Plein Air Painting

More than a year ago I bought myself an Art Toolkit and this summer I was finally able to use it. In mid-July we hit up one of our favorite fishing spots in the high Uinta Mountains and the reflection in the water was just beautiful, so I gave it a go. It turned out much better than I expected. The Uintas are a place we go to escape the heat of the Salt Lake Valley in the summer. We’ll bring a lunch and spend a whole day out there; lounging, fishing, painting, and enjoying the quiet with no cell service.

Pass Lake, Uinta Mountains, UT

Since then I’ve used my Art Toolkit a few times on some of our summer travels and even in my friend’s backyard.

Split Mountain Campground, Green River, Dinosaur National Monument, UT

This was such a wonderful little spot to spend an afternoon. We explored some of the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument, but we had no idea what there was to see other than a museum about dinosaurs. We found some day-use parking at the Split Mountain Campground and we thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful spot. My husband and my oldest son did some fly fishing while my youngest and I chilled in the shade painting and building a sand castle. I cannot wait to get back there someday.

Lucerne Valley Beach, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, UT

Fishing with my son at a local pond

I was reluctant to share this painting when I took my son fishing one early morning before it got hot. I’m actually not happy with it. I had a plan for the water and then a bunch of ducks kept swimming by and made me change it and before I knew it, the water was a mess. Oh well. It was a learning experience. I did go back over the trees with black ink to flush out some of the shapes and I was a little happier with it. But still not happy about the water.

Lone Peak, Wasatch Mountains, UT, view from my friend’s backyard

The Art Toolkit is really thought-out and obviously curated by an artist. It comes decked out with all of the little essentials you’d need for some plein air watercolor painting. It comes with a water brush, pencil, waterproof pen, a tiny squirt bottle, a syringe for refilling the water brush, a little, plastic ruler, two tiny binder clips, and a notebook of watercolor paper that fits perfectly in the big pocket. Lastly, you can choose from a variety of options for the Pocket Pallete

I have since replaced the pen with a couple new ones since I wore out the one that came with it. I have added a second Pocket Palette to my kit; one with warm colors, the other with cool colors. I added a couple more water brushes and I keep a few business cards in one of the pockets. Sometimes I can bring a cup of water with me, so I keep a couple of my favorite regular brushes in there. I never would’ve thought of the little binder clips that come with it, but I use them each and every time I paint.

I really hope to fill up the book that came with the kit. It brings me so much joy to be able to capture a little moment when I see a beautiful landscape.

Strawberry Reservoir, UT

Backpacking: American Fork Canyon, Silver Lake

I backpacked for the first time when I was about 18 in northern California and I didn’t go backpacking again until last month; so 24 years later. My oldest son was quite literally hooked on fishing a few years ago thanks to YouTube and he wanted to add backpacking to his repertoire and try some fishing in more remote lakes. He really wanted to hit up the Uinta Mountain Wilderness, but I didn’t want to go quite that far from home for his first trip. There are a few affiliate links in this post. Shopping through them earns me a few cents and it helps me pay for this outdoor stuff with my kids, thanks!

If you would have asked me to go backpacking about 10 years ago, I would have told you I was too old for it… seriously. Why is it different in my 40s? Maybe because I have a kid who shows enthusiasm for it and I want to share it with him? Maybe because I’m in better shape physically now than I was in my 30s? I dunno yet. I’ll go on a few more trips and see if I can figure it out.

I did a little research on fun places to backpack along the Wasatch Front and reached out to a few friends who are frequent backpackers and got a good list of recommendations. We settled on a one-night trek up to Silver Lake in American Fork Canyon, which was a little less than an hour from home.

On the off chance that we did this one trip and we both HATED backpacking, I tried to buy gear as cheaply as possible. I bought a used REI Tarn 65L kid’s pack from a friend and I bought myself a Kelty Redwing 50L pack on clearance. My mom gifted me a 2-person backpacking tent for my birthday and we started to figure out what else we were going to need.

