Dolphins???? No Sharks Baby!

Mesmerized....I love it when you look at me!

My girl has been fascinated with sharks for a very long time......She has always had a dream of being able to swim with them somehow, someday! Her dream came true this week when she had the opportunity to visit Las Vegas. Well, at least she was able to slide down a plastic tube that cuts right through a shark tank…which is close enough! How cool is that!

Check it out.....there is a 200,000-gallon aquarium and all of it's colorful reef habitat at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. Inside it dwells the oceans most feared residents of the deep, sand tiger sharks, brown sharks, Pacific black tip sharks, nurse sharks, and a zebra shark, as well as Southern stingrays and a many other large fish, coming at your from every directions....
is that omnidirectional?

Ali being a bit on the adventurous side took a ride down the Shark Chute — a three-story water slide that descends through the center of the aquarium, protected from the sharks and stingrays by four inches (not enough for me) of sturdy acrylic. Her friend waiting at the top of the tube said when Ali screamed she wasn't all that excited about putting herself through this adventure. The screaming was because while riding down the tube the sharks are literally nose to nose with you!

I know the real tough guys/gals actually get up close and personal with these creatures......
but as a mom I'm thankful and excited that she was finally able to do this
"Cautious Shark Swimming"

Wordless Wednesday

Oatmeal Breakfast Cereal

Recipe Makes 1 serving

When I eat Oatmeal Breakfast Cereal, I don’t get hungry mid-morning, and I have plenty of fuel for my new workout program, plus I have enough energy to chase after my grand kids (when their here).....but then I don't have time for the workout program!

Quaker Oatmeal has been clinically proven to be an important source of whole grains and fiber which contributes to heart health. I like that Quaker Oatmeal does not contain fillers and preservatives. The unflavored oats are pure unadulterated oats. This is definitely a healthy food stable that can only benefit anyone’s diet. The nutritional facts gave it an "A"

Ingredients:
1/3 c dry oatmeal unprepared
1/4 c frozen blueberries
1/4 c pecans
1/2 medium apple, sliced, no skin
1/2 T honey
1/2 c skim milk

Directions:
Mix everything together and enjoy

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size 265.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 317
Calories from Fat 178

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19.8g

Saturated Fat 1.8g

Cholesterol 3mg

Sodium 53mg

Total Carbohydrates 33.3g

Dietary Fiber 5.1g

Sugars 26.7g

Protein 7.1g

Vitamin A 6%
Vitamin C 12%
Calcium 18%
Iron 5%

Love the new website that BFF gave me that will calculate all this information for you ~ with your very own recipe! http://caloriecount.about.com/

Wordless Wednesday/Happy Birthday Halie

Cabin Progress

The cabin is progressing nicely. The latest additions are the rails for the loft area. Grandpa Jack is spending all summer working. When I see pictures like this I want to jump in the car and head to the canyon. Now that I'm retired.....guess I can do that just about whenever I want to.

Cauliflower & Pea Summer Salad

Cauliflower & Pea Summer Salad

1 head cauliflower broken into small florets

1 bunch green onions chopped

1 10 package frozen peas

1 small can whole cashews

1 package buttermilk ranch dressing

That's it........all you need to do is mix everything together and enjoy.

It keeps well for a couple of days if it lasts that long, before I eat the whole bowl full.

I thought using all of the ranch dressing was going to be to much but it was perfect. What did we ever do with out "Homemade" ranch dressing? Frozen peas right out of the bag are delicious.....who knew you could eat them without cooking them first! I love fresh peas, hate cooked ones! And cashews.........yummy! Seriously I couldn't get enough of this salad.

