Huckleberryin'!

Eric had to work last week (we missed him!) so the kids and I hitched a ride with grandma and grandpa to Soda Springs to spend some time with great-grandma and head to the mountains in search of huckleberries. I'd been looking forward to this trip all summer. "Huckleberrying" is a family tradition that I love - there's nothing like going to the mountains, knowing the location of the best huckleberry patch (this is information not known to the common U.S. citizen), and spending the morning with people you love seeing who can gather a full gallon bucket first. As I overheard grandma consoling Tiana in the patch after she'd taken a fall among the huckleberry bushes, "You can break your leg in a fall on the mountainside, but don't lose the berries in your bucket!" I was so excited to introduce Tiana to this family tradition and she graciously embraced the experience with as much enthusiasm as I hoped she would. Derek already knew what huckleberries are and where to find them, and it was adorable to watch them and cousin Harrison pick 'em and eat 'em and try to keep a few in the bottom of their buckets.

There's lots to do in Soda, if you're lucky enough to have grown up knowing all of this small town's secrets. We did it all - walked to Hooper, visited the famous Soda Springs geyser, the cemetery where our ancestors are buried, canoed the Bear River (we saw elk, a sunken "pirate ship" row boat, Canadian geese and even pelicans!) and of course ate like kings, courtesy of grandma. Nothing beats her homemade fudgecicles and icebox cake! As I considered this past week why I love Soda so much, I came to the conclusion that it's one of my most favorite places because it's been a constant in my life. Everything else has changed, but Soda has always been there. Same familiar sights, sounds, feel, even smell. As I watched Tiana explore grandma's house with her cousins and delight in the natural soda water spring and playground at Hooper, I caught myself hoping that she will grow to love it as much as I do.

For pictures of our Soda Springs adventure, see our web album!