My son watched a bunch of backpacking videos on YouTube and declared that we needed a $180 backpacking stove, so I bought the MSR Pocket Rocket for $45 from Scheels. He wanted $200 trekking poles too, so he got a broken pair from Cascade Mountain Tech that we got at Costco a few years ago. They are duct taped to his perfect length. Through a discount from a friend, I ordered two Klymit insulated sleeping pads because I’m an utter wimp if I have to sleep in cold weather. Through that same discount, I splurged on a men’s Nemo down sleeping bag for myself because I’m a side-sleeper and larger then your average hiker. I hate mummy bags and most women’s sleeping bags are too small for me. I found a kid’s backpacking sleeping bag for my son from the REI Garage. We already had good hiking boots and trekking poles for me. We did some research on a recommended water filter and settled on the Sawyer Mini along with a couple of Camelbak Chute water bottles that we already had.

We went midweek to avoids crowds and wanted to leave in the morning, but we didn’t get there until lunchtime. It was hot too. AllTrails said it was 4.7 miles roundtrip, but my Apple Watch clocked us at a smidge under 3 miles one-way. The first half of the hike was in the shade in a beautiful aspen forest. Then the trail opened up to a few switchbacks and panoramic views of the canyon and Mt Timpanogos in the distance. Thankfully, we were warned that the last half-mile to the lake would very steep and rocky; kinda like a stair climber. That was definitely the hardest part, but overall, it was a really beautiful hike.

Hiking with a heavy pack isn’t all that different than hiking with a toddler on my back, so for me, it wasn’t a difficult thing for my body to remember. My son had never hiked with a heavy pack before, and with my pack only holding 50L, it was a challenge to fit everything we wanted to bring and not have his pack be too heavy for his skinny frame. I knew the “rule” was to make sure your pack wasn’t more than 20% of your body weight. That was only about 15 pounds for my son. UGH!

We made it up there and it was beautiful. We found a campsite right away and my son immediately broke out his fly rod and went fishing while I set up our tent.

Our campsite. We were under a fire ban at the time, so we dismantled the rock fire ring that some previous visitors created. Those trees would’ve easily held a hammock, gotta consider bringing one next time.

We had Heather’s Choice Sockeye Salmon Chowder for dinner. We followed the instructions exactly and it was terrible. The flavor was good, but it had a gritty texture that was awful and neither of us could manage more than a few bites. Instead we cooked the lasagne from Mountain House and it was delicious.

After dinner my kiddo did some more fishing, but the wind picked up a little bit and there were no bites. The sun set on the high mountains and there was a gentle breeze. We packed away all of our food and toiletries that have a smell and put them in a waterproof bag and strung them high up in a tree. It only took us like six or seven tries to get it up there, hahahahah!

I never sleep well on the first night of a camping trip, so I tossed and turned, even though I was physically tired. We were close enough to the creek to hear it’s trickling, but I end up wide awake any time I hear what might be an animal. I do really well in a noisy forest with great ambient noise. My son crashed hard and slept through the night. I wonder if it would be worth it to bring a battery-powered white noise machine for me?

In the morning it was a little chilly, but not freezing. My son cooked our breakfast on his own; I was so proud of him wanting to learn how to use the backpacking stove by himself. We had the Breakfast Skillet from Mountain House; which we’ve had before. It’s fantastic.

He fished for a little while and I packed up our tent. We hit the trail just before lunchtime and started to make our way back down the mountain.

I was booking it pretty well, but my son really struggled heading downhill. His pack rubbed on his bony hips and he took a lot more breaks than I expected.

We stopped at a McDonald’s in Lehi for some lunch (his choice) and discussed backpacking overall and whether he wanted to do it again. I was happy to hear him excited to go on more trips.

Lessons Learned:

• I need a larger pack, at least 60 or 70 liters. Maybe I’ll sell my Kelty and get something else, but to be able to fit everything we wanted to bring, I needed more space. I will never be a UL backpacker, and I’m okay with that.

• The Sawyer Mini water filter worked well, but the flow was pretty slow. The pouch was also tough to fill up unless we filled it at some kind of waterfall or fast creek. It would have been really tough to fill if we’d only had the lake. Research other options.

• Research different options for keeping our site bear-safe. Maybe a bear canister instead of hanging our food? It was kind of a pain in the butt.

