Archeology Day

 May is Archeology month, and today Great Basin National Park had some special events, with archeologists from the park, BLM, and US Forest Service. We headed out there to participate. The first thing we tried out was grinding corn with a mano and matate. Desert Boy liked doing that.

 Of course if big brother does it, little Miss Emma has to give it a try. She did better than I expected.

 She even managed to not drop the rock on her foot, so that was definitely a good thing.

 Meanwhile Desert Boy went to the rock art station. He was delighted to get a paper bag and put his name on it so that he could keep all his projects in one place. He loves doing little activities, so he had a super time.

 Nicole was at the twig art station. (It was called something else, but I can't remember the correct name!)

 Folks could make figurines with pipe cleaners (what we did) or with willow twigs (the more advanced skill that these guys did).

 Desert Boy had moved on to the tin-can making station. He just couldn't resist drawing railroad tracks on his can.

 This station included glue, so it made it extra fun.

 Some other folks were learning how to make cordage.

 Desert Boy went on to the clay figurine station. Karla showed him step by step how to make a clay figurine.

 Can you tell which one is Desert Boy's?

(Hint: It's the one wearing the sock dress, whatever that is.)

 Then Desert Boy's friend Charlie arrived, and they did some grinding together.

 Then it was time to make clay bowls. I was impressed with how many different stations were at the event. Everyone was super patient, even with rambunctious kids!

Thanks so much, archeologists!

 The day wasn't over yet, though. Next we went to the Baker Archeological Site and learned  how to throw atlatls.

It's really fun!

 Sam was a natural. He figured it out faster than me.

 Ready...aim...throw.

 Where did it go?

 They had an afternoon field trip to a rock shelter that I wanted to go to, but the approaching storm clouds deterred us.

 Instead the kids had fun playing, picnicking, and walking around the Baker Archeological Site. I had to try using the atlatl again, too. I'd need a lot of practice before I could even touch an animal I wanted to hunt!

It was a great way to spend part of the day. We'll look forward to Archeology Day next May!

Swimming in Winter

We needed groceries and I had a really strong yearning to go to thrift stores, so we packed up and headed to Cedar City yesterday. The forecast was not good, but we decided to try anyway, and went through several snow squalls on the way, but the roads were in pretty good shape.

We found wonderful treasures at both the Catholic Thrift Store and DI (Desert Industries thrift store). The Catholic Thrift Store had a flyer about a yard sale to benefit the Japan tsunami victims. So we headed to it (held indoors because it was snowing), and found even more things we couldn't live without. There's nothing like going into a thrift store or yard sale not needing anything but coming away with something that you suddenly realize will make your life more complete (or cluttered).

After lunch and grocery shopping, it was time for a trip to the Cedar City Aquatic Center. My friend Chandra had told me about it, and I couldn't wait to go. We got our day passes, changed in the immense locker rooms, and then went out to the pool area.

We were totally amazed. Before us was a huge leisure pool, with basically a playground set in two feet of water. Behind it were three lanes for laps and a lazy river. In one corner was a four-story water slide. Over on the side was a little play area for toddlers in about six inches-one foot of water.

And that wasn't all!

There was also a hot tub for age 14 and up and a competition pool for lap swimming with eight lanes.

In the summer there's an outdoor pool with diving boards.

I didn't take my camera inside, so I don't have any photos (which is sad, but I'm not sure if I could have kept my camera dry!). Here's a photo from the Iron County newspaper that gives you a little taste of the pool, looking from the lazy river over the hot tub to the big play area:

It was a Saturday afternoon so pretty crowded, but it was still so much fun. Desert Boy went down the slides countless times. I did some laps to help get ready for a triathlon in May. I had to try out the big waterslide, too (it was fun but dark). Desert Girl started out standing in ankle-deep water, a bit stunned at all the commotion. By the end, she was eagerly going down the kiddie slide and even getting her head wet. My husband loved the hot tub and found that the pool water was pleasantly warm.

We'll definitely be heading back! It's across from the middle school up on the hill near Walmart, and adult admission is $4.50. They have a website to check out hours and fees.

We don't see much water in the desert, so when we do, we definitely get excited!

New Orleans for Kids

Bourbon Street is probably not the place to take your kids, unless they're too young to remember what they see (which hopefully mine fall into that category!). Fortunately, there are plenty of things to do around the New Orleans area that are great for kids, like the streetcars, ferry ride, visiting the National Park Service areas New Orleans Jazz and Jean LaFitte, and just enjoying the various scenes in Jackson Square.

If you want to mix some natural science education in with the fun, the Audubon Institute has an aquarium, insectarium, IMAX theatre, and zoo. Admission to each on its own is a little pricey, but you can get a combo ticket to all of them for $40 for adults and $25 for kids and seniors.

The aquarium, insectarium, and IMAX theatre are all located near Canal Street and the Mississippi River, so if you're staying near there can be seen in a couple hours each (or a long lunch hour). The lines for tickets at the aquarium were the longest; if you can buy them elsewhere, you can then just walk in the front doors and avoid the ticket line.

The aquarium was very busy, but with little kids and short attention spans, we weren't going to have time to read much anyhow. You enter under a tank, which is kind of cool. Desert Boy was fascinated with the sting rays. He later got to pet one, which was a highlight of the day.

A stingray's mouth is a little odd. Just saying.

Most of the exhibits house warm water aquatic species, but they did have a penguin exhibit.

Desert Girl was particularly enthralled.

We also enjoyed the seahorses, Amazon adventure, play area, and Mississippi River section.

