More Cabin Capers

We have been helping at my parent's summer home with some projects.
Here is Jared putting in the forms for a cement pad.
The retaining wall we made with landscaping beams is very impressive (but no photo).


Tyler and Michael helped Grandpa make a picnic table out of old deck slats.


p.s. too bad I didn't get any photos of the project ring leader -mom- in action.

Grandpa built a new rope swing overlooking the river and meadow.



Waiting turns at Grandpa's swing

Amy and Renee

Of my 4 sisters, 2 live in Utah near mom and dad. So we have spent some time together this summer being moms. Renee has a newborn and Amy has a 2 year old and 4 year old.
Renee shares her homemade pizza and sits down to play a game of Pirate's Cove when Michael begs. Amy lends us the baby supplies we couldn't pack and she gets us hiking and into her pool for playdates.
They fit a lot into each day to take care of their families and others. Amy said that her life probably wouldn't settle down till August (when we are back in Florida).
These amazing ladies have really taken care of us! Thanks for the memories.

Water Day at Willard

more photo journaling of fun family times:








boating is one of Jared's heavens

Old Friends and Cousins

We have been trying to meet up with some of my and Jared's cousins and some of old friends. Now our time in Utah is starting to dwindle and we still hope to fit in a few more.
Thank goodness for blogging and other ways that make keeping in touch easier.
We have really benefited from continuing relationships with neat people.



This is an amazing park in Bothwell made by members of the community. There are really cool displays and the fun playground.



Photo keepsakes are my favorite. I like the saying "Take only photos, leave only footprints."
I take so many photos and still wish I had more-- from visits with the Rupps and Chapmans.


p.s. :) High School buddies!



and law school friends!

I love that Molly is in this picture too.

Dinosaurs and Grandpa

This is the Thanksgiving Point Museum of Ancient Life


What a treat!



Yesterday Grandpa had all but one of his grandkids in town. He came home for work and decided to look at the movie schedule to find a good show. We fed the kids in 5 minutes and then they all piled in the cars. No pictures, but another fun outing with Grandpa!

Grandpas are great!

Peterson Family Reunion

Our mesa -- just outside of Capital Reef National Park in Caineville, Utah


The "homestead" in front of the mesa


Dinner and the tent city on the lawn


Rock shops in Torrey


Uncles and Cousins...




So nice to be with family!

Mining

We made it out to the Kennecott Utah Copper Mine with Jared one day in June.
It was a fun mini science class with the boys. (and for the parents)


I thought it looked kind of sci-fi-ish.


The classic photo from the mine--
These giant tires cost from $18,000 to $26,000 and last just 9 months.
You can see the "little truck" (with four giant tires) hauling ore at the bottom of the next photo.



Michael -watching the trucks haul back and forth



The interesting facts from our tour...


About the Mine

• Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine has produced more copper than any mine in history - about 18.1 million tons.
• The mine is 2-3/4 miles across at the top and 3/4 of a mile deep. You could stack two Sears Towers (now known as the Willis Building) on top of each other and still not reach the top of the mine.
• The mine is so big, it can be seen by the space shuttle astronauts as they pass over the United States.
• By 2015, the mine will be at least 500 feet deeper than it is now.
• If you stretched out all the roads in the open pit mine, you'd have 500 miles of roadway - enough to reach from Salt Lake City to Denver.

About the Equipment

• The giant electric shovels in the mine can scoop up as much as 98 tons in a single bite -- about the weight of 50 cars.
• The newest electric shovels each cost more than $20 million and weigh 3.2 million pounds.
• The trucks that haul the ore are larger than many houses and weigh more than a jumbo jet. They stand over 23 feet tall and can carry from 255 to 360 tons of rock.
• The truck driver rides about 18 feet above the ground -- nearly two stories high.
• The crusher in the pit takes in about 140,000 tons of ore every day and grinds it into chunks smaller than the size of a basketball.
• At 1,215 feet tall, the Kennecott smokestack is the highest structure in Utah.

About Mining in General

• Every deposit of ore in the world is unique. No two ore bodies are alike.
• More than 320,000 people work directly in mining throughout the United States.
• Only about one tenth of one percent of the land in Utah has been touched by mining.

About the Minerals We Use

• The first known use of copper dates back 10,000 years.
• To make all the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters in 1999, the U.S. Mint used about 36,000 tons of copper. That's about as much refined copper as Kennecott produces every 41 days.
• Each American uses more than 40,000 pounds of new minerals every year.
• It takes about 15 different minerals to make a car ... 35 different minerals to make a television ... 30 minerals to make a computer ... and as many as 42 different minerals to make a telephone.