Catching Up - Coming Home

When we got home from Connecticut, there was just enough time to take a break before going back to work for the 4th of July Parade. We held rehearsals on Monday and Tuesday, and marched in the parade on Wednesday. It was hot, but we were prepared. Everything went extremely well, and the kids were AWEsome. Our band won Best Band! Go Hillcrest!

We also went to Scoop Jam. This is Idaho Falls' version of Zoofari. It turned out to be a bust. Instead of ice cream coming from the same vendor (like Zoofari) it was a bunch of different vendors set up. This might have been a good thing, except you had to hope that their ice cream was decent after you waited in a 10 minute line. Most of it wasn't. Some of it was downright gross. However, there was a place called Graeter's (you can only buy it at Fred Meyer) whose ice cream was delicious! We went through their line about 4 times. Charlie got his first taste of cotton candy.

 

Chad's free sunglasses from Idaho Central Credit Union.

 Speaking of which, Zoofari is on SATURDAY!!!! I look forward to this day every summer. 2 1/2 hours of all you can eat Breyer's ice cream at the Pocatello Zoo for $6/adult. We missed it last year because we were in California.

We also went to a local baseball game with our neighbors. Charlie had some more cotton candy.

Charlie the baby with Charlie the Chukar.

I also got my first Bountiful Basket ever! I was SO excited!

Here is what I got:
Blueberries - I made blueberry muffins
Peaches - I ate some and made some into peach salsa
Radishes - Chad ate some raw and I threw the rest away when they got chewy
Bananas - I left most of these with Erin before we went to CA
Melon of some kind - I left this with Erin before we went to CA
Cauliflower - I left this with Erin before we went to CA
Plumcots - Interesting cross between a plum and an apricot. I ate them
Squash - I cooked it and pureed it for Charlie
Tomatoes - Made some into salsa - ate others on salad/sandwiches, etc.
Kale - I boiled this and stirred it into a pasta dish. I read online that kale is the little piece of green that shows up on your plate at restaurants as a garnish. It dawned on me that kale is the crap we used to dare each other to eat when we were little because we knew it was just for decoration! ... it should still be "just for decoration". Whoever tried to convince the rest of us that kale is healthy and delicious is downright wrong.
Red corn - This was such a pretty color raw. I thought I would take pictures after I boiled it for dinner (on the cob). But when you boil it, it turns a weird brown, purple-y color that is not as pretty

 

It is crunchier than regular corn and has a stronger taste. We liked it.  

At some point I bought strawberries and found this Siamese specimen.

We also went to a retirement party for my clarinet professor.

Bill Holman, Charlie, me and Chad. I'm sad this picture is blurry.