From the famous Crossroads of the West, in the shadow of the Everlasting Hills

Dear all,

We just got back from Utah yesterday evening. We're very grateful to Val and Diane for flying us out--thank you!

While in Utah, we mainly hung out with Melanie's family, but we did find time for a trip to the zoo, four-wheeling, shopping, and a massive barbecue that attracted half of the population of South Weber. (The airmen at Hill Air Force Base must have thought they were under attack.) The pictures follow below.

Here's the crew at the zoo, figuring out which animals to see first; I believe they settled on the "Madagascar" exhibit.



Like her grandfather (and her aunt), Libby loves maps.



There's my Abby, the daredevil, walking along a high fence.



Kallie was content to just take it all in...



...and hang out with her grandmother...



...until playground equipment came into the picture.



Some people may chide us for coming to a zoo and playing on the equipment when we could be seeing the animals. Some people are dumb. (And we saw plenty of animals, thank you.)



The daredevil goes at it again. Man, all these girls are really athletic.



When there's a camera around Libby...



...she tends to be in the picture. (Good thing she's cute.)



Back at Val 'n' Diane's house, Kallie loves to hang out in Lindsey's old bedroom, which MIL painted two shades of pink.



Introducing baby Bella, the latest of Blake and Erica's supermodel children.



You know, I just realized that I didn't body-slam Mike the whole time I was in Utah, and this would've been the perfect opportunity.



The girls had a sleep-over at Grandma's house, and Lindsey got in the act.



Here, Ryan is playing around with his new toy, a water bottle that will filter any degree of filth. Supposedly, you could drink water straight out of the Amazon with this bad boy.



And, yes, the four-wheeling. Here's our Ashley.



This is up in Bountiful Canyon. I wasn't there, because I was going on a [limited] shopping-spree for my wife.



On Memorial Day, we had a huge barbecue, and all extended family members were invited. My family actually flew up from California and surprised us.



All in all, a lovely (if fast) trip. Again, thank you, Petersens.