Our 2025-2026 school year wrap up was an overwhelming one. Arthur graduated pre-school, he is pretty sure he's a big kid now and needs no help doing anything.
It felt like we were endlessly busy all summer and at the same time it felt like we didn't go anywhere or do anything special. Obviously that can't be the case, because here is photographic proof that Lee and I hiked Adam's Canyon to the lovely upper falls.
While I was doing an enjoyable road trip with my big brosef, Lee and the kids babysat their dog cousin Winston. He is everyone's favorite doggo now.
George played baseball this spring, and it was so fun to watch! His team was undefeated, he learned a lot of great new skills and got to be quite a good hitter. I think we'll be looking to play again next season.
George finished up the third grade and is sticking with French immersion for 4th. I volunteered to help out with field day and it was a delight as always.
Paul finished grade school! He graduated from 6th grade with flying colors. I think he ended up having a very fun final year at Foxboro, with a great teacher and good friends.
My spring/summer hobby has been stalking the wildlife that visits the little wetland areas in our neighborhood. Let me introduce you to a beautiful Black-crowned Night Heron:
Some sweet little ducklings:
And the show stopping Snowy Egret that Arthur named Hangout because we found him "hanging out" near a little footbridge.
I also spotted at least three White Faced Ibis:
So, mostly birds but also one snake!
Paul attended a lot of special events for incoming 7th graders at Mueller Park Jr. High. Look how excited he is:
We visited the delightful sidewalk chalk festival in Bountiful, The kids loved finding drawings of their favorite cartoon characters.
And we got to celebrate Weston and Ella's wedding (again) back at home. The reception was lovely, the leftovers plentiful and delicious.
One of the highlights of my whole summer was singing with the Utah Symphony in the world premiere of Dungeons and Dragons live in concert. Celebrated film composer Lorne Balfe came and conducted the concerts, Lee, Paul, and George came in costume, it was a fantastic experience.
I took upon myself another weird job: I got hired as a poll worker. I worked for the mid-term in June, we'll see if I get called again for November! It was the longest work day I've ever had (7AM-9:30PM, no breaks), but it is quite an experience!
I think the kid's favorite part of summer was hanging out with their Colorado cousins.
We celebrated Independence Day with the Johnsons and the Johnstons by watching fireworks and eating ice cream. What's more American than that?
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| Lee Phillips and brother-in-law Garret Burnett on the Anderson Ferry |
Question: Why did the traveler cross the Ohio River?
I slept in a hammock at the John Bryan campground, ate a cinnamon roll and oatmeal at the Yellow Springs Bakery, bussed to Springfield, rented a car and drove to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH.
My favorite roller coasters were Top Thrill 2 (The tallest one pictured) and Steel Vengeance.
We rented a bunkhouse in Park City for one night and enjoyed time with friends and family. It felt more like glamping and we are planning to do it again next year. The set up was really fun for the kids, totally doable regardless of the weather, and there's a lot less to pack.
Answer: to get to the United Dairy Farmers (UDF) on the other side.
Two thing you should know about me is that I was assigned to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ as a 19 year-old mission in and around Columbus, Dayton, and Chillicothe Ohio and I love ice-cream and milk shakes.
I took a the opportunity to return to my ol' stomping ground with the excuse to visit my nephew Kimball Johnston who was at Wright State University doing a summer internship near Fairborn, an area I lived in for nearly 6 months in 2009. One of my favorite memories while living there as a young adult was visiting Clifton Gorge and some ancient burial mounds. I'm glad I went back to explore more trails in the John Bryan State Park.
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| Kimball and I take a picture of each other through the hollow of a tree on the John L. Rich Trail. |
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| A peaceful bend in the Little Miami River not far from the "Blue Hole" |
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| Rivers Burnett, Kimball Johnston, Garret Burnett, and Lee Phillips |
After finishing our hike, we went to Waffle House for brunch, dropped Kimball off at his apartment, then visited the Charles Young Buffalo Solders National Monument. Garrett and Rivers stamped their parks passport and I completed the Jr Ranger program. |
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| Historic Landmark: Richard P. Eastman Covered Bridge just south of Yellow Springs, Ohio. From the outside it looks like a red barn. |
Lee was happy to go on so many water slides at Cedar Point Shores
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| Cedar Point at night, my favorite time to be at an amusement park |
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| My first time visiting Kirtland Ohio. I could feel a special sacredness walking around the Temple |
The biggest electric guitar I've ever played was at the Cleveland Airport
During a long layover I visited Denver, CO where my dad was assigned to serve a mission. The Denver Art Museum was free that day and the air conditioning inside was just as cool as the art!
Thanks, Lee! Also thanks Lee for planning our next summer activity, a little overnight "camping" trip.
Park City also has birds. I did my part to catch the ones I could.
I put a lot of time into trying to capture this pair of hawks that were just circling and calling to each other constantly. I finally found one holding still (the other flying away in the distance).
Bountiful City always does a big Pioneer Day carnival. It's very nostalgic for me and fun for the kids, especially when they've got cousins visiting for the occasion. Not only did we attend the carnival in the park, but my niece Noelle was in the parade, so we hit both big Pioneer Day events.
We really squeezed the marrow out of life this July! Grandma Jamie took all the kiddos to Ikea and Thanksgiving Point:
Plus she added some accessories to her tree to make it easier to climb.
What a summer!
