Maui March 2023

 We enjoyed Spring Break in Maui with the Wrights. Lots of beach and pool time.

Airport anticipation

Ahihi-Kinau Nature preserve.. some snorkeling and lots of pictures

Whale watching and a trip to Hulpo'e Beach on Lanai

Beaches, pools, the banyan tree and sunsets

It was a great week

Lucy's Baptism

Most of the family was gathered in Colorado last weekend for Lucy's Baptism.  I love it when we can all get together and I love the way the cousins all interact so well with each other. We started the day with Zach's high school swim meet and between races some serious play time.

 After the meet we had a picnic in the park and more play time

We all gathered again in the afternoon for Lucy's baptism, which was really lovely.

(And required a lot of pictures)

Lucy asked Zach to baptize her and he did a really great job.

After the baptism we all returned to Butch and Emily's house for a great dinner and a double birthday celebration for Lucy and her grandmother Barb Roper.

We finished the weekend with some serious contruction projects, cousin time and good conversations.  What a great family we have.

Christmas Eve 2022

 We enjoyed Christmas Eve this year with a house full of family. Best Christmas present ever. We shared a potluck buffet.

The grandkids produced and acted Christmas story with Peter the only adult selected playing the role of the donkey and Sarah narrating

Had a flurry of present opening and a little wrestling with granddad

And the grandkids all ready bed

Grass Valley

 We took a break from winter for a couple of days the week before Christmas and drove over the hill to Grass Valley. It was only a few degrees warmer in Grass Valley, but it was a nice break. We arrived in the afternoon, found our place and then went to dinner in Nevada City and wandered around a bit there. The next morning we headed out for a walk along the Hard Rock trail in the Empire Mine State Park.

We followed that with a drive to the Malkoff Diggings

We stopped at a bridge across the Yuba River just as the sun was setting

This is a view if the new bridge from the old bridge

And this is a view of the old bridge from the new bridge

We had a quick dinner and then went to the historic Del Oro movie theater to see the new Avatar movie.  We managed to watch the whole thing in 3D with out getting motion sick, but I can't say that I loved the movie.

The next morning we took a walk on the Wolf Creek trail that wanders through the town of Grass Valley.