conference weekend and the rest of the fun stuff

 After we showered, we headed out to see more sights. There's a quirky little building down the street from the cabin called The Flute Shop, and we stopped in to let the kids buy a souvenir. So exciting!

 Then they posed in the tee-pee with their new items. Ethan got a rock, Brandon got a sword, Josh got a tiny flute, Makenna got a bracelet, and Ashley got a barrette with beads that hang down over her shoulder.

 We headed into Fruita for a pioneer activity. They had some fabulous bluegrass music going on, as well as a lady cranking out some delicious homemade apple cider, people making pottery, and ladies teaching the kids how to sewing quilts.

 Our favorite was this farmer who told the kids all about branding cattle, and how to make a rope out of cow hair that will repel snakes.

 Here's a horseshoe growing in a tree. And an Ethan climbing in a tree.

 The cowboy let us brand a cow with a hot stick. The kids were proud of the brands they created.

 A sweet old lady sat on the steps of the old farm house with her rolled down socks and told stories about the people who settled the area so long ago, and their dealings with scorpions and other scary things.

 We ate some ice cream and sipped old fashioned soda. Ashley's wouldn't stop foaming with every sip, and it pretty much got everywhere.

 It's fun to watch these two teenagers hangout and have "I know more about everything" competitions.

 And the lack of humidity gets to us occasionally. Josh wouldn't stop licking his lips, until he ended up looking like a clown. Poor guy.

 This is a deep crevice carved out by rivers through the centuries. You can see the decent sized river near Ashley's left hip, way down below.

 This is how the teenagers watched conference. While the ten year old girl took notes...silly boys.

It was a beautiful weekend, and so much fun to share it with my brother's family, who had never been to Capitol Reef before. We did learn that you don't get as much conference listening done when there are hikes calling out to you, so it's not the smartest place to go if you want to listen to the prophet speak. :) Luckily we can always listen on the internet later...