Around Phoenix

We are getting to know our area and have ventured out and about a few times.

Our first weekend we went to the train park in Scottsdale.  It's on the other side of the valley so we probably won't go that often.  Regardless, it was awesome!  There was a large playground and a small museum about trains and railroads.  There was also a really nice building housing the most extensive miniature train set-up I've ever seen.  It was pretty spectacular.  

There was also a carousel and a little train.  Wesley loves trains but the idea of actually riding on one made him very nervous.  Once the train got moving he enjoyed himself, especially the tunnel.

We were able to attend the Mesa Temple open house.  It is a lovely building and really pretty inside.  Wesley's favorite thing was the chairs.  He tried his best to sit in as many chairs as he could.  

We've been to a few playgrounds and have some good options close to our house.  Gil's cousin and her family drove from southern CA for the temple open house and we were able to go to the park and play with her kids and visit.

I have a weird tradition of asking my insurance agent where I can find the best malted chocolate milkshake when I move to a new place.  I was told Culver's was the place.  We went with Gil's cousin and her family while they were in town.  The company was good, the chocolate malt was lacking.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving with one of Gil's distant relatives.  They have quite the backyard for the grandkids, including a three story playhouse, a climbing wall, a trampoline, and about five battery powered trucks.  Wesley figured out how to push the peddle and turn the steering wheel and had a blast.  We couldn't get him out of it until the battery died.  Dinner was lovely and it was fun to get to know family.

We decided it was time to get Wesley a big bed.  He's been in his little crib so long I worried it would be a hard transition but he took to the new bed immediately.  He's in heaven.

My parents drove down the Friday after Thanksgiving to visit and bring some of our stuff that was in their storage unit.  We went to the Pioneer Living History farm just north of town.  My mom was enamored with the saguaros.   

Gil and Wes did some gold panning.

We had a second Thanksgiving meal Saturday.  Gil made the turkey, as usual, and it was his best yet.  It was so good.  I used to not particularly like turkey but I had three helpings of this one.

We're basically settled.  If you find yourself getting tired of the cold this winter, you're welcome to come visit!

Phoenix here we come!

Gil was offered and accepted a job in Phoenix with Pueblo Mechanical.  It was a fast and furious move.  

We thought we would hire professional movers for less stress.  We knew it would be expensive so we budgeted high.  When the quote came back way, way, way above our already high budget, we decided to get a U-Haul.  I went from thinking I had a week to pack to having a day and a half.  

I packed and sorted all day Thursday.  We picked up the van and car-tow trailer Friday morning.

Wesley had a blast playing in the truck.  He was in heaven.  He now points out to us every "moving van truck" he sees.

Gil packed the van almost entirely by himself.  He is amazing and it was so well packed... he's a pro!  We got to the point where Gil was loading as fast as I was packing boxes.  We had originally thought Gil would leave Saturday but we looked at each other Friday night and were absolutely exhausted and decided to wait until Sunday.

Saturday afternoon we finally decided we were ready, basically.  We went across the street and got a smoothie to celebrate and take a break.  My folks arrived shortly.  They were going to stay for the next few days to help with final packing and cleaning.

We got the car loaded on the trailer but didn't figure out the fender folds down so the car door can open until after my dad had climbed out the car window.

Gil left early Sunday morning and moved into our new apartment in Glendale, AZ on Monday.  He started his first day of work on Tuesday.

Gil's car packed with the last of our stuff.

My parent's car packed with the last of our stuff.

Wesley and I left on Thursday and headed for my parents' place in St. George.  Gil came up on Saturday and we repacked my car and his.  My brother blessed his baby on Sunday, then Gil headed back for AZ.  Wesley and I headed to southern CA so I could attend a memorial service for my friend on Monday.  

Wesley and I finally arrived at our new apartment on Tuesday.  Wesley has his own bedroom, we have a washer/drier in our unit, we have tons of storage space, and we're on the first floor!  We're learning where everything is and getting settled into our new place and new routine.

Growing Too Fast

 The Wee Lad is growing up very fast.  Here are a few photos from this summer.

We got him his own sunglasses but he prefers to wear Gil's.  He always puts them on upside down though.

He still does his own dishes and is getting better at it.

Sometimes he's pretty good about wearing a mask.

My mother gave Wesley her old flip phone and he loves it.  It's not a functioning phone anymore but he still enjoys picking it up and giving whoever he's pretending to talk to a running commentary of what's going on in the house.

The chair in the above and below was mine when I was little and it's been popular since it was pulled out of storage.  I had to wash the cloth seat and Wesley still wanted to use his chair.  So, he used a toy box to sit on and leaned against the couch.  Smart kid!

He walked into the kitchen the other day in Gil's shoes and holding his diaper changing map and announced he was going to work.

