We took a long weekend trip this past weekend. A much needed break from everything that has been going on around here. A break from all the work that has turned into more than just a painting project. A trip that had been planned a couple of months ago for during the time Mom is here visiting. It was wonderful!
An early morning drive to our destination got everyone excited about the weekend ahead.
Just a few more miles till we got there. Is it me or does it always seem the last few miles are the hardest to get through when traveling?
A festival to celebrate the sheep herding heritage in Central Idaho.
A first time event for all of us.
A cool, crisp Fall morning to enjoy all the woolly stuff that surrounded us. It was absolutely perfect!
Most of Saturday was filled with all the sights at the Fiber Festival in Hailey, Id. The girls learned about shearing. How to calm the sheep so it doesn't flail around too much for you. Why the sheep get sheared in the Fall (because of lambing reasons). And which breeds have the best wool for making the best yarns. And if the sheep get nicked while being sheared their lanolin is the only thing used in letting the scrap heal. Who know?! The girls were even given souvenir bits of wool just for asking questions about everything. Pretty cool!
There were lots of sheep wagons to check out. So neat to see that everything one needs to survive an entire season of herding is contained in this one little "home". Some can get pretty fancy.
I was mesmerized by all the spinners that were at the Festival. It looked so peaceful and meditative. After sitting there for nearly a half hour watching, asking questions and being able to get the feel of the wool while spinning, there may be a spinning wheel in my future. It was one of my highlights of the weekend.
Then there was time taken out from wandering around all the booths and drooling over all the yarn in front of me at every turn. A lunch break had to be taken. A lamb burger no less. It was everyones first taste of lamb and it was awesome. Definitely won't be the last. After lunch there was dancing to be seen by the Oinkari Basque Dancers of Boise. I could have sat for hours watching all the different dance groups.
Then after seeing all that we could at the Festival in Hailey and then checking in at the hotel, a trip up north was made to see one of our favorite places in this part of the state.
All the Aspen trees were turning their gold color.
Snow on the mountains could be seen ahead of us. Such a pretty sight.
Scenic overlooks where taken advantage of. I could never get tired of seeing these gorgeous snow covered mountains.
We finally made it to our destination.
It's breath taking up there. And much nicer when it's not packed to the gills with all of Summer's campers. Being able to hear the wind going through the trees and hearing the lake lap at the shores is the absolute best thing. It grabs your soul. Miss B was so excited to finally get to see it for herself and not just look at it in pictures. The last in the family to see this amazing area. She loved every minute of it.
After a while of exploring, looking for rocks and experiencing exactly how cold the lake water really is, we had to leave due to a storm that was coming in and the temperature dropping quickly.
So back through the mountains it was to head for our little hotel to be all cozy and warm for the night and rest up for our next day of adventure in the Hailey/Ketchum, Id area.
More later!
~*~
kar
What a lovely time you've been having on your get away. I grew up with sheep, the shearing was done once a year, now my brother shears twice a year because he has bred his sheep that way. Mum use to spin wool, she dyed it and we helped comb it out before spinning took place. She knitted some socks and a jumper. It's lovely to see the process. So you've tasted lamb for the first time. I'm glad you enjoyed it. You should taste roast leg of lamb with garlic cloves and rosemary, it's simply divine with roast vegetables, cauliflower or broccoli cheese (au gratin) gravy and mint sauce which is made from fresh mint, apple cider vinegar, sugar and hot water. It's probably my favourite meal and very traditionally Australian. Looking forward to your next installment.
ReplyDeleteAnne xx
What a shock to see on your blog those Basque dancers performing in Idaho!! My eyes were glued to the picture, not able to believe what they were showing me. I'm glad you liked them!
ReplyDeleteThe scenery in your state is such a blessing. If I ever take a plane to cross the ocean that's what I want to see while I'm abroad, for sure.
A vacation sounds really nice. Again, you guys find the most perfect places to travel in your area. That festival sounds amazing and I enjoyed watching the dancers. Learned a little something more about sheep. Lanolin, who knew? I think I just had lamb recently. I went to a Greek festival and tried something. The meat was chopped but I'm pretty sure it was lamb because it surely didn't taste like beef. I'll have to try it again to see how/if I really like it or to know it's distinct flavor.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh Kar your trip looks like it was absolutely wonderful! Going to a wool festival is on my list of things to do. I'm hoping to get a lamb in spring if all goes well so I can spin my own. I have been wanting to learn to spin for years. SO cool that you got to get a away with your mama.
ReplyDeleteYou are NOT going to believe this, but I just signed up yesterday for a spinning class at the local yarn shop...AND...I have been talking to Mr about getting sheep, not sure if we will but we've been talking about it. I really enjoyed this post :)))
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