• I brought a little 3-legged stool and I’m SO glad I did. I really loved being able to sit down on something that wasn’t the ground. Research more lightweight chair options.

• Bring a larger portable battery so I can keep my iPhone and watch charged. I liked being able to clock our distance on my watch. The little battery pack I had didn’t last long enough.

• Figure out some padding or something to help prevent rubbing on my son’s hips with his backpack.

• Pack more snacks and get different ones that we usually bring camping. We had a whole bag of snacks that neither of us felt like eating.

• Pack Ibuprofen. I had a headache at bedtime, blech!

Our Gear:

• REI Tarn 65 Kids Backpacking Pack (an older model)

• Kelty Redwing 50L Backpacking Pack

• Kelty Dirt Motel 2 Tent

• Klymit Insulated Sleeping Mats (mine is XL, his is regular)

• Nemo Men’s Disco Down Sleeping Bag

• Eureka Cypress Kid’s Mummy Bag (an old model found on REI Garage)

• Cascade Mountain Tech Trekking Poles

• Black Diamond Trekking Poles

• Merrell Moab Kid’s Waterproof Hiking Boots

• Ahnu Montara Hiking Boots

• MSR Pocket Rocket Backpacking Stove & Fuel

• Sawyer Mini Water Filter

• String Lights (for inside the tent)

• Sunday Afternoons Trucker Hats

• Shred Dog Insulator Jacket

• L.L. Bean Stowaway Women’s Puffy Jacket

• Piscifun Graphic Fly Fishing Rod

Tommy's Lemonade Stand

My oldest son had a school project to create a business plan for a lemonade stand. As a 4th grade class, they read The Lemonade War together; it’s about two 4th graders who battle each other with their own lemonade stands. After it was finished they had to learn what it would take to start a business. They researched what supplies would be needed and price the cost of lemons, sugar, and whatever else they wanted to sell at their stand. They researched the cost differences between making lemonade from scratch versus buying a powdered mix and had to figure out what to charge. They had to compare pricing of those supplies between different stores. They researched different ways to advertise and include those costs. They had to make some examples of advertising too (flyers, business cards, social media ads, etc.).

Because this project was assigned while distance learning, his teacher made it optional for kids to actually have a lemonade stand. Quarantine restrictions were loosened a lot last month for us, so my son asked if we could actually do it. Knowing I would be doing a lot of the work, I begrudgingly agreed.

Tommy, foodie that he is, wanted to do scratch-made lemonade, and we used a recipe from Chef Freyka; the chef who taught a cooking class he attended last year at Harmon’s. He wanted to offer add-ons like iced tea to make Arnold Palmers and strawberries for strawberry lemonade.

Lastly, he REALLY wanted to make Brazilian Limeade; a drink that we all love. You can usually order it from Brazilian Steakhouses like Fogo de Chão or Rodizio Grill. This is a link to the recipe we followed. Essentially, 3 whole limes quartered, 1 cup of sugar, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 quart of water. Pulse in a blender for about 10 seconds and then immediately pour through a fine sieve. Pour over ice and enjoy. It’s very refreshing. At some point this summer I’m going to have to see how tasty it is with a shot of rum. Blendtec FTW!

From Costco we bought ten pounds each of lemons and limes, plus a 4lb package of strawberries and 20lbs of ice. From Sam’s Club we bought two 2-gallon beverage containers with a spigot (something I had wanted to buy already). We bought four cans of sweetened condensed milk and a 4lb bag of sugar from Walmart.

The last thing we needed to figure out was a juicer. We had a small, manual citrus juicer, but that was going to be exhausting to juice 20 pounds of fruit. KitchenAid makes a citrus juicer attachment that fits their mixers, but I really didn’t want to spend $30-$35 on one not knowing how often we’d use it. It’s great for when you need to juice 50 lemons, but not needed when you only need to juice a few.

Then we got lucky. While looking through small appliances at a Walmart, Tommy spotted the KitchenAid juicer on a high shelf. He scanned it and discovered it was only $5. I thought for sure it would be a mistake, but it wasn’t. Score!

