Great day - Megan started her swimming lessons for the summer, so after a few errands we ended up at the pool. While she was swimming a friend called and we agreed to meet back at the pool after lunch. So after a quick bite, we ended up hanging at the pool all afternoon. It was the perfect weather for it too.

Megan and I just arrived home from our yearly mom's and kids camping trip. It was as always a hoot and lots of fun. I brought a tie dye project for every one which came out great!

Yesterday we did a short hike to Pescadero Creek and the kids had fun playing the water. We had all the great classic camping moments - Marshmallows in the fire, banana slugs all around, raccoons attempting to steal food.

On the way home we stopped once again in Half Moon Bay - had lunch and Megan and I broke off from the group and did a little shopping.

Glad to be home - with nothing in the hopper for a short while.

We did basically nothing last night - everyone too exhausted to really move, but today I busted a move. I Vacuumed up a weeks worth of dog hair, did a weeks worth of laundry, mowed the back, got groceries and fresh produce.

Then while getting a chicken in the oven I broke our kitchen faucet. Snapped it in two basically so Jack gets to spend the evening replacing it.

Grand Canyon day 2 was spectacular. We spent the morning on board Grand Canyon Airlines. Jack is working on some way to mix our 3 different camera pictures. Megan alone took over 100 pics!

We then headed over to the park and took Megan to the ranger station where she could find out how to be come a Junior Park Ranger. We got the pack and then after watching a very funny ranger talk on Geology, we headed to the Rim and Megan completed her booklet.

We returned to the station and she was sworn in, and was so proud of her accomplishment! (as we all were!)

We headed to the village for lunch with the hiking Bolducs and then we all loaded up in their car and headed over to the Tusanya Ruins. We went did a bit of shopping, picked up dinner and headed back to the hotel to hang out for our last evening together.

This morning we woke up and headed out to Flagstaff. Our flight wasn't until after 1 so we headed over to the Lowell Observatory. We parents sure know how to bore our daughter. Jack and I really enjoyed ourselves though and we got to see the telescope that discovered Pluto and also helped map the moon before the apollo missions.

The flights home were uneventful, and our dear friend Penny picked us up from the airport, and we made it home in time to eat really hot thai food. Good night all - time to clear the TIVO!

We arrived at the Canyon by 8:30 and headed first to Mather Point which is the most popular of the look outs. It was just simply amazing - words and pictures can't describe it and it was more then I ever imagined it to be.

The park has a bus that brings us in from the hotel, and then buses within the park to take you out to various lookouts and trail heads so we were set. We headed off first to do a trail called South Kaibab Trailhead which meets up with Crest Ridge. Well basically its a series of swithbacks going down to Ooh-Aah Point. Well it was steep and pebbles and I didn't trust my footing so I turned around what turned out to be almost to the bottom of that main section. Jack and Megan forged ahead with the cousins until Ooh-Aah. Then they turned back and the Bolducs headed on to Crest Ridge. Jack and Megan found me again at the book store at the visitors center. We headed into the village to explore and found a place for lunch and the rest of the crew joined us there. After a really pretty good lunch we headed out again and walked along the rim until we reached the red bus line -basically the bus to Hermits point.

We got off at Hopi and looked around before following the rim trail up to the next bus stop. - a nice fairly flat hike for someone like me. Then we went on the bus up to Pimo Point and saw the longest expanse of the Colorado River we'd seen. Bus back down to the village and there we walked over to El Tovar where we sat on the patio and enjoyed a well needed drink. We headed off once more and then stopped at the grocery in the village to pick up fixings for dinner back at the hotel. We had time to eat and let the kids swim before everyone started crashing. Bed for us all ...

In the morning Jack, Megan and myself will be taking a small plane tour of the canyon while the cousins do a 7 mile hike. We plan on meeting up again around lunch, and then Checking out the local ruins. Our last day together as we all fly home saturday.

I just realized I never blogged yesterday - our last day in Sadona. We started the day with a hike - surprise surprise! We did one called soldiers pass to Brin's Mesa. It was the hardest hike yet and Jack, Megan and myself were just dragging. After about an hour and half of mostly uphill hiking, The Bolducs went on ahead and we turned around and took our time going back, opting for the 4 wheel drive trail over the hikers one. It proved to be much easier than the foot trail.

We met back at the car and headed back to town. The kids and I swam, Jen and Thom did another hike behind the hotel, and Jack took a much needed nap. We headed back out and went to main street to do a bit of souvenir shopping, before Jack, Jen and I headed over to Sedona New Day Spa and enjoyed really great massages. We got back to the hotel and we all walked over to a cantina for dinner. Which proved passable fair.

Today we woke up and packed up and headed out, but before we left Sedona we went to Palatiki Ruins which proved interesting and a nice hike up to 2 parts of the ruins - one to look at actual structures and one to look at art painted on cave walls. Both were fascinating.

