okay, so a little less summery

On Sunday we did not go skiing, despite Alta's continued base depth of 133 inches, nor did it particularly seem like summer, dawning overcast, breezy and cool-ish. No lounging around the house for us, however: we got up and were at Ruth's Diner by 8:05 a.m. We hadn't been to Ruth's since early December and while the menu seemed slightly different, the appetizer biscuits were still sky-high and the coffee was still strong and hot. The food was still dang good too: H had an enormous breakfast burrito - the accompanying pinto beans were cold, which was too bad - and I branched out to the sweet side of the menu, trying french toast made with pecan cinnamon rolls. Delicious and only about eight million calories, I'm sure.

It was still overcast and windy when we left Ruth's so we continued up Emigration Canyon, stopping to stretch our legs and spot a moose way up on the hill at Little Dell Reservoir. After that, realizing that we really didn't have to be anywhere in particular, we did a little bit of exploring, heading south-ish and east-ish to the farmlands of Francis - a threadbare red fox trotted down the middle of the road in front of us for a while; and a young moose relaxing in the scrub stared back at us when we stopped to stare at him - and then on to Midway. Midway is a lovely little town, with adorable tiny old houses and storefronts on the main street. It's also home to Soldier Hollow, where the 2002 Olympics' Nordic events were held and where the border collie trials take place now. We made a loop of the drive, continuing along the lower Provo River - spying a huge bald eagle sitting in a tree on the riverbank - through Provo Canyon and then back home.

Our day wasn't over yet, however! I had a coupon for 10% off a total purchase at Lowe's so off we went for a cheap-o gas grill and a cheap-o lawnmower. We then spent the next 2+ hours assembling the grill*, but that was fine since we were outside in the springtime with no blackflies to bother us. We must have done enough of it correctly because it worked well enough to cook dinner - I'm thrilled to have a grill again ... and equally thrilled to not have to put bugstuff on just to use it.

* Belated HUGE thanks to H's dad for putting our last grill together for us lo those many years ago. There are really a lot of pieces involved - what a job!