree and cook 2-3 more minutes until flavors are blended.
4. Place rolls on a large baking sheet.  Top each of the 6 bottom halves with tomato slice and fresh basil.  Divide chicken among them and sprinkle with mozzarella.  Bake until cheese is melted and edges of the rolls are crisp, 5-7 minutes.  Serve immediately.

This is what I did differently:  I halved the recipe, which made 4 sandwiches.  I used regular flour instead of whole wheat, and I used Bolillios Rolls instead of Ciabatta.   I asked Kev to stop by Walmart and pick rolls up for me and this is what he came home with.  They worked great.  I also used mozzarella slices instead of grated.  And I highly encourage you to not scrimp on the fresh basil leaves.  They were yummo!

**For Broccoli Puree:  Steam frozen or fresh florets until tender but still bright green.  Puree in food processor or blender, about 2minutes.  If needed, add a few teaspoons of water for a smooth, creamy texture.

Neighbors - The Good and the Bad of It

When we got here on Sunday, we decided to choose a camp spot by the river. We’ve never camped over on this side of the campground before. In years past, the girls were too little and camping by the water made me nervous. Mostly though, it’s a space issue. Some of these campers don’t mind being packed in like sardines. They just need a spot for their satellite dish and they’re all set. They don’t venture outside much anyway.

Me, I like a little space. I have a dog. My girls want to play outside and we like to eat at the picnic table without another camper 4 feet away watching our every move. There is only 1 spot by the river with any lawn space and on Sunday it was open, so we took it. I figured the sound of the river might drown out other noises, and it has. I think Kevin has slept better.

Well, on Monday a big old 5^th wheel decided they wanted the spot right in front of us. Great. We’re happy to have neighbors. As they’re pulling in I noticed that they are really hugging the edge of their site (the edge between us and them). Their wheels are practically on the grass, but they aren’t, and I don’t really blame them for wanting to maximize their spot. That is, until they crank out their 3 ½ foot tip out. And this is what we end up with. They are now 3 ½ feet into our site, practically touching our camp chairs and fire pit. Well, speaking of fire, I was fired up. How rude is that? Of course I didn’t say anything, and really, we still have plenty of space, but I still think it’s totally rude and they should be ashamed! I don’t know about ashamed, but they ARE going to be sad when we fire that pit up and all the smoke goes right in their windows. Ha!!

I have to put in a little note about the neighbors who were behind us when we pulled in. It was 2 old ladies (lesbians? no, I think just sisters) and their dog. The moment we pulled in they brought over a small camping chair and gave it to Lily. They said they had just bought it for their chihuahua (hee hee), but he won't sit in it. Then, Tuesday, they brought over 2 card games, that they owned, but never played for the girls, plus 2 bags of candy, and some gourmet dog treats that their dog won't eat. How sweet is that? Bless their hearts! We were sad to see them pull out.