At the library, he was immediately drawn to the computer, sat down, and announced he was working.  We're not sure where this idea of "work" comes from, but he's very serious about it.

We visited the splash pad a few times this summer. 

He loves to sing and dance.  When I go during the week to church to practice the organ, he sets up his music stand and sings his way through the hymn book while I play.  This particular day he found these massive sunglasses and was absolutely adorable (notice they are upside down).

He also insists he has his turn to play the organ as well.  In some ways it's nicer than the piano because I can pick only one stop and turn the volume as low as it goes.

We got a train set and he loved it.  We were able to find my brother's old set and the two sets fit together perfectly.  We've had a lot of fun setting up more elaborate tracks.

I love this little boy!

Utah Visit

Labor Day weekend we headed to the Salt Lake area to attend a baby shower for my brother-in-law's wife.  She texted us right as we reached the NV/UT border that she was having the baby and the shower was cancelled.

We spent the morning instead with Grandma Sharon and Uncle Bryan at Wheeler Farm.  The boys climbed into the tree house.

We tried the barrel cow ride.

Wesley loved the tractor and would have stayed on it and pretended to drive all day if we let him.  He is fascinated with cars, trucks, trains and other large vehicles.

Sunday afternoon we headed to southern Utah.  Gil and my dad flew on Tuesday to Houston to help Gil's sister move to Missouri.  Wesley and I had a lovely week spending time with Nona and getting to meet Baby Kensley, my brother's little girl.  Wesley was very, very excited to hold her and was very attentive to her needs.

We went to the Dinosaur Discovery Park in St. George.  It was not a place for Wesley but there was a dinosaur we could climb on.  

It was a nice week and good to spend time with family.

Caldor Fire

I worked for the Eldorado National Forest for almost four years.

The ENF is divided into four districts, Georgetown to the northwest, Pacific to the northeast, Placerville slicing through the middle, and Amador to the south.  I worked on the Placerville district.  During my time on this district, I hike a fair share of it, found my favorite places, coordinated with business owners who operated on the forest and was liaison for private land owners within the forest.  

The last two weeks have been hard.  The picture below shows the Caldor Fire's footprint as of this morning (minus the part that's dropped down into the Tahoe Basin).  Everything you see in red is my old district.

This map shows the fire's progression, from when it first ignited to today.  I have former coworkers who have been evacuated, two of them with homes where the fire got really, really, close.  The whole eastern half of our stake is evacuated.  Gil's boss was also evacuated and he and his wife are camped out in their trailer behind the shop where he operates his business.

This is a photo of what remains of the Plummer Guard Station.  It was an old cabin where rangers would stay while out on patrol.  The fire burned incredibly hot here and little remains. We were working on getting it ready to be rented to the public.  The structure in the back is solid concrete.  One of my former seasonal employees who sent me this picture said there are places where the fire burned even hotter and not a single tree survived.  

One structure I was very worried about was the Harvey West Cabin.  It was built in the early 1900s and was a private retreat until becoming part of the ENF.  It is fairly rustic (no electricity but hot running water) and we rented it out every summer.  The cabin was saved, though you can see the flames to the left side of the photo.

We are watching this fire very carefully, praying for those evacuated and for the safety of all the firefighters, and a swift containment.

 

Folsom Aquarium

Gil had been wanting to go to the Folsom Aquarium for quite a while.  He got off work early yesterday and we headed down the hill.

Wesley loved the lizards!  We'd try to move on to the next exhibit and he'd keep running back to see the lizards.

I think all three of us really enjoyed this little alcove in one of the tanks that we could crawl into and watch the rays and other fish swimming overhead.

Hooray for an outing!

Shark Fin Cove

Gil was ready for a beach day and we were all ready for some cooler coastal temperatures.  We headed west to Santa Cruz and realized the rest of the state was headed there too so we went north along HWY 1 until we found a little patch of dirt off the highway where we could park.  Gil somehow knew there was a cove with a nice beach there.

Turns out it's labeled on the map as Shark Fin Cove but there is no sign along the highway.  The trail from the road to the beach was very treacherous but we made it.  We'd stopped for lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican place that we took with us it was delicious.

We set up our site then went closer to the water to watch the waves breaking.  Wesley was not a fan at all, terrified in fact, and I was totally ok with that because Gil and I wouldn't have to chase after him to keep him from drowning.

There was a water carved hole in the rock near where we set up and Gil got some great photos looking through it of the water breaking on the rocks.  The northern CA coast is really spectacular.

On our way home we saw a lighthouse and decided to stop and wander around.  There wind was really strong and really cold off the water so it was a very quick look-see.  Wesley informed us, "ight house, code." (Lighthouse cold.)

We stopped at the Oakland Temple to have a dinner picnic on the grounds.  Wesley loved the water feature in front of the temple.  

Another fun family adventure!