I LOVE this town!

Shortly after moving here, I found a stand with brochures. I grabbed a handful. Brochures on hiking trails, food, bed and breakfasts, a heritage driving tour, the canyon, horseback riding, historic main street: a 45-minute self-guided walking tour, the Heritage Center. I want to experience every last nook and cranny of this place. Jason came home from work one Saturday early and quite unexpectedly (at 3 p.m.) and asked if I wanted to go on a hike. I had been wanting to go on this hike ever since I discovered it in my trusty brochure, so I was giddy with excitement for our adventure and with love for this man! The 1.3 mile hike in a circle was beautiful! Loved it! Another day, Jason discovered a trail around the golf course close by. I never would have known there was a whole different world a few blocks away. We might as well have been in the canyon (minus the paved road). The path winds through tall, dense trees and takes you across two bridges over the river. I think I'll have to take my kids a bunch of times before it snows.

Well, I read in one of the brochures about a honey bee tour we could go on. Awesome! I loaded up the kids expecting so see swarms and swarms of honeybees at work through a ceiling-to-floor, wall-sized glass panel (my vivid imagination at work - I mean that's how you view sharks and fish, right? Why not bees). I expected the swarms to form a bee coat all over a man dressed head to toe in bee gear. We were pumped. Another woman with her kids arrived at the same time. Picture me with a large camera around my neck as I inquire if she is here for the bee tour. She had just driven by and saw the place and decided to check it out (probably to see the gift shop). Someone directed me around the corner to the very end of the gift shop. We squished our bodies past all the gift stands to the area specified and searched the room.....this must be wrong. My eyes doubtfully scanned the area high, low and wide. I could not find the bees......

.....ooOoh. There they are.

Someone quickly showed us how the bees carry pollen on their legs (which I've never seen before - it was interesting). McKenzie was disappointed that she never saw the pollen-legged bee. I wasn't able to hoist her up there close enough, quickly enough to see him before he disappeared behind his co-workers.

Next was a quick walk to the warehouse where we followed a narrow path lined with boxes, 'til we got to this area where we unfolded a few metal chairs and watched a movie. As you can see, at some point the other mom and her children joined us. My excitement for the kind of tour I had envisioned must have shown through.

Well, kids, I'm so glad that I pried you away from our t.v. at home so we could have a real-life experience. I chatted with the other mom a little and we snickered a little. But, alas, I was there with a camera taking pictures. I'm sure she thought, "Wow, you need to venture out of this town and experience something big". To which I replied in my mind, "I LOVE this town!"

This fella was the star of the show. Yes, he's a fella. It took me a minute (I'm sure the mullet was very stylish back then).

Two pieces of trivia:

1. Do you think the movie has been updated since 1982?

I'm going to take a chance and guess no.

2. Do you think the warehouse is stocked with enough trash cans per 3 employees?

I'm going to have to go with box A: "True" or "yes"

P.S. I'm seriously going to look into buying honey from this place when my jug is getting low.