Summer Fun in Utah

*The gather in the my backyard enjoys a little musical warm up before the event begins*

This is a bit of a cornucopia post of some of the summer activities my family and I have been enjoying the past week. It includes a backyard music event of original music, two trips kayaking and tubing down the Provo River, and of course, a hike or two.

BACKYARD-a-palooza

My daughter Yana hosted an original music night in my backyard. She posted the event on social media inviting people in the community to come and perform their original music. Shockingly, we had people show up that we did not even know…and they played their music!

I was surprised that a total stranger would show up at someone’s house and perform their own songs in front of people they have never met before.

While I was surprised, I also thought it was pretty bold and wonderful.

*My daughter welcomes everyone and starts the show*

I thought the event was super cool. I hope Yana does another one. Because I am such an early-bird, I got tired and wasn’t able to hear all the singers. Of the ones I did hear, there was a range of likability. While everyone was super nice, some had better content and abilities than others.

TUBING THE RIVER

The summer fun continued with a few trips down the Provo River. We rented 3 kayaks and 2 tubes. We had the kayaks for a day and the tubes for the weekend.

The river was very crowded on Saturday, however on Sunday, when my daughter and I went down the river in the evening, we were basically the only ones on the water for most of float.

I actually went down all 3 times. The first time was with Mariana and Yana, two of my daughters. Saturday afternoon I went down with a different group.

Yana, Mariana and I at the top of the River

*Visitors as they begin their journey down the river*

*I found a little turn off from the river*

For the Sunday float with Yana, we made the decision launch and the midway point in Wildwood. It was a good decision, because it was getting dark by the time we finished. Had we gone the whole way, we would have floated a good distance in the dark.

*Yana dons a new hat as her and I begin our evening float on Sunday*

Yana is so funny. One of my favorite things about her is her ability to improvise. I what she did in this video. I am biased, but I think she is brilliant.