sights in the summer

We scheduled quite a bit of travel this summer, so we planned out the most scenic routes possible.  By the end of the summer, we'll have put over 5K miles on the car and hopefully by then we'll have learned how to not be so grumpy in the backseat. 

Nah, we don't have such lofty goals as that; we just try to enjoy the views:

Monument Valley, AZ

Yellowstone National Park:

Mammoth Hot Springs

green!

 

wolf

elk

grizzly bear!

Old Faithful

A steep and windy road somewhere in southern Utah:

seriously?  5 mph for 3 miles?  why?

oh.

Grand Tetons National Park:

breakfast while on the road (literally)

near Arches National Park:

we stopped in Moab, but not in the park itself

We took a ferry across Lake Powell:

and then swam in it!  (it was nice and warm)

We camped overnight at Natural Bridges National Monument:

I experienced a few technical difficulties keeping the camera battery charged (since we were camping and all), so what follows are some borrowed photos.

The kids and I swam in this icy reservoir in Breckenridge, CO while Jer was off trying out some downhill rides  (COLD!):

source

We drove through Capitol Reef National Park, which is one of the most remote places I've ever been to (on roads with no gas stations which means no drinking water at all) but is so worth a longer visit:

Waterpocket Fold (source)

This was one of our camping spots; we swam in the lake first thing in the morning (perfect temperature!): 

Yuba State Park, UT (source)

Our campsite was at the top of this hill overlooking the reservoir and this was the view at sunset.

Escalante National Monument (Giant Staircase), UT:

source

Finally, we stopped to visit Temple Square in SLC:

There was an organ recital at the Tabernacle (on left) just as we arrived (source)

But wait...That was all nothing compared to what happened next... 

L. is 8!

There was kind of a dragon theme to this one.  Like, dragon party favors, dragon games (pin the fire on the dragon, hot-potato hot-dragon-egg, etc.) and a dragon cake, raahh!

the blue is a wave and the red is the glow of the sunset (duh)

dragon food art:

 

AND she had a slumber party, too!  Her very first, and boy was it exciting.  It was a first for all the little guests, too, which provided an almost perfect balance of giddiness and cautious nervousness (translation: they actually went to sleep at a pretty decent hour).  They read silly dragon poems and curled up in sleeping bags and watched a DVD (not about dragons, but no one minded) and got up early and had pancakes.  An all around success.

Happy Birthday, L.!

evening meal in the new home

"hey mom, take a picture of my armpit"

look who!

 Remember how I haven't returned your call yet, Mer?

Yeah, I was kinda busy hanging with a new pal...

Cousin Cheyney and her littlest guy stopped overnight and the kids are fast friends now.  Jake (the dog), however, probably couldn't wait to leave town...

Poor ol' fella.  He just wasn't up for a steep climb first thing in the morning, I guess.

See ya on the roadtrip home, guys!

fabric markers

They're all the rage around here.  I especially liked this creation:

"I'm (only) a yellow belt (but I'm still cool)"

And then we ran out of new white t-shirts, so I suggested she recycle an old one.  It might just be the greatest thing of all time:

5, 6, 7

It must be that time of year again.  (start here to see previous years.)

drumroll...

At the edge of town, in a truck stop off Exit 16, in a place that used to be called "Country Kettle," they opened an Indian restaurant. 

Not fry-bread-Indian---I mean tandoori-chicken-Indian.  Or, channa-masala-Indian.  Or, naan-and-paratha-Indian.  Any of the above; they serve them all. 

The lunch buffet is served at the old truckstop diner, at their salad bar. It's tacky and the service is horrible, but the food is dee-lish.  It's really all that was missing around here.  We can't very well leave now, can we?

So, yeah, we bought a house.  Come visit, ya'll!

Them: "You're leaving?!?  But while you're gone [for an hour], Daddy is going to take care of us?" (collective groan)
Me: "Why is that bad?  Why are you complaining about that?"
Them: "Because he never lets us do anything!"
Me: "Like do what?"
L.: "Like explode potatoes in the microwave!  That's the kind of thing I'm into."

clunk

I know it's been quiet on RandB for awhile.  That's because, for the last several weeks, we feel we have just about enough energy to crawl under the dining table with a blankie and do this:

Today was a bit better, though, so I posted a couple catch-ups down below. 

last month in Europe

A quaint Bavarian town:

...with a stopover to watch the Cambridge ladies at the regata.

Ok, not really.  We were really in the Northwest.  But we did go camping, and there was plenty of rain and fog, so the English and Germans would have felt right at home.  (And there was a crew team from Cambridge there--I'm not making that part up!)

But maybe Calcuttans appreciate cold like no others:

they look so happy to be wearing jackets!

What is it with little (reckless) boys and rushing water?!?

where there is water, things grow.  everywhere.

looks like little girls can't help themselves, either...

Happy times with good friends.  Rendezvous same place, in two years?

annular eclipse

"pinhole camera"

almost complete...

complete!