Summer on the Road

School got out and we hit the road to begin our summer with a road trip that lasted a few weeks.

We saw wild mustangs in Nevada.

Some snowy peaks in Great Basin National Park.

The girls enjoyed all the stops along the way so they could get out and stretch.

We took many hikes.

We traveled through parts of 5 states, including Utah.

Our first big wildlife sighting in Utah was a pronghorn.

We set up camp at Zion National Park.

Miss A enjoyed the scenic views all around us.

The weather was great in Zion.
Lots of beautiful sights.

See if you can see the mountain goats on these rocks. They blend in really well.

Then we were off to see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We recommend it if you are ever close by. Much less crowded than the South Rim.

We were able to take in the massive panoramic views from this deck.

We enjoyed hiking around the grand canyon but had to keep the kids close by.

You can see part of the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon.

Miss S showing us how big the grand canyon is.

A beautiful drive through the desert.

Checking out dinosaur tracks at Lake Powell.

The dam at Lake Powell.

Miss S becoming a junior ranger at another national park. She had fun earning her badges and patches at the different national parks along the way.

The girls had lots of fun with their grandmas.

Miss A running through the field at her grandma Isabelle's house.

Miss S talking to the sheep at grandma Ella's house.

Miss S, myself and grandma Ella.
Miss S found one of the puppies.

Miss enjoyed playing with her cousins.

A little walk around the rim of Canyon de Chelly.

Going home for the night.

The girls enjoyed cuddling up in the sleeping bag together.

Miss S with her grandpa Francis.

Another stop to see the painted desert.

Petrified wood at the petrified forest national park.

It was great to see so much of the family on this trip. Wish we could have seen even more. A picture of Georgianna and I in front of one of the beautiful rugs she was working on.

It was really good to see grandpa David, Vernie and Dean too.

A friend I ran with in high school also moved out to Arizona. It was good to catch up with Danielle after all those years.

Our last stop before heading back to California was the Desert botanical gardens. The girls loved these little ground squirrels that were running all over the place.

Back in California we stopped for a few days in Southern California for a quick visit with family there too. We went to the Santa Ana zoo. Miss S wanted to drive the bus full of animals.

Miss A had fun seeing the animals with her auntie.

The girls were able to play with their cousin Liam.

Miss S was able to see one of her favorite people, Bondie.

Back on the road to the bay area. We had a nice lunch for grandpa's birthday. Miss A and her cousin were smiling from ear to ear.

We went for a walk at the beach and noticed little foxes running around the golf course next door.
Miss A enjoyed a walk through the areas around this wetland before we headed back home and finished off our road trip for the summer.

One of our goals for summer was to get a play structure built. So after much deliberation on the design, it finally got underway.

The beams were stabilized.

The swings went up.The deck was built. It also has a tire swing now. The last part to be added is the climbing wall and stairs to the deck. A big thanks to grandpa H for helping build this.

Miss S enjoyed going to her friend's birthday party. They are waiting in anticipation as the candles are lit on the cake.

Miss A definitely enjoyed the birthday cake.

Miss S loves reading books. Enjoying some reading time with grandma.

Miss S lost her first tooth and we mean really lost it. We spent over an hour scouring the house for it. We think she actually may have lost it when she was eating dinner. So we wrote the tooth fairy a note and she drew a picture of what it looked like.

The tooth fairy came and brought big bucks for that first tooth. Of course Miss S was bummed that the fairy didn't leave coins, there was just a bill.

A few days later the next tooth came out and this time the tooth fairy left coins.

The girls after a dip in the pool. Great for the warm summer days.

Showing me her new smile.

Miss A has been doing great in swim lessons. She is already comfortable swimming under water and can easily pull herself out of the pool.

Miss S enjoyed seeing our friend, Joyce's tepee.

The garden is in full bloom.

The veggies are starting to get close to being picked.

All the cousins in a cave at the park.

We have a little monkey on our hands.

Wonder where she gets it from??? Could it be her father??
Miss S had fun at the tarantula exhibit at the San Francisco zoo.

Checking out the flamingos.

Talking to the prairie dog.

Miss A got over her fear of furry mammals for a few seconds in order to feed the goat.

Dr. D finally finished making his board and got it out for a test run in surf.