Our Father's Day Weekend...

It's been a little rainy around here this June, but at least it hasn't been snowy (last year it snowed on June 12th!). On Friday we had the privilege of attending Brady Powell's wedding at the Rexburg Temple,

(internet photo)

and spending a little time with the Powell family and the Rogalsky's at his wedding luncheon. We sure miss our 14th ward family in Boise!

The precipitation has slowed down the last couple of days, so on Saturday we ventured out with our mountain bikes to Harriman Ranch in Island Park...

Stopping for lunch at Swan Lake (wildlife refuge) John had the camera on Saturday...Pretty impressive, huh?

Betcha didn't know he had such an "artsy" eye!

After church and a barbeque with all the kids this afternoon, John and I headed out on a Sunday drive to Cave Falls. It is just inside Yellowstone Park in the Bechler region. The entrance is just north of Ashton, on the southern border of the park. We can't get the kids to go on our Sunday drives with us. Boy, are they missing out!

Can't go without part of my
Yellowstone Park book collection...

Cave Falls middle plunge is about
15 ft high and 250 ft wide!

Can you believe that this is just
a little over an hour from our house?

Then the dark clouds start to roll in...

...and we're in the truck,
just in time to keep our rain gear dry!

Sunday drives are the best!

It's today!!! Stampede Days is here...

We passed out flyers,

tossed Tootsie Rolls,

and had mini"solo" performances along the parade route.

Then we had a final, last "hurrah!" performance
in front of Broulim's---

in the rain,

next to the hot dog stand.

Bethany was our Stampede guest performer--

she did a flamenco number,
Irish hard shoe,
and an Indian medley where
she wore bells around her ankles.

Madi did a "Numa, Numa" solo (Thanks Laura--this is all of my other clogger's favorite dance to watch; they get so excited when it is in the performance order!)

We had to squeegee the floor several times, and mop up water with towels, but all went well!

Our first dance season is officially over!

Getting ready for Stampede Days...

This weekend is

Jefferson County Stampede Days.
For Rigby, this is a pretty big deal. The celebration surrounds a rodeo that has been happening since 1928. It was originally held in Lewisville to help raise money to build a new LDS church building.
In 1939 it moved to Rigby.

Along with the rodeo, there is a parade and a celebration with booths and entertainment in the park.

Last May, I decided to start advertising to gather students for a clogging team. I tried to pick a name that would be a little different from other clogging studios in Idaho/Utah. John and I love Yellowstone Park. We now live less than 100 miles from it. So that's where the first part of the name came from.

The "clogging company" part is obvious. I didn't want to disguise what kind of dance group we are.

The last part came about because I wanted kind of a theme name. Gem Cloggers use words to name there teams like "rubies" and "diamonds." So I picked "Stampede."

Yellowstone Clogging Company STAMPEDE! or
"Yellowstone Stampede" for short.

Now I have groups called
"Stampede Rumble" and
"Stampede Thunder" and
"Stampede Storm."
I kind of like it.

So I sent out flyers in early in May. Soon after, I drove into Rigby and saw signs on all of the lamp posts in town, advertising an event I had never heard of before, and my new clogging team name--STAMPEDE DAYS!

Well, if your clogging group is called Yellowstone Stampede, it is necessary or almost required that your dancers are a part of the whole thing--don't you think. I made up my mind then and there that we would be part of Stampede Days the next time it happened. And here we are getting ready.

Much can happen in one short year...

PS--Laura, if it were not for you, none of this would be. Thank you for sharing your talent with the girls and I. Now there are new cloggers in eastern Idaho benefiting from you as well!
And, last but not least,
I finished ALVOR
(over a week ago,
sorry so slow to post),
and I LOVED it!!!
Keep working on #2...