Dave and Gretta: September 2015

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Great Day with the Bastians--and with Sheepdogs and Splashdogs

Dave and I had seen wiry, little sheepdogs herd bulky gobs of sheep, but we had never seen dogs do high jumps and broad jumps to get a bone. We saw both on September 7, 2015--Labor Day--at the International Sheepdog Championships in Soldier Hollow. Even better, we shared the experience with Heidi's family, the Bastians.

Fifteen teams of sheepdogs and sheep herders from all over the world competed at the International Sheepdog Championships. Their task was to bring two groups of sheep (eight sheep each) down a mountainside, through several gates, into a "sheep ring." They then separated out all but five sheep with red collars (from many sheep without collars) and herded those five special sheep into a pen. It was amazing to watch the dog and herder work together, through calls and whistles, to complete the job, fast and efficiently.

The Bastians invited us to join them at the sheepdog event, and they brought all the gear--chairs, umbrellas, and a great lunch of homemade bread, meats and cheeses, grapes, and cookbook perfect chocolate chip and gingersnap cookies. We brought the lemonade, cameras, and curiosity.

Mike and Heidi relaxed next to Marissa, Bevan, Gay, and Kelvyn.

The Bastians are talented and hard working. Heidi's sister, Marissa, has a master's degree in food science, and now is completing another degree in fashion design.

Heidi's sister, Jessica, is a graduate in chemistry who now breeds her own heirloom seeds. She and husband, Josh, are concerned about "sustainability" and are looking for their own farm from where Josh will also do computer programing remotely. Heidi's sister, Calise, is still in high school, but she is already finishing a cosmetology course.

We took a break from the sheepdog championships to watch the splash dog championships. The world champions can leap nearly 7 feet high and jump 28 feet long.

There was a "midway" with many shops and demonstrations. Native American elders displayed their weaving, and refugees from Rwanda showed the goats that they are raising for meat. "Many Africans living in Utah can't get good goat meat," one refugee told me, as he stood next to his goat pen.

We got met one of the splash dog contestants. His owner wore a tee shirt that said, "Don't judge my Rottweiler."

Sam recuperated from the sun and excitement with a cheese sandwich.

When we left, in the early afternoon, Sam took with him two of the Bastians' great gingersnap cookies.

As we drove home, Sam bore all the marks of a perfect day--an entrance stamp on his hand, cookie crumbs around his mouth, and his dad's iPad.

He was asleep as soon as we turned on the engine.

One more icon as we drove home--a picturesque barn in Park City, draped with the flag.

Jonny, Sam and the Fejoida

Over the 2015 Labor Day weekend, Jonny, Jenny, and Sam visited SLC. Jenny spent most of the weekend at our Oakley cabin on her "Girls' Retreat" with her mother, sisters, and grandmother. Jonny and Sam partied with us. On Saturday morning, Jonny, Sam, and David hiked to the top of Sugar Mountain, behind our house, and looked down at the city below.

Jonny and Sam attended several parties with the Swallows and Turners. Lewis Turner and Beau Swallow are Sam's friends.

Dave, Jonny, Sam and I ate breakfast at Straw Market in the Lower Avenues, which has home-cooked everything--omelets, burritos, cinnamon rolls, and even homemade raspberry vinaigrette dressing for my breakfast green salad.

Jonny joined us on a city-wide shopping trip for ingredients for our Brazilian feast on Sunday. We bought melons and peaches at the Farmer's Market, linguisa sausage and other meats at Whole Foods, and the really exotic things--ground yucca root, tapioca flour--at Rancho Market, a new Hispanic grocery store in SLC.

Family wandered in and out of our house all day Saturday. After the gang huddled in Dave's Timp Room for the BYU/Nebraska football game, Jonny and Sam left for a friends' party and Mike and Heidi came with Dave and me to Mahider's for Ethiopian food. "This is a prelude to your trip to India," we teased Heidi. "Going to India" represents, for her, the wildest of the adventures Mike may take her on! No forks were served with our Ethiopian dinner. We tore off pieces of the spongy sourdough pancake, "injera," and wrapped around the various types of "wat," or stew.

Mike and Heidi invited us to breakfast on Sunday morning for their signature German pancakes with fruit and a selection of syrups. They are a beautiful couple with a beautiful home.

Jonny needed three of the pancakes/popovers.

Sam and Jonny came with us to Church. At first Sam would have no part of the nursery, but he later settled right in, including impressing the nursery ladies by spelling "tomorrow" and "music," and adding 7 plus 2. Annie Poelman taught the Gospel Doctrine class on women in the Church, to our delight!

And finally...the Brazilian feast! We had 30 guests for fejoida, kale, fruit, cheese bread, Brazilian limeade, passion fruit smoothies, and flan with peaches. Jonny and Sam, the Eberts, Mike and Heidi,
Spencer and Grant Flindt with Grant's friend Dylan, the Bastians, Dave Leatham, Dave's son Danny, Danny's son Jude, Herb and JoDee Flindt, and Dave and Julie Monson--it was a huge and happy collection of friends and family.

Steve pronounced the passion fruit smoothie good.

Danny's wife, Ashley, was at the "Girls' Retreat" with Jenny, as was Dave's wife, Shelly.

Spencer, Dylan, and Grant have survived their first two weeks at BYU.

Herb and JoDee Flindt enjoyed spending time with Spencer and Grant, including giving them a ride back to Provo. JoDee was a big help in making Jonny's cheese bread. She kneaded in the tapioca flour and dropped marble-sized globs of it on baking sheets to be baked.