Editor’s note: As you might guess from the title, The Gimlet completed his task list from an earlier post. There is still plenty to do, and sadly the basement won’t be finished in time to accommodate our out-of-town guests, but the end is in sight.

Last night we finally got the last of the wall board up. I feel like it took quite a long time, but I had to tear out one third of the basement, put in the electrical circuit and put in the drywall. Still this has been an odyssey.

I have purchased some of the mud needed and all the tape needed to finish the drywall. After we complete that, and I tile the fireplace surround, it will be time to seal the drywall, paint the walls, finish electrical & plumbing, add the wet bar (including tiling the countertop) and do the finish carpentry. The finish carpentry will be to add crown moldings, shelves on the half-walls, stair baseboards and a railing, and baseboards in the rest of the basement. The carpet is paid for and has arrived, and the marble tile was ordered today and should arrive later this week. After all I mentioned above we will install the carpet and have a beautiful, but empty basement.

Thing One’s school spring break is always a pleasant time to visit Cache Valley, and as Thing Two grows older, we’re starting to feel adventurous again. On this trip we sampled a few dining and shopping treasures and visited a popular local walk.

Two restaurants worth noting are Café Sabor and Hamilton’s. These restaurants share an owner and are enjoying well-deserved popularity. Café Sabor is located in the old Logan railroad depot at 600 West Center Street. Its “Mexican bistro” atmosphere is casual, lively and busy (there will be a wait on Friday/Saturday nights) with very generous portions and reasonable prices.

While Maddox is still Team Gimlet’s steakhouse of choice, a local option is a quick drive to North Logan for Hamilton’s Steak and Seafood (2427 North Main Street). Hamilton’s versatile setting is suitable for casual dining, business lunches, or a special night out. It’s pricier than Café Sabor (or Maddox, for that matter) but an excellent choice if time or weather prevent a trip to Brigham City. Both restaurants are child-friendly (Café Sabor more so thanks to its ambiance and prices); unfortunately, Thing Two is not yet restaurant-friendly, but generous grandparents made our nights out possible.

Our search for penny machines led us to Magical Moon Toys (1451 North 200 West). The store is in the process of remodeling so it was a little disarrayed (we know how that is) but we found a great selection of puzzles, games, puppets, a section devoted to all things dinosaur, and what looks like a very promising source of train supplies — both the wooden Brio/Thomas sets and various scales of model railroads. The hand-cranked penny machine was between the dinosaur and train areas; it was a little difficult to properly align the die but the machine produced four site-specific designs. Other machines (fortune-tellers and such) are located throughout the store.

Saturday we drove a short distance up the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway to Second Dam for a walk on the Logan River trail. The boardwalk along the dam was dotted with fishermen who were happy to show the kids the trout they had caught or point out fish swimming in the shallows. Thing Two usually insists on walking, but after climbing a slight uphill on the trail, he was willing to give up a little personal space and join his cousin in the twin stroller.

After the walk we stopped at the ranger station at the canyon entrance to take a few photos of Cache Valley and the Wellsville mountains. It occurred to us that we haven’t taken many photos of this lovely little town, so we’ll remedy that in the future. Utah State University and its creamery are not far from the ranger station, providing the perfect end to a crisp, sunny morning. Check out the gallery for all the photos from the hike, including Your Humble Narrator’s Radcliffe-induced reverie on the picturesque.

Ultimately our visits are about spending time with family. Uncle C has been converting old family videos to DVD, so we traveled back in time to watch The Gimlet and his brothers’ band. Although much has changed with the passing of twenty years (Uncle T, playing keyboards, is not much older than Thing One), the lead guitarist and drummer still remembered nearly every detail from the performances and had quite the animated discussion about misheard lyrics and technical difficulties. (”We’re playing too fast. Dang kids!”) We’re working to bring a clip to the blog, but for now a screencap (featuring The Gimlet on bass rather than his usual guitar) will have to satisfy your curiosity.