These cool looking fish are paddlefish, found in the Mississippi River. They get to be several feet long and are so neat!

Next was a trip to the IMAX, but I had to get back to my meetings, so I don't have any insight into that. Apparently it was a good napping spot for a couple grandkids and a grandparent. They run three different movies, and they all sounded interesting.

Another day it was time for a quick jaunt into the Insectarium. Desert Girl sported her "I Love Dirt" bib. It was quite appropriate. She also enjoyed playing with her beads.

The Insectarium opened in 2008 and is the largest museum dedicated to insects only in the U.S.

They had a dark, underground section, where humans were reduced to the size of insects. The ants looked huge!

There were bugs of all kinds--and Desert Boy sure enjoyed this one!

Then we headed to the insect cafe, where we had our choice of cinnamon bug crunch, cajun crickets, southwest waxworms, vanilla covered crickets, mealworm salsa, and more.

I tried a couple different things. Not the best, but not the worst, either. It's worth keeping in mind that insects are an important protein source for some people in the world.

The Eat a Bug Cookbook is available for anyone who wants recipes.

Would you eat this cricket?

We really enjoyed the 6-minute insect movie which had lots of special effects. There were all sorts of hands-on exhibits, and I appreciated this Audubon place more than the others. The final part was a walk through a Japanese butterfly garden. Before all the schoolkids came through, it was quite tranquil and calming.

The zoo is located out by the Garden District, and we took Bus 11 to get there and the St. Charles Streetcar to return. It was interesting seeing all the beads on the wires and trees left from the Mardi Gras parades.

The petting zoo was a fave.

Desert Girl by an old fish fountain. (She really liked those beads!)

Desert Boy was so excited to find a live oak to climb. So were a lot of other kids!

We saw all sorts of animals, but the highlight was Monkey Hill, a play area for kids with this spiderweb, a big hill, and more.

The more included this water attraction. We had packed spare clothes for Desert Boy, and knowing that it was going to be a hot day, that included a swimsuit. He was delighted to get wet. So was Desert Girl. We spent about an hour there. I guess we needed a water park more than a zoo!

The zoo had great seafood gumbo, served in the swamp section. The alligators were lazing about.

Until one chomped on Desert Boy!

We walked around the small swamp. I would have loved to have gone and seen the real swamp, but there wasn't enough time to do it all. Our friends did go out to the swamp, and I can't wait to see their photos!

March was about perfect weather. I can't imagine visiting New Orleans in summer, it must be really uncomfortable. Nearly all the animals at the zoo were warm weather animals. The zoo is huge; we got too tired before we had a chance to see it all. I guess we'll just have to go back someday!

New Orleans by Night

We had fun exploring New Orleans by night. After dinner one evening, we were meandering through the French Quarter when we heard people shouting and saw a flashing blue light from a cop car. We ran up to the corner and witnessed a two-float parade. I'm not sure what it was for, but they were throwing beads and seemed glad to have someone to throw them to, so we got a bunch. We were feeling in the party mood, so we ambled up to Bourbon Street.

The guidebook said it is not typical New Orleans, but due to its notoriety, we wanted to see it anyway. It was definitely a party street, with lots of bars, strip clubs, food, and music. It sort of reminded me of the bawdy Las Vegas strip, but with more culture thrown in. They close the street at night so it's easy to walk.

Thursday was St. Patrick's Day, and the New Orleans website said they were going to have a parade and had a map of the parade route. It was supposed to start at 6, but the map showed several beer stops along the way, so we figured it might take a while to get to us.

We started walking from our hotel at 6:45 down the parade route, with the idea we'd try and find some dinner. People were lined up all along the sidewalks. One restaurant had an hour wait. Then I noticed the almost-empty balcony on the Hard Rock Cafe, and we went over to see if we could eat there. They said yes!

While we were waiting, we saw this cool banana bicycle-for-two go by. The parade watchers hooted and hollered. But alas, we were still in for a long wait for the real parade.

It was getting darker, but there was still traffic on the street below. We ate our dinner, and still no parade.

Emma was getting a little tired.

Darkness had fallen over the city, and yet still no parade. The crowd on the street grew. I was so glad we had decided to eat first!

Finally, about 9 p.m., some cops on motorcycles came by. Then a bunch of little dune buggies. They had beads, and the crowd swarmed them to get the beads. Then there was a long delay as we waited for a fire truck to get back to the nearby station.

The balcony gave us a great vantage point, and it wasn't crowded. That was good for us rural folks, who needed a little extra elbow room.

Finally the floats started coming, and Desert Boy wanted to get some beads, so I took him down to the street.

We saw this bagpipe band.

We also did quite well collecting beads. Some of them may make a reappearance at an upcoming parade in our area.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The parade was a little different than others I've seen. Lots of people were walking and handing out beads. And drinking beer. I've never seen so many kegs in a parade. Or a port-a-potty. I guess that beer has to go somewhere.

Our last night we went out to dinner with friends and then took the free ferry across the Mississippi River. The city looked really neat.

Some of the feral cats that live under the ferry station. Someone feeds them, as there were several big bowls of food.

Grandmas and their grandbabies!

On the walk back from the ferry station we stopped to play in the fountain at the casino.

Ava was ready to get wet!

Emma and Isaac were content to hang out in their strollers.

Desert Boy and Ava were happy to play together.

They had fun goofing off.

And getting wet.
And getting wetter.

Finally it was time to leave.
It was a good time! There is still so much more of New Orleans that I'd like to visit.