It is beautiful in Buhl

As you know, I've been dating Fritz a few months now.   He has been very sweet to come to Utah but last weekend, it was my turn to go to Idaho for a visit.  Very specifically Buhl where he owns a farm.  He was very concerned about how I, being a city girl, would feel about a weekend on the farm.  Honestly, I was a little curious too.  So Friday, I wrapped up work, packed the car, and headed out to Idaho.  It is a pretty standard drive through Brigham City but as you keep going, it becomes more and more remote and farmy.  There really isn't much between Tremonton and Twin Falls.  Lots and lots of farm land and cows.  It wasn't a miss on me that it was like a staging queue...similar to how Disney stages their rides so you are put in the mood for the theme of the ride while you wait patiently for your turn.

Just so happens I got there just in time for Fritz to get off work.  He works in Twin Falls so we met for dinner at Jakeys.  Jakeys is a bar and grill but has the best food and we were in time for happy hour.  I ordered a Sangria (the alcohol level was a clear indication we were not in Utah anymore) and we shared some Gorgonzola fries while we caught up.  We had a good dinner and then started making our way out to Buhl.  Buhl is about 30 minutes drive from Twin Falls. 

Buhl tower in town.

More farms, little towns that look like time forgot them.  Farms...corn...cows.  The farm is about 10 minutes from Buhl.  Fritz has the cutest little house.  Just a few years old.  A huge front yard with tall Elm trees....and the biggest Labrador retriever and shorty dog I've ever seen.  The Labrador reminds me more of a Rottweiler in size with a huge head and paws.  His name is Gizmo.  Then shorty dog, her name is Muffin.  They were both very excited to have a visitor.  I won't lie, Gizmo is intimidating because he is so big...and he is blind and hard of hearing.  He is actually a big lover and wants to be a lap dog.  At 120 lbs, that just isn't feasible but that doesn't stop Gizmo from trying.  Fritz was very concerned that Muffin would be aggressive.  She is known to bite but she came up to me and I rubbed her ears and we became very best friends quickly.  Fritz also has 3 cats.  They were not as friendly as the dogs.  But that is normal for cats...they aren't quite so easily won over.

Gizmo in the kitchen

Muffin...I teased  she should be named Muffin Top because she is a little...thick.
 

Fritz has worked very hard to make me feel welcome at his place.  He had it totally spic and span.  Out the back door, he has a wonderful patio that looks over the farm to the west.  He has a nice BBQ, fire place, and hot tub.   There is a river through the back but you can hear the babble of the "irrigation ditch" that was big enough and fast enough to appear to be a river to a city girl.  We grabbed a drink and enjoyed the sunset.  It was stunning.

Saturday, we went into Twin Falls for brunch.  He took me to a place called Elevation that is on the side of the cliff of the valley.  We sat on the patio and enjoyed Bloody Mary's and a delicious meal.  It was very fun and I had never had a Bloody Mary.  The first one was so good.  The second one was a little...spicy (we shared).  Still delicious though.

 

 

After brunch, we decided to head over to Best Buy to get a Bose Speaker for his house.  Philip and I had taught him about Pandora streaming music and he wanted a nice speaker to listen at home.  Then he spoiled me with Cold Stone ice cream and we went to the grocery store.

Let's just say that the grocery store in Buhl, Idaho is nothing like the grocery store in Salt Lake City.  The obvious difference is that you can get liquor and lotto tickets in the store.  It is also smaller then our grand stores and they cater to the different tastes of people that live there.  There was no gorgonzola cheese.  Some of the brands were different.  And you can get animal feed and hunting supplies while there!  We managed to get by though and headed back out to the farm to BBQ.  Fritz has a wonderful large garden and we took full advantage of the yummy stuff growing.  Just my luck, he has cucumbers and an abundant supply of zucchini.  We decided to throw some chicken on the grill and a bunch of veggies and call that dinner.  We bought some tomatoes (his aren't ready yet) and put them on the grill too.  If you haven't grilled tomatoes yet, you are missing out!  They were delicious!

Yummy!

Fritz in the garden

Sunday, we got up at Farmer o'clock and went to breakfast in Hagerman with his Mom, Betty.  It is a town about 20 minutes away.  It was a beautiful drive and I saw some falls along the way.  As much as I am comfortable meeting people, meeting your boyfriend's Mother is intimidating.  Especially because I am the "mysterious internet girl from the big city".  But Betty is the most amazing woman.  She is 80 years old but seems more spry then a 50 year old.  She has beautiful blue eyes and a sharp wit.  It was clear they were regulars at this breakfast place.  I think we got along pretty well for a first meeting.  We stopped for corn fresh from the field on our way home.  Very funny but there was no one there.  You go ahead and get your corn out of the vintage cooler and leave your $ in a box.  Don't see that in Salt Lake!

We used that corn for dinner and made blue cheese burgers, corn, zucchini, mushrooms, and more tomatoes on the grill.  True to farm life, Fritz had bought a split of cow from someone.  You know me, I am funny about my meat and was a little reluctant but the burger was delicious.  (Thank god)  We enjoyed another beautiful sunset.  We had planned on going out to see more of the farm on the 4 wheeler but we never did make it.  Something about beer, sunsets, and good food kept us from making it far.

Monday rolled around and it was time to get to work.  Fritz went into town to work and I maximized his internet to work from his house.  I was giggling as Muffin was right next to me while I worked.  Even Gizmo and I got along and he stayed pretty close too.  But before I knew it, it was time to get my stuff together and head home.  I did meet Fritz in Twin Falls for lunch before I headed back to Salt Lake.

I made it home in good time and feel completely relaxed and de-stressed.  I swear it was more relaxing than a day at the spa.  Now back to the reality of the busy schedule and life in Salt Lake.  It was a great weekend.  Fritz and I both enjoyed our time together.  I'm pretty sure we will get together again soon as our schedules allow.  Now that I know my work computer works there, I can head up there anytime the mood hits me.  I will need to maximize this opportunity before winter comes.

Here are a few more photos I took.

Looking out the back at Fritz's property. 
On the right, you can see the cow part of the farm.

This tractor is actually in front of his Mom's property. 
I thought it was a fun photo and learned the family used this tractor over 40 years ago.
 It is a good marker for her driveway.