biosphere 2

So much to see under the glass at the Biosphere. They call is a Wonder of the World and the boys were probably most in awe in the giant lung room. It's especially exciting when the air pressure drops as the door opens and you see it lower a bit. Seeing the under the ocean viewing was new to us and the exhibits are well done.

school project

Keaton was very excited that his teacher asked if he'd like to send in a video for their class animal project presentation. Such a giddy guy that he was allowed to pick the red panda:
Red P anda shared with class from Bren on Vimeo.

one sec 3rd month

A third month in Tucson in one sec clips:
Month 3 in Tucson from Bren on Vimeo.

pool time

These guys were pumped that we had some nice hot days that made the freezing cool pool tolerable. So April 9 was the official break out the Tucson pool day ;)  Lenny the ring toss guy with a sorta English accent was really loving the game from Nana and Grampa - thx! The penguin and polar bear floats are wearing snow hats because those are actually inflatable snow sleds I brought from VA ;)

seussical

Photos taken by Keaton during Aiden’s Seussical!  It was so fun to see a new take on the show and hear Aiden sing as Horton this time! We discovered that the vest Aiden wore as Horton was the exact vest Keaton wore a few weeks ago as Tad the Dad in the Boy Who Cried Wolf!  So excited that G&P were able to come to the show and enjoy the front row with us -thx! ;)

dinos

We exited through the south entrance which had dino bones and fossils to explore. The artist in residence had created ed this cool four part kaleidoscope table where you could move different objects around to create different effects on the spinning table. We added a lot of cool stamps to our park passport.

petroglyphs

Towards the center of the trek through the Petrified National Forest is a series of stops with amazing petroglyphs. Newspaper Rock was nearly covered and Keaton ran away from it saying he never thought he’d see something like it!

petrified

The sheer number of logs covered in rich colors and textures throughout the park is amazing! The way they spilt like chalk is surprising.

blue mesa

We ended up hiking the whole loop at the Blue Mesa. It was really a feast for the camera! You can get an idea of how amazing those badlands are, but being surrounded by them is really something.

painted desert

The first area after the northern entrance of the Petrified National Park highlights the Painted Desert. The photos do not do justice to all the color! The old restored hotel and cafe highlight concessions of the past. The petroglyph animal was giant and they just turned over a rock and discovered it.

la posada

This visit to this restored hotel along the western train route was an unexpected treat. They have really done a great job of restoring it and making it interesting to look around. The owners have art everywhere and that huge chess set was a treat for the boys. Those metal bunny stands (bottom right) were an original design of the architect Mary Colter and were so surprisingly modern! The petrified fountain (bottom left) is really beautiful.

winslow

Here we are standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see.... sing it!

walnut creek

There were such drastic changes in the foliage from desert to evergreen forest as we drove in Northern Arizona and changed altitude. Just a bit south there was an area called Walnut Creek Canyon with many cliff dwellings tucked into the cliffs.These guys are big fans of visitor's centers and especially the stuffie puppets, like that big fluffy raven.

wupatki

This may have been one of the more interesting National Park visits since so much of it has been restored. The coolest feature was the blowhole, which is very cool air coming up from a cave below (some of the year it is sucking air in). It really feels like an air conditioner blasting you (you can see the hole Keaton is standing over in the bottom right). They have discovered a whole schlew of these athletic courts throughout the region and they think teams traveled to play each other.

sunset crater volcano

It's not every day that you walk on a lava rock field. Sunset Crater was an interesting spot to see the changes in the terrain caused by the volcano so, so many years ago.

sedona

We had a chance to visit my parents college friends who wisely moved from Ohio to the Sedona area a couple years ago. The statues and fountains at Tlaquepaque are fun to see.

montezuma castle

We had a nice visit to the popular Montezuma's Castle on the way up to Sedona. All these cliff dwellings are really interesting.

bens bells

Visiting Ben's Bells studio almost 15 years after I'd meet my friends on the plaza every Friday after work to make bells.  It has really grown and expanded since then!

campus

These wildcats enjoyed walking around campus and getting some new A gear.

culinary dropout

We are big fans of this restaurant spot where we love being early birds before it gets crowded...then we play games as the sun sets.  I actually hooked the ring we thought was impossible three times!