More Road Art

I'm a big fan of road art, and I saw this the other day.

It's an interesting use of a George Foreman grill!

Much of the road art is a play on words, like Barb Wire.

And so Barb isn't out there all alone, Bob Wire is nearby.

If you want to see more road art posts, click here.

Park Discovery

When we went to Cedar City last week, Jenny and I decided to take the kids to a park I had read about but had never visited, up on the hill above Walmart and across the street from the Aquatic Center.

It turned out to be a really cool looking park, and we hurried to enter.

No one else was there on that January day at lunchtime.

I can imagine that it gets quite busy during the warmer months of the year!

All the kids liked the series of steps and buildings to run through.

Ava balanced well on a mushroom--at least that's what I think it was!

Although Desert Girl was first to go over the suspension bridge, the bigger kids couldn't wait.

And away they go!

I kept trying to get photos of the kids, but they were moving fast! Desert Boy and Ava paused for just a moment.

Then Desert Girl had to take a turn!

They even had a bouldering wall. It's extra challenging in cowboy boots!

The park opened in 2001, so we were surprised we hadn't ever heard of it before. Now that we know it exists, we will certainly be back! For directions on how to get there, click here.

Traveling Adventures

The kids and I are on a little trip (okay, maybe a big trip) to visit family in the Midwest. As any trip traveling with kids, it's always an adventure. I choose to be a "half-glass full" type of person, so instead of thinking about all the things that went wrong, here are all the things that went right:

* Desert Girl's chin stopped bleeding relatively quickly after she finished shaving while I was packing.

* At a stop after I stepped in poo--Desert Girl's poo that had slithered down her pant leg--there was enough snow to get most of it off my shoes.

* We were going on a long trip, so I had three outfits for Desert Girl that day, including an extra pair of shoes.

* I had also packed a plastic bag so that all the stinky clothes could be sequestered somewhat in the van.

* They didn't have to lock down the Target after Desert Girl wandered off while I was paying for our purchases. She had gone to the clothes section and according to the employees that found her, she had a big grin on her face.

* Even though the airport shuttle was 20 minutes late and our gate was the very last one in the airport, we made it onto the plane.

* Although TSA confiscated our Capri Suns, we learned that next time we can bring sippy cups without a problem.

* Although we got to the gate too late for family boarding, we still got on the plane early enough that I didn't have to place the kids in middle seats with random people. This could have been really fun:
"Here's my daughter and her diaper bag. She's ready to take a big dump. Good luck."
"Here's my son and his bag of goodies. He expects to be entertained nonstop for the next three and a half hours. Oh, and he'll have to get up and pee at least three times during the flight."


* Although many of Chicago Transit Authority's downtown elevated train ("el") stations are not handicapped/stroller accessible, they provide a great workout for hauling two suitcases, a backpack, and a child in a stroller. And Chicagoans are very helpful; some kind folks made it easier for us.

* We made it to our destination safely and greatly enjoyed some extra visiting with family along the way!

So if you're contemplating a trip, just think of all the things that could go right! (And hopefully you won't have to deal with blood or poo!)

Train Time

Winter nights call for creativity!

Pinyon Jays

 I saw a flock of birds the other day, up near the transition between sagebrush and pinyon/juniper. This meant the flock was pinyon jays, a neat bird. You usually don't see them alone--they like to hang out in big groups. Despite this, very little is known about where they nest. I figured that this would be a good opportunity to try to photograph them, after all, there were a lot.

But when I started following them, they kept flying farther away. I persevered and got a couple okay shots, so you can at least see that they really are pinyon jays!

They are really bright blue, a very pretty color. They hang out in this area year round, and it sure is nice to see their splash of color.

By the way, the Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up soon, February 17-20. This is a good excuse to check out what's in your yard.