Your Favorite Passion

Alright, I know I've been promising some new pics but haven't delivered. But today's your lucky day! I'm actually gonna post them! So, these are from way back in June. We went camping/gold panning at Bear River for the weekend. MoMo when she heard we were going camping told me she didn't want to go. But then she heard it was Bear River and she got all excited about the blackberries. Unfortunately, the blackberries were still blossoming and though there were some berries starting to grow, there weren't any ready for eating. She still managed to find some fun there.All you need for hours of fun is a hammer and a giant nail! (Large stump is optional) The first evening after we were done panning and playing in the (VERY cold) water the kids went to work pounding these nails into the ground, the stump and about anything else they could find.Meanwhile the dog was so tuckered out that he plopped down on the ground and tried not to move a muscle. Not sure what that was all about. He hardly did anything all day. But he was pooped. Later we had a campfire and smores before bed.
Next to us at the campground were a couple of fellow gold prospectors. Hubby got chummy with them, talking gold and even helping to get their truck started when it wouldn't start. This paid off when they sent over some leftover dinner they had made. It was basically lasagna but instead of actual lasagna noodles they used rigatoni. And it was A-MAZ-ING! Seriously amazing. Like restaurant quality. And believe it or not, the whole thing was prepared directly over the campfire. No campstoves were used in the making of this marvelous dish. The noodles were boiled over the fire. The sauce cooked over the fire. All of it. And there aren't enough superlatives to adequately describe how yummy and delicious it was. It would have been awesome if it had been served at a regular dinner and yet it was prepared CAMPING over the fire. Wow. Well, that pretty much covers the weekend. The kids did some panning but mostly they played in the water. Hubby and I panned a fair amount of gold. Not that we're rich from it but it's slowly adding up. (today gold is $1181.92 an ounce) and it's fun to just get out there and spend some time in nature.
I also have something else to share with you. I have been busy this weekend canning jam and stuff. I made blueberry jam, sweet cherry jam, pineapple jam, and peach butter.
Aren't they pretty? And tasty, too. My favorite is the peach butter. I'm going to go get some more peaches and make more peach butter. Yum! And then we have some beets in the garden that Hubby wants me to pickle. And maybe even some cucumber pickles if I can find some pickling cucumbers. This is another of my things that once I start I can't stop! I'm addicted! So, anyone need some jam?