We already had a 10’ canopy, a folding table, a table cloth, and chairs, and we already had a Costco-sized package of Solo cups. I graciously contributed my graphic design skills to help create a couple of signs, which we shared on social media. I forgot to get a photo, but Tommy drew on a large piece of foam board and it was staked into the ground at the end of our street.

It turned out to be a really fun day. Tommy sold out of lemonade after about three hours and we almost sold out of Brazilian limeade too. Neighbors and friends stopped by, even Tommy’s teacher was able come for a quick visit. A few friends and family who don’t live local sent money through Venmo too.

After we figured the cost of fruit, ice, the juicer, sugar, and cups, he still ended up making a profit. I included the juicer and cups because he wants to do this lemonade stand a few more times this summer and those are items he won’t have to buy again and I wouldn’t have purchased them otherwise. So the next time he does this, his expenses should be less.

Of course, we also talked about expenses that he didn’t have to pay for this time like furniture, insurance, federal and state taxes, rental fees for the space, actually paying Mom her graphic design fees and he learned a little bit about what it takes to build a business.

DIY Bookmark

We're all going through such a unique time in our history and we're all doing our best to stay sane and safe. One thing my family has really ramped up while in quarantine is reading. My kids are spending more time reading (sometimes with a fight, sometimes without), and so have I. Even if that means I set up hammocks in the backyard to ensure extreme reading comfort when the weather is beautiful.

Please enjoy this printable DIY bookmark that I created for you and your kids. I designed it for the parenting website I co-founded that’s currently going through a redesign. I will share it there once I have it back up and running.

Most big kids will be able to do this by themselves. Younger kids may need a little help. My 10yo could do it all on his own, my 6yo needed a little help cutting out the teeth. Feel free to share on Instagram and tag me, @alextebowdesigns and also tell me what your favorite book is or what you’re currently reading.

Supplies needed:

• A printer

• Paper or card stock

• Scissors

• Glue stick

• Favorite book

Step 1: Download and print the page with a color printer. Your bookmark will probably last longer if you can print on card stock, but use what you have. Photo paper will work too. Download the file here.

My 6yo and his smirk, hahahah

Step 2: Cut out a bookmark with scissors. My 6yo was able to cut this out by himself with a little help needed to cut out the teeth. 

Step 3: On one bookmark, fold the teeth triangle to the square’s center. Then fold the eyes triangle to the square’s center. 

Step 4:  Apply glue to the back of the eyes triangle and place it back over the teeth triangle. Let the glue dry. A simple glue stick worked great. Some white glue may take a longer to dry.

Step 5: Find a comfy place to sit with your favorite book and use your bookmark to save your spot. Or go sit in a book corner with your book corner! 

Feel free to share on Instagram and tag me @alextebowdesigns and tell me what your favorite book is right now. My 6yo says that Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio is his current favorite. My 10.5yo’s favorite book right now is Major Impossible by Nathan Hale. I’m currently rereading The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher in anticipation of TWO new books coming out this summer.

What are you currently reading?

Thankfulness and Quarantine

We hit the 6 week mark since our schools closed and they will remain closed through the rest of the school year. This makes me sad because my boys have really awesome teachers this year and this was the first school year where I was actually able to volunteer more in their classes. But I understand and I’m not complaining, just sad. I can only hope that the hot summer climate and folks continuing to maintain social distance will allow us to go back to school in August and not have to start a new school year virtually.

I know that we are tremendously lucky in that my husband still has a job and I am able to continue to do freelance work from home. I’m grateful that I am able to be home to help my kids figure out online schooling and that I never got rid of my old MacBookPro, so both of my kids can have their own designated school space. I’m grateful for Google Classroom and for our amazing teachers and how they have moved curriculum online almost seamlessly.

I’m thankful that I don’t typically struggle with anxiety when the world isn’t dealing with a pandemic, but I have am definitely having my moments with what’s going on in the world. I have a harder time falling asleep at night and when I do, I dream of things happening to me and my family that I cannot control. I dream of swimming in a lake only to have it suddenly turn into an ocean and waves are coming over my head. I dream of hiking in the mountains and rocks are falling from above us or winds are threatening to blow my kids off the trails. Why is it that in my dreams, it’s Mother Nature who’s out to get us??

Local fishing pond. It hasn’t yet been stocked this spring, so it’s been nearly empty!