We left Sedona and headed to Flagstaff where we went to Museum of Northern Arizona and then we drove on to our hotel just outside of the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We had time before dinner to walk down to the IMAX experience of the Grand Canyon and then back to the hotel for dinner, laundry and bed.

Tomorrow we are planning on bussing into the Village, and then taking a hike along the crest ridge. We'll do lunch and then hike the other side from the village using the shuttle to supplement our going. We'll see how much we get done and on friday we'll be able to explore other trails that we want to see.

Ok but i'm going to blog anyway -

reasons i'm too tired -

Yesterday we hiked Boyton Canyon which turned out to be close to 5 miles and a 400 foot change in elevation. Now I am not a hiker - not in a million years would I even say I want to go hiking but I did it.

Last night Jack Megan, Cousin Cooper and myself enjoyed an Evening Sky Tour. We got to enjoy a mini lesson on the constellations complete with a laser pointer showing us the way, along with views of saturn and several other phenomenon. Megan's favorite was when we looked at Altar using a refractive eyepiece, basically we saw the spectrum of color and the astronomer told us that that is how they tell the density and size of a star - by how it refracts. Megan was a trooper and stayed up till 10:30 viewing everything. But she was asleep in the car before we even left the parking lot.

Today we started out easy with a visit to Montezuma Castle National Monument and then a visit to Montezuma's Well. The well was actually more of a hike - up to the rim, then down into the sink hole and back up again before Jen Thom and I walked the rim loop back out to the parking lot while Jack wrangled the kids down the main entry.

After lunch in Oak Creek which is south of Sedona, we headed to West Fork of Oak Creek Trail This one was also about 4 miles. We hiked out in the actual creek all the way and the kids had a blast. At one point I was thigh deep in water but I too loved it. We eventually came to a point in the rocks where some natural slides had been made and the kids (and I) couldn't resist. We slipped and slid all the way down to 5 feet of water. The hard part was crawling back out on the slimy rocks, but well worth it. Jen hiked on ahead while we played in the water and when she returned we were all ready to head back but this time we stuck to the trail which zig zagged over and along the creek.

I am stiff and sore now. I used a hot tub, hot shower and biofreeze to try and make the parts less out of sorts. Dinner was take out - Pizza that proved to be the best we'd had in quite some time and probably the best food we've had since we got here. It was from a place called Picazzo's.Its just past 8 and Jack and Megan are all ready out and I will be soon - though I think I'll be watching a little MI5 first. - can't recommend this show enough!

We arrived in Arizona today. We first flew through Phoenix and then took a propeller plane to Flagstaff. It was a really really really bump ride up to Flagstaff and I had to hold on to my arm rest and my lunch. But we made it and got the rental car with no issues. We headed back south 20 miles to Sedona - driving through some really pretty country. Simply Gorgeous!

We found our hotel, had a swim and then Jack and I took Megan out for a great dinner to celebrate our 17th Anniversary - at Sacvannah's. By the time we got back the cousins had arrived and they all swam while the adults watched and hung out at the pool. Off to bed - I hear tell of a hike in the morning, and tomorrow evening we are breaking away from the group to go enjoy the night sky with the guidance of an astronomer.

A few months back, America's Test Kitchen had a recipe for French Chicken in a pot. I've made it now 6 times and each time I am just amazed at how wonderful it is. The chicken is so moist and juicy. It is also a really easy recipe. Basically you sear the skin of a whole chicken with some onions, rosemary and garlic with salt and pepper - 6 minutes on a side - ending with breast side up. I've been doing this in my big pot. Then you put foil and a lid on the pan and stick it in a 250 degree oven for around 80 minutes.

Once done you let the chicken rest on a platter with the foil on it and mean while pour all the accumulated juice in a fat strainer (straining all the onions, garlic, and rosemary out. Place in a pain and bring to a boil with some lemon (or lime juice). It is delicious!

Tomorrow is the last day of first grade. My girl is growing up way to fast!

We leave for our vacation on Saturday - 8 days in Arizona. Before that, Megan and I are going to celebrate her success and get pedicures on friday!.

I know this summer is going to fly by but I'm planning on really enjoying it and living in the moment!

I've been sick for a week. Though I am much better and up and about, I'm still congested and coughing. So for Megan's last weekend for first grade, we spent Saturday first at the farmers market, then our friends Joe and Elizabeth came over and we went to see "Up" = great movie! back to the house for some tri-tip. Then it was a few rounds of Mexican Train dominoes. - it was a great day!

Sunday dawned and while Jack and Megan went shopping I headed over to watercourse way and enjoyed my gift certificate. I had one hour in a tub room first and then a one hour massage. Heaven!

I came home and Megan wasn't feeling great so we settled down for a few movies, some mexican train and an easy dinner.

IT was an easy nice weekend.