Flashback Friday - Ode to the Valley

The 4th of July is just around the corner, geesh! I swear summer just started in Utah? It's my favorite holiday, next to Christmas. And that holiday always makes me remember the childhood summers spent at "the Valley". There is an awesome old house/cabin on a beautiful piece of land in Eden, Utah near Pineview Reservoir. It's a mile down the road, west, of The Valley Market and Maverick. I should ask my parents how we ended up calling it "the Valley". Close friends and family know it as the Valley too. To others it's just some old house/cabin at the base of a mountain. I want to make it a tradition with my kids to go up there at least for a day and play at Pineview. We go to Huntsville and the best beach is on "The Bluff". Maybe we'll get a boat one day too. Greg would love that!

It belonged to my dad's side of the family, but most of the time we were up there with my mom's side.

I love the drive up Ogden Canyon or taking Trappers Loop up Mt. Green. I love going to Pineview also. All the years of going there and only like once did we have a boat to play on. Kinda funny how we'd just have hours of fun using air floaties.

The best times and some of my favorite memories all belong to being at the Valley. Here are a few... Running and playing on the big lawn, playing volleyball, old swing sets, HORSES, tennis court that rarely was used for tennis, night time hide-n-go seek games, bright surrounding hanging yard lights, campers, cousins, big breakfasts, sand box, pump house, dry riverbed to wander in, on good years - a running river to skip rocks, sharing one bathroom for everyone, freezing in the morning cold, long tables and chairs always set up to eat, hang out, and play games on with extended family, burning the garbage in a metal barrel, playing in the barn, big metal "teeter totter" to run and play on - and someone always got hurt, old blue tracker/mower, sprinklers, allergies - gotta love hay fever, driving in a caravan to Pineview, getting excited when we'd see another car with family members driving down the rocky lane to the house, fun fireworks, and illegal fireworks - thanks dad.
And I can't forget the years I'd go up there with friends, summer or winter, parking on the street entrance because the snow was too deep to drive in, having fires, runs to Maverick to use the bathroom, hanging out at the Valley Market, picking couches to sleep on, dancing to the stereo music, sun burns, staying up late, a few times being scared, talking , relaxing, and laughing non stop.

It may sound weird, but I also LOVE the smell of the Valley. I suppose it was the weeds and alfalfa in the fields, and Cottonwood trees, but I love it. If you're up there, just roll down your windows and you can usually smell the freshness up there by Pineview also.

Below is me as a baby being held by my mom with my sis. Amy and bro. Cameron. I chose this picture because it shows the big outdoor fireplace in the back ground. It got washed away one year with the flooding river.

Summer of '84. We brought up our "Wet Banana" water slide thing to play on. With my siblings, I'm on the far left.

Below is Labor Day weekend of '89 eating out with cousins and grandparents.

Below is my immediate family at a reunion in '93, with the tennis court and old swing set stuff in the back ground. Don't we all look lovely?

Inside the house, big living room playing the piano and hanging out with cousins. And this was just last summer, my Jax playing on an old toy. I played on this when I was his age. It has stood the test of time. I had to add this picture of my Great G-pa Ren Williamsen. Here he is pretending to ride a pony. This was about 1958. He was the one who bought and started "the Valley". A lot of the trees are now gone. I liked this because it is a classic fun old time. Volleyball net, swing sets, pony, sunshine in black and white.

Has Summer Arrived?

Well I'm sick of looking at my same old post, so here are some new pictures. My work party at Fat Cats, Jax attempted his first time bowling. He refused to put on the cute little bowling shoes, and he didn't want to use the ball ramp for him to get some speed down the lane. So we watched the ball inch it's way, but he always was able to knock down some pins. He had fun. But in the end just wanted to play at the arcades. We didn't even have to put money in, he just thought it was fun to "pretend" to play. Finally in the 90 degree temps. I don't know if that's actually a good thing, but pool time and playing outside is always nice.
Jax jumping at my mom's house with his favorite person, cousin Liam.
Woooeeeeee! Creed zipping down the slide at grandma's fun house. I love my new camera, it takes the shot instantly, no blurry boy zooming down the slide.
I need to go up to my parents house more often, the boys loved it. So much to do. They have their own little park going on in the back yard. Good job mom!

*Hanging Around*

On Saturday we went up Ferguson Canyon and rock climbed. Jax loved swinging around like Spiderman. He did pretty good at climbing up the rock. He went up about 12 feet high. Greg helped him a little.

Above is picture of Greg climbing. And below is me. I haven't been in years. But I did reach the top. It was tricky keeping Creed happy and entertained while we all climbed. Here he is throwing a big rock.
Here is my burrito. Jax loves to use his imagination. I had to wrap "tie" him up so he couldn't get a way. But he is a super hero, so he finally broke free.