We are chugging along, figuring out a new sense of normalcy in this utterly unique time we’re experiencing. Yes, there have been pandemics in the past, but this is the first in this day of instant access to news and social media. I think sometimes it’s a tremendous help. Other times it’s a hinderance. I have had to make a point to stay off of Facebook more than a few days these past weeks just to give my mind and stress levels time to settle.

Here are a few more things I’m thankful for:

· Bicycles - My 6yo got a mountain bike for his birthday so now we can do bikes rides together. We’ve been exploring paved bike paths and trails and getting some exercise that doesn’t involve whining from my kids.

· Watercolors - I’m not sure why, but I’ve been so much more inspired to paint these last couple of months. And thanks to technology, a clip to hold my iPhone, and my son’s encouragement to create a YouTube channel, I have done a couple of time lapse videos of new paintings. I have more in the works (in my head), so stay tuned! I want to make a bunch of picturesque spots on Utah’s BLM and public lands, so that’s been my current research.

· Virtual Taekwondo Classes - We’ve been a taekwondo family for years. My oldest started when he was three (he’s now ten) and my youngest started just a couple months shy of his 2nd birthday. Then I started taking adult classes about two years ago. Martial arts have been amazing for my kids when it comes to agility, focus, and discipline, but for me, it’s the longest-running workout program I’ve ever done since adulthood. Our studio has almost-seamlessly moved all of our classes to Zoom. They’re adapting and changing the curriculum to work with the tools and space that we all have at home and it’s been so nice to be able to keep that evening routine in our family. Between my boys and me, we’re doing 4-5 classes each week. They keep my stress and anxiety manageable and are a welcome bit of near-normalcy.

· Virtual Yoga - My gym closed in mid March where I happily enjoyed spin classes, yoga, and lap swimming. I really miss the swimming and spin, but they’ve created yoga classes I can do at home, any time I want. I’m so, so thankful for them.

· FaceTime, Zoom, and Google Hangout - We sang happy birthday to my niece via Zoom when she turned three and we couldn’t be there for a birthday party. We received multiple videos from family and friends when my youngest celebrated his 6th birthday at home. My oldest read a book to his cousins via FaceTime (and will do it again). My kids chat with friends on Google Hangout or Zoom while they build things in Minecraft together. My husband did a Zoom call with our cousins to share how we make mac n cheese. We regularly FaceTime with my sister, brothers, or my parents and eat dinner together. We chat with cousins who live in other states and countries and this pandemic has brought us closer. My kids’ teachers are using Google Hangout to teach lessons, administer tests (my 6yo went up a reading level, yesss!), and spend time with their students.

· Outdoor Spaces - Since the stay-at-home recommendations came from our governor, all city parks, splash pads, skate parks, and bike parks have closed. There is even caution tape wrapped around pavilions that shade picnic tables. We aren’t technically banned from leaving our neighborhood to explore outside, we’re just advised to maintain social distancing. So a couple of times each week we head out to find some wilderness to play in. We’ve driven past quite a few trailheads and parks to see nearly-full parking lots and just kept on driving. Sometimes we end up at our local fishing pond, where we’ve barely seen anyone there, or we drive an hour or more to a more remote spot to enjoy a picnic lunch, some hammock snuggles, and maybe some fishing if there’s a pond or stream. Even some sand to dig in or trees to climb can be enough to keep my boys happy. In these unique times I am SO thankful for where I live.

· My Mother in Law - My MIL was visiting us from California when shit got serious there and shelter-in-place orders were put in place throughout most of the state. She tried to fly home early on and missed her flight. Since then, we just convinced her to stay here. Our house is small (feeling smaller than ever right now), but she has her own bedroom and bathroom. Best of all, she’s cooking up a storm for us and making both my life and my husband’s life easier because of it. She’s enjoying trying new recipes and experimenting with new methods. Knowing that she’s taking care of dinner helps me not stress about having enough time to get my own work done AND be there to help my kids with virtual school. Her presence also lets me leave the house while my husband is at work and take a little alone time when I need it.

· Hammocks - Just because.

What are you thankful for during this tough time? Any positive things coming from it?