THE SHIRE

tucson

 
Notice anyone missing?  Of course, the ONE photo that I look okay in Aidan was exit stage right.

 
There was this waterfall that is an easy hike from the hotel.  It was really nice.

 
This was the view from our room.  The waterfall is nearly center above the tree line.

 

 
The boys went on their own adventure trying to get to the top of the mountain.

 
The desert sure is beautiful.  It was 100 degrees, but it didn't bother us too much.  The resort had lots of shade and water and the walking paths were nice and cool.

 
What a little cutie-pie!  Scarlet showing off her gams.

 
Agger looking like a big boy.  Have I told you lately what a true gentleman he is? 

 
 

Then Aidan went on his own hiking adventure.  I was with Scarlet, Adler went walking ahead of us and would not return when I kept calling for him, and then Aidan starts screaming from the hillside.  He got a cactus stuck in his leg!  Suddenly, out of nowhere, Adler comes running down the path and scurries up the mountain to help his brother.

 
We had to get help from security to get the darn thing out of his leg.  He was wailing so much and so loud - very embarrassing.

 
Yes, that would be blood.

 
There must be barbs on the end of the needles that hold the needle in the flesh.  Some of them were in nearly 1/4 of an inch and I had to really pull them to get them out.  Lots of people were walking by while all this was happening...fun.  Turns out that people told Shiloh all about it while he was in his meeting.  How did they figure out we were with him?  Once the cactus was out he was fine and had to take a bath he was sweating so much.  Adler took care of Scar while I was working on Aidan - can you believe that guy?!

 
We even got to spend some time with Shiloh.

 
 
I took the kids up to Phoenix for a day.  We went to my mom's grave.

 
We visited with my Grandpa and Verdine.

 
It's so hard for Scarlet to get comfy with people.

 
Verdine's brother lives next door.  They are serious ropers.

 
Verdine gave the boys real ropes to take home.  We had so much fun.  The kids were going crazy chasing around a neighbor's goats, pigs, geese, and even some tortoises!

 
Scarlet getting a lesson from Jerry (Verdine's brother).

 
Adler getting a roping lesson.

 
It was hard to say goodbye...none of us wanted to leave.

 
We even got to see Curtis!  It was such a short visit though.

 
Back in Tucson...this is how Aidan and Adler hold their glasses now.

 
Scarlet and Shiloh "ching chinging".

 
Aidan and Shiloh "ching chinging".

 
King of the World!

 

Koi pond with a golf course in the background.
 

Scarlet with the koi in the background.  The kids went nuts feeding the fish.
 
It was such a nice trip. 

 

busch gardens

 Abler (that's how he spells it) catching a fish.

Here are the kids hunting for the gator that lives behind the house.

 

We got a VERY close up view of him/her when he went after Shiloh's lure and just about ran right into the dock.  Very aggressive and a solid 10 feet long.  You might be able to see him in the center of the bank in the next photo.

 
 
 
 
 
 

We went to Busch Gardens...Disney has nothing on Busch Gardens.  The scale and landscaping and the interactive way that everything is set up is just incredible.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Civil War Trip Inspiration

The boys wanted to know everything about this canon, so I decided to take the kids on a little Civil War trip.  We leave tomorrow (Wednesday) for Baltimore, Williamsburg, the beaches along MD and DE, and then Pea Patch Island off of Delaware City.  We'll be back on Tuesday.

 

Fort Delaware (Pea Patch Island) was actually built well before the Civil War, but it was used as a prison during the Civil War.  I grew up in the town that the ferry takes off from to take you to the fort.  We always had Civil War stuff all around us and it seems that in our area of Wisconsin we just don't get a lot of history.

 

 

 

The kids can't wait to go to Pea Patch Island!   

Another great week in Florida

It was fun being in Florida, seeing Jim and Sida, and going to Disney World.  We also did some work on the yard.

 

Jim and Scarlie

 

Disney World

 

 

 

Somehow I keep getting only parts of Sida...I wish I took more photos!
 

Florida in August

It was a wee bit hot and humid, but we found ways to cool down.

 

The only thing more exciting than the pool and alligator was the coconuts.  Scarlet seems to be saying, "where's my coconut?"

 

Shiloh and his big muscles.  Aidan and his Aunt Jemima head band for his ears - he doesn't mind, he likes having gadgets.

 

Shi enjoying the good life (try not to look at the buns behind him).

 

See all the cool tractors and dump trucks behind the house?  They are $million+ lots and on the other side of that peninsula is the Manatee River.  I will miss this view once they put houses in.

 

The 12' alligator turned out to be MAYBE 6'...the little sliver in the center of the photo is the gator.

 

Here's Huck waitin' for the gator.

 

Here's my braces...they is so purdy!

 

Aidan jumping on his dad in the pool.

 

Crazy frog legs!

 

savannah

This year we went to see Shiloh's sister in North Carolina for Christmas.  Since we were in that part of the country we did a little sight seeing at Hilton Head, SC and Savannah, GA.  It was really nice.  A bit colder than we expected, but nice all the same.

Here is Shiloh and Scarlie in Hilton Head.  One nice thing about traveling at Christmas is we had the hotel to ourselves, so we could let the kids run around a bit.

Here's the view from our room in Hilton Head.  Toni will enjoy this photo...I'm sure she is cringing.

You can see that there just weren't many people at the beach for the holiday.

This is Aidan (I think he's a ninja).

This is Aidan's stick.

This is Adler's stick.

SQUAW PEAK

GHOST TOWN AT CAMELBACK INN

The view from ghost town.  The resort is at the foothills of Camelback Mountain (I think that is the mountain seen here).

THE HOOD

This is a neighborhood just down the street from the resort.  There are also some amazing, very exclusive neighborhoods, but with Scarlet screaming every time we went anywhere in the car, we did not do a lot of sight seeing.

Fountain

THE DESERT

For those of you who have never been to Arizona - this is what the desert really looks like.

I believe this is a Century Plant.  It blooms every 100 years (could that be right?.  It's about 8 feet tall or so.

CAMELBACK INN, Scottsdale, Arizona

Here is the exterior view of our room.  It's a really nice resort with cozy rooms and the nicest landscaping.  Although I believe it has a Scottsdale address, it's more like Paradise Valley. This is the view from the patio.

View from the room.  See all the nice landscaping...really nice.