Sunday, August 26, 2012

Jake Visits Mexico and other things...

 With a Mexican 3-Star General and his wife in Colorado.  Garden of the Gods Park near Colorado Springs.
One of the parts of the job is travel.  This trip was to Veracruz.  Cloudy, rainy day at the beach.

Jake and I went to Teotihuacan.  The pyramids were amazing and really got you thinking about B of M stories.

The views were amazing!

Just imagine this place full of thousands of Indian people before the arrival of Cortez. 

Some recently uncovered artwork.

How cool.

The place is huge and is an easy drive from Mexico City.

Temple of the Moon.


Jake with a view of the Temple of the Sun.


The hike to the top was a bit of a challenge.  Small steps and very steep.



The Temple of the Sun.

Glad Jake came to visit.

Our favorite part is the food.  It is just plain good.

Waiting for breakfast before hiking the pyramids.

Up on the roof...

 
The main plaza with the old chapels and buzz of activity.

They are prepping for the national holiday, September 15th, with huge parades and parties.

Jake sampling the goods at my favorite street taco stand.  The tacos are great! 

Satisfied.  The folks at this stand like me since I eat here almost everyday and I bring them customers all the time.

We went inside.  Very ornate, kind of strange to those of us not used to 16th Century Catholic churches.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

A Busy couple of Weeks!

Buds.  So while I was home on vacation, we took a trip over to Kentucky/Tennessee to visit Alex and Sara and the boys.
Jensen is a blast and is a very smart kid.  He just started kindergarten.
Pa and Duke love noisy cars. 
This boy is always busy.
We went to Nashville and tried on boots among other things.  I really wanted a new pair of boots.
Garner Boys
Not sure these guys share my passion for a new pair of boots.
And no, I didn't buy a purse or the boots.
Our hosts made us feel welcome and showed us a great time.
We caught several bands performing, some better than others, some fantastic.
Yee-Hah!!
Yes, I will even take out Elvis if he tries to steal my girl.
These guys were amazing.  We could have stayed at this club longer.  The guitarist with the fuzzy hair was incredible.
Loves the freeze pops.
This guy is always up to something. 
He entertains himself for hours on end.
They have herds of deer in their yard all the time.  We even noticed this one with 3 legs.   I assume a hunter with a less than accurate aim?  Bottom-line, she's a survivor.
Beautiful place.
A man and his truck.
THE Duke Danger.
The big men out for a stroll.  Duke is a lot of fun.
I think we bonded.  (I hope)

The boys loved the park, even if it was about 90 degrees that evening.
A flip.
Just hangin' around.
Sara is a great Mom, of course.
Lots of cool things to do.
"save me Dad!"
He thinks he should be able to anything the big boys do.
...and always a smile on his face.
Going airborne for Gpa.
Jensen is very brave and independent. 
Time to trek back home.
Jensen and Kiki, his sidekick.
Messing around with Uncle Jake.
Jensen demonstrates his mastery of this cool scooter thing.
The next week Hayley and her family came to see us.  
Seth loves playing at GMom's house.
He even got in a fight with some fireplace implements.  Smacked him right in the eye.
 It was Seth's birthday and people were busy putting together Seth's cool train table.  (who said cheese?)
The very cool and energetic mom decorating the birthday cake.  (did I mention I love butter cream frosting)
Very awesome!  (and lots of frosting)
"Just give me some cake!"  (and frosting)
Of course Ellie loves her picture taken too.
Happy birthday Seth!
He loves putting on a show at times.
"More cake please."
A man after my own heart.  There is no such thing as too much frosting.
Busy little man enjoying the fruits of his birthday at Gmom's.
He was captivated watching the train go around the track.
Seth had a fun birthday and loved the train table we gave. 
Yes, it was hot and I had been fighting with trees and a chain saw.
Jake making himself useful during his summer stay.
Hot devil-dog.
The back yard refuses to cooperate as well as the front.  Bad soil we're thinking.
We have a fun potential here.
Not Idaho perfect, but we're trying.
Such a change from the overgrown forest we bought a couple of years ago.
Fat boy Tucker really thinks he has to keep Betsy protected and stays right with her all the time.  (unless it's too hot outside)
Tex surveying his kingdom, ready to bark at the passing jogger or motorcyclist.