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

My 4th trip to Craters of the Moon, and I'm thankful it was on earth and not in space. I like adventure and my parents made it a habit of always taking a summer vacation, for which I am very grateful. Craters of the Moon was on our list when I was about 8 years old......1958! It was a side trip on the way to Yellowstone Park (a beautiful National Park). Craters of the Moon was an eerie looking place to me back then and today it is still eerie looking! I certainly don't think I have the adaptation skills it takes to live even one day in this harsh environment. However, our visit was certainly educational....hot....and exhausting for "the girls" the "Dad" was loving it and hated that we had to leave to come back to "the girls" idea of what makes life worth living! I took lots of pictures, so just zoom through them. Then if you feel the need.....make the trek to visit Craters of the Moon yourself someday...........but for Hell sakes...don't wear FLIP-FLOPS! ~Sorry just want you to be prepared~Visitors Center.....Ali read the signs that said SNAKES live here. Not a good idea for girls that hate snakes....that's the 2 of us for sure.

View from the visitors center overlooking the valley


Pretty much sage brush, rocks, and dirt! Lucky for us we saw no snakes!

This is stop #3 on the Loop Drive - Devil's Orchard

This was an amazing shot I got of Ali on top of Inferno Cone.

Ali thought this tree was a little to close to the edge, but after venturing over she could see that the mountain of fine lave continues on and on and on!

A spectacular view from the top of Inferno Cone. I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the top. There were lots of ladies older than I am making it (as in hiking) so................I gave it my best effort~.....lol!

When you first arrive in the parking area of Inferno Cone it looks like there is one tall mountain to climb....not so! When /IF you get to the top of it there is another one right there in front of you. Here Ali is standing on the top of the second peak.... on our way back down!

The next stop is Spatter Cones. This is the trail going up to the cones. It was an easy hike and only took a few minutes to reach the incredible formations.

This is looking down into the cone. It doesn't look all that deep from my picture, but it is!

This is another view into the Spatter Cone

So many volcanic features are up close as you hike each of the trails.

The trail winds through lava flow and what a spectacular view you get from the top of

Spatter Cones.

My dad loves rocks, I took this picture for him. We still have many pieces of volcanic rock in our collections that we have made for many school science projects.

More formations........just to show you I really did hike the trails.

Yes....that is snow in the bottom of the cone. It was dark, deep, and surprising to see snow on a 100 degree August day.

I loved the look of this formation. I thought it kinda looks like an elephant......petrified.

Broken Top......what a name for a volcano formation!

Inside Buffalo caves.....I have no idea who these tourist are, but they were nice to allow their picture to be taken. Ali was getting a little tired of having me snap the camera.

The Caves Trail................total desolation! Give me the city life.....girl! I call the bug man when we have ants and earwigs! Get my point??

From the car window....The Caves Trail formations

Ali was so sick and tired of me taking pictures and her dad yelling at her, because.....she wore flip flops! She wonders why he wears hiking boots...........everywhere.............always!

I begged for a smile....these formations are HOT....well not anymore, but I bet they were 2000 years ago.

More of the same "Old" stuff. The trail winds around seas of lava which leads you to an underground world of a lava tube. For this you need sturdy shoes ...............not flip flops "Girl".

Entrance to "Dew Drop Cave"

Inside Dew Drop Cave...bring your flash light and DON'T WEAR FLIP FLOPS

Indian Tunnel....where are the pretroglyphs?

Boy Scout Cave Entrance

The Boy Scout cave contains ice all year round, the floor is covered by ice and often water too. As snow melts on a warm spring day, the runoff seeps through the cracks and the crevices of the lava and drips into the tube below. Once inside the cold air within the caverns causes the water to freeze again. On this warm summer day the "100" degree temperature cause some of the ice to melt.............along with the tourists!

Beauty Cave....

The walls of Beauty Cave are completely in the dark once you are away from the entrance of the lava tube.

The brochure from the visitors center said there are more than 660 types of plants living in this barren landscape. I think this cute little flower is a mini carnation.....probably I made that name up because I have no idea what it is really called.

There are fields and fields of them growing. So if you know their name....go ahead and leave me a comment. I'd be ever so thankful for the education lesson. For now I'll just call them mini-carnations in a dangnation of hard dirt!

Back to civilization as we leave this weird but scenic world of the craters behind us......