Trail Blazers

Joe didn't work today (Presidents Day). So this afternoon we did some snow shoeing. We were out in the snow for a couple of hours.

Here we are just looking around:

Over hill and over dale:

Through some trees:

Snowy river:

We followed a trail that was only partly tromped and the snow was a little deep, so it was a bit tough. Joe's snow shoe and shoe came off along the way. Since he was having issues, I ended up blazing the trail. My muscles were burning with the effort when I had to go up hills. I didn't really mind. I like a good work out.

Catching up:

Back on the level and groomed trail (Much better):

Did you get your exercise today? We definitely did:

Sarah is 22

Sarah is my youngest and today she is officially 22!! That's so weird because I'm not getting any older.

Sarah is a really great person and I am proud of the way she is living her life.

So, she mostly got money because that is what she wanted. Previously we did help her with some school supplies for her college classes though.

Here she is blowing out candles on a chocolate cake:




It took her awhile to get them all out. I think she was toying with us:

For dinner, her brother made all of us Tacos. He even purchased all the food himself. That was really nice of him.

Later he beat us all at a game of Scrabble. He had a score of 204! He made 51 points on a single stunning play. Good grief!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!! AND MANY MORE!!!

Trip to Arizona

On Friday, Feb. 4th, Joe and I drove to Peoria (North Phoenix) to visit our oldest daughter and her family. Today is Wednesday, Feb. 9th and we just got home this evening.

So here's a brief overview of the week, minus all the details.

The drive takes about 12 hours. At least the way we do it.

Here we stopped in St. George, Utah:

We also walked near Lake Mead. This is just before going over the new bridge that crosses Hoover Dam:

This is Susan with Jacob. We are playing in one of the many parks near her home.

Her house is modern, beautiful and awesome:

On Monday we went to the Phoenix Zoo. We all got in free.

Sue and the kids rode on the carousel:

Goats:

McCaw:

Long Horn Steer:

Obviously there are tons of animals in a zoo, but I didn't take pictures of all of them.

On Tuesday morning, Sue and I escaped for a little mother/daughter hike up a hill very close to her house. It was covered in huge cactus, little barrel cactus and a large variety of things that can poke and scratch. The rule was; don't touch anything!

Even though Sue is 'expecting' she can climb a hill very well!

Looking down on her neighborhood:

Later that day we went to the Heard Museum in Phoenix. It features Native American art and culture. It was pretty big, so I'll just show a sampling of what was in there:

Me, Sue and kids:

Hanging out with the folks:

Me, Joe Emma and Becca:

Sue kept us well fed and entertained. For her version of things, go to her blog.

For a change of scenery Joe and I traveled home a different way. Instead of going over Hoover Dam and through Vegas, we went through some reservation lands and crossed over Lees Ferry.

Along the way I bought some Native American Jewelry from a roadside stand. Seriously, there are some rickety looking stands with the best Jewelry and unbelievable prices. I ended up with two pair earrings, a silver and turqoise ring, plus a beautiful necklace that I could never afford otherwise.

I never buy things like this in 'normal' life. This was a very rare splurge.

Lees Ferry:

We stopped for lunch at Jacobs Lake. This is where we crossed through pine covered mountains.

We also passed through Flagstaff much earlier.

After crossing the mountains, we were back down in arid and somewhat warm areas:

On our way home I collected a few dark red rocks for my yard. I found them not to far from Hurricane.

That's a very brief report on our trip. On the way home I developed a small cold, but that's life, right?

Another Saturday

Our Saturday started with three hours of snow shoeing. We get out of the inversions by going up the canyons. The sun did pop out about three times up there.

I liked this cabin. It seems like a fantastic get away place:

(Remember to click on the pictures. They look best enlarged)

Just trudging along and enjoying the surroundings:

Big ol' pine trees:

After our morning of exercise, we caught a movie at the Mega Plex. I had a movie gift card from Christmas, so we went to see True Grit. That was a really good show. If it comes out on DVD I just might get it.

Family visit

Susan and her family drove from Peoria Arizona and got to our house on Monday night (Dec. 27, 2010).

The kids were interested in Aunt Sarahs new bird (a baby Cockatielle):

On Tuesday I took Sue's family on a Christmas shopping trip while everyone else was at work.

Then on Wednesday we all got together with grandma and grandpa Smith. They took our entire mob to McDonalds:

Thursday evening we went Ice Skating at the Gallivan Center:

I spent most of my time hanging onto the railing:

Emma was great!! She was such a good skater!

Joe, Ben, Sarah and Aaron all showed some skill, but Emma out shined us all!:

After skating we drank hot chocolate at Star Bucks which was right next door. After warming up we walked about three blocks to see the Temple lights:

On Friday we went to the Dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving point. We have a season pass, so Joe and I get in with that and all of our guests get in 1/2 price. I didn't take any pictures of that outing, but Susan did, so watch for her next post.

This morning (Saturday) we went to our nearby park to use the sleds. I've got three sleds now:

Emma went down alone and 'caught some air' Yikes. She looked like she was flying for a bit there. Way to go Emma!:

Susan is expecting her fourth child (a girl) so she can't actively participate in the outdoor stuff. She's a good sport though and works really hard to help her kids have a good time.

I just realized that I may have to buy more sleds:

The siblings:

Sue's family needs to leave Sunday morning (Jan. 2, 2011) Her girls have Kindergarten and Pre-school and Ben needs to get back to work at the hospital (He's a young doctor).

Joe, Aaron and Sarah have to get back to work too.

It's nice that we get together as often as we do.