Weekend Outings: Antelope Island State Park

There were a lot of these artsy bison

I like to get out on the weekends.


 Especially with summer drawing to a close, it's nice to make the effort to see the outdoors. Utah has many State and National Parks to choose from and all within a few hours' drive.

an old washing machine

This weekend we headed up to Antelope Island, only 1.5 hours from our house. The island was first explored by white people in 1845. It was privately owned until 1981 when the state purchased it for a state park. The antelope are native to the island but the bison were brought in in the 1890s.

The geology has rock formations as old as ones found at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. My DH couldn't stop talking about all the stones and all the rocks!

a really large farm chair!

We headed up for a little hike to the top of Buffalo Hill. It got pretty toasty so we stopped after that hike and went on to the historic ranch a few miles down the island. Gabe loved all the old farm equipment. He kept asking questions about what this or that could have been used for and even came up with some interesting ideas for others!

I was born and raised in Utah and I had never been here! I'm so glad we decided to make the journey. We will be back for more hikes and more bison.

a panoramic at the top of the hill

we saw this bison as we were leaving

Wolfy and Frodo

In February I lost my sweet Wolfgang to kidney failure and two months later my oldest cat Frodo also died to kidney failure. It was a very traumatic time for me and one that still makes me weep. I felt both their lives drain away from me and it's been devastating.

I've had Frodo since before I met my husband. He was the first cat to be my cat, not the family cat, not my mom's cat. Even though he was grumpy to everyone else, he loved me. I could pick him up and put him over my shoulder and he would just sit there and rub my head and purr and purr. Every night he'd hop up on my lap in bed and get his nightly pets. He'd knead my arm and lick and purr.


It's been hard to form into words or even get the energy to form words. But we've come into two more cats, both from friends who needed someone to take care of their babies since they couldn't anymore. Nala and Frankie.

We have big hearts and we open up our home. But we forever feel the gap that Wolfy and Frodo leave behind. It's never easy but it does get better.

I found a funny poem that puts it better than I can:

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

I had never heard of Gloria Steinem until very recently...like the last 5 years. I grew up very religious and feminism was not something I was supposed to connect with. Her name was never mentioned in my home or in school, even college. It wasn't until I decided to leave my religion and open up my eyes to different ways of thinking that I became familiar with her name.

I've read things about her since then. I've seen her face online and in magazines. I've watched a documentary about her. But I had never actually read one of her books. So when her new memoir came out last year, I picked it up on a whim while on vacation.

It only took me a few more months to actually sit down and read it. I loved it. Ms. Steinem describes how her literal life on the road has changed her. She shares with us her lessons learned from the people she's met and the places she's stayed.

My favorite stories are how she connects with people one-on-one. Her stories center on talking and communicating and coming together as equals rather than in hierarchies. Traveling and getting out and meeting people and hearing their stories is what can bring us together.

Each chapter focuses on people she met and the stories they shared with her. The good and the bad and in between all come out. A very enlightening memoir and one I'll read again.

Cat Thursday- Happy International Black Cat Appreciation Day

Welcome to the weekly meme (hosted by True Book Addict) that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s)

Here's my own black kitty Shadow. She's crazy but we love her! Black cat appreciation day was yesterday the 17th but I still think the whole week counts!