Going places!

This past week we finally began to move forward on the landscaping again after our water issues delay. So we're working now on finishing up the front yard and getting that area looking good. We have moved and transplanted many plants around the yard and as we do a little work now and then, things are getting there.
We were super busy this week as well getting ready for our road trip to SLC to see Greg Brown. Lisa, Cobi and I were all ready to go with the car packed on Friday night when at 3am Saturday I stretched and heard a pop, then excruciating pain. I was up and hurting with horrible neck pains. (You may know already I've been having some serious shoulder troubles lately too and figured this was caused by that.) So we delayed our departure long enough to visit the chiropractor on the way out of town. I'm still hurting but was not going to cancel this trip!
We left Boise around 11am and made pretty good time. Stopped at Antelope Island on our way into town. It is an island in the Salt Lake that you can drive to. There is a visitor's center telling all about the Great Salt Lake and as you drive around the island you can see many of the local inhabitants including antelope and buffalo.

We took some time to wade out into the water which is sort of eerie and creepie. It is super shallow and warm with nothing but brine shrimp swimming in the entire lake. Weird huh? We walked out very far and it only remotely began to deepen and cool off a bit.
This is Lisa and I wading in the Great Salt Lake

After checking into the hotel we walked downtown for dinner at the New Yorker Grill. Dinner was nice and we were caught in a beautiful summer rain on our way back to the hotel where we crashed hard to rest for Sunday's adventures.
Sunday morning we got up slow which was nice! Ate some breaky in our hotel room and went to the art museum, UMFA which had a visiting exhibit of Monet to Picasso. It was so beautiful and amazing to get to see this exhibit while in SLC.

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After that we grabbed a couple of geocaches in the area. We then rested at the hotel, watched some Olympics and ate some lunch. Then off to the botanical gardens for the concert!
All we can say is WOW!! The concert was so awesome. There was a huge thunderstorm that was booming against the hills as we waited in line to enter the ampitheatre and chatted with the locals. Then, all of a sudden, the doors opened and the storm went away. The sun came out and the music filled the air. Greg didn't come onto the stage until the sun had set but prior to that his daughter, Pieta Brown and her husband, Bo Ramsey did a set, then Greg's wife, Iris Dement sang a set as well. Finally, the man himself came out and put on a great show. Oh~ and I did get to say 'hi' to him again as he walked through the ampitheatre. I put in a big plug for him to come to Idaho soon, he said he'd give it a try. The finale was amazing as the whole family, Bo, Pieta, Greg, Iris and their adopted daughter came onto the stage and sang Amazing Grace.
Greg and Bo Ramsey:

Finale with the whole fam:


The next morning we woke up slowly and took our time sinking our teeth into the final day of our roadtrip. My neck was feeling much better by Sunday am too! Cobi, Lis and I took the morning to wander around Red Butte Botanical gardens. It was a lovely way to start the day and early enough we had the gardens to ourselves.

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Then loaded into the car and started out toward home. Did a little geocaching along the way and conformed Lisa into a cacher. Stopped at the most amazing site, the Bonneville Salt flats and took some time to gape in awe at the remarkable openness and foreigness of the landscape.

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Finally satiated, Cobi drove while Lisa and I dozed through the wonderfully entertaining landscape scenery of Nevada. Once back in Idaho we stopped in Twin for a burger and made it home safe and sound late Monday night.
What a ride! :D