Wild Animal Park and the LaJolla

The next two days of the trip we went to two different areas. Monday we went to the Wild Animal Park or as it is now called the Safari Park. It is interesting to think back that we took the kids when they were little to this park when it first opened and now we are taking the grandkids. Back then the boys got to ride an elephant. Not now. We did see a baby gorilla which was interesting.




We went to the Lorakeet  exhibit. If you buy food they will land on your arm and drink. Payton did not want anything to do with that so we just got close to them and let others be there perch.

This time of year they had a butterfly pavilion which had timed tickets so that it would not get over crowded. It was amazing to step into the building and butterflies of all colors and sizes flying everywhere and landing everywhere. Payton did not know what to think about it as she did not want them on her but they sure were attracted to Shannon.

The had a great sand sculpture for the park. It always is amazing what people can do. 

From there we went to the other animal exhibits and shows and enjoyed all the sight and colors and variety of animals. The lions were particularly active. 










At the end of the day they have a cheetah run. It was amazing to see how face they really do run. While I could not get a picture when it was running (it really was fast) they had it walk back down so everyone could see it. Oh yes it has a friend, a dog that it does everything with which is the animal next to it in the pictures.

Tuesday was a day at the beach. We first went over to LaJolla to see if we could see the seals and they were out in force though they had moved more to the rocks than the beach area. The waves were high which made doing anything in the cove impossible and the water was cool. We then went over to the other side of the bay to the beach along with everyone else. Payton loved the sand and did not want anything to do with the water and Connor loved the water and would go crawling into the waves.  We got pretty good sunburns on us but not the kids that day.

That evening Cindy and I went to a Beatles Tribute Band performance at the resort. The resort has its own theater and the concert was really good.  

 

Spring Break Trip

This year Cindy got a full week off of school for Spring break from March 31 to April 7. We took advantage of it and headed to the San Diego area. Maddie's break was two weeks earlier so she could not go with us and Cameron needs to work to get ready for his upcoming plans and Nic thought that he would need to help move his work when we planned this adventure so it was Cindy, Shannon, Payton, Connor and myself who went.
We had an early morning flight (6:30) so that means getting up at 4. We got to the airport in time but with all the kid equipment such as car seats and strollers I dropped everyone off at the curb and then parked because we would not have enough hands to do everything. I met everyone at the counter and then Shannon realized she left her purse in the car and had to go back to get it. We processed everyone else but Shannon. In the end this little detour made it so we got to the plane as the last ones boarding just barely making the flight.

Once we got to Long Beach it was a cool and cloudy day. We took a leisurely drive down Highway 1 along all the beach towns since we could not check in to our place until 4. We played at the beach and watched the surfers. The waves were high for a couple of days because of storms. One thing we found out is Payton loves the sand. She could spend hours playing in it and be just fine.

Once to the condo at the Laurence Welk resort near Escondido the kids had to get into the pool and play even though at first it was a little cloudy and cool. We really did not know what to expect because the name brings up idea that this is for older folks but it was not. They had things for kids to do also.

The next day was a sunnier day and we went to Balboa Park and walked around. The kids played on the playground. We watched the people with birds who were looking for donations, enjoyed flowers that were blooming (it was snowing at home that day) and just enjoyed the morning.

 We then over to the Mormon Battalion building in Old Town. We had tried to pick up conference by radio and cable but no luck until we went over to the Battalion building and they had it broadcast so we saw the last session.

Connor and Payton

The other day the grandkids came over to the house. Payton shared her succor with Connor and then they both played with the musical rabbit,

While Connor was a little shy at first he soon carried the rabbit around with him and let the ears flap him in his face.

Connor's birthday

March 15th was Connor's first birthday as well as our 34th anniversary. We met at Nic and Shannon's house for the celebration. Those who were there for the dinner had to eat like Connor, with their hands. After the dinner then there were the presents.

 After the presents it was Connor's turn to have his birthday cake. He really got into it and it showed on his face.

Cameron brought a friend
with him to meet all the family.
Her name is Cecilia.

My attempt at night pictures

 I tried to use my camera to take a night picture of Jupiter and Venus as the were aligning up in the night sky which does not happen very often. In this picture  Jupiter to the left and Venus to the right show the movement of my trembling hand and they become check marks on the picture. The red line is a plane crossing the sky at the same time. The bottom picture is a little more steady but still only an experiment.

March 4- The quilt

A few months ago Joni talked to me about the idea of making a quilt from Gaven's shirts that we had kept in a cedar chest. She said she had a friend who does this for families when a loved one passes away. I was hesitant about the idea because I really could not visualize what this would look like. After thinking about it for a few weeks I decided that this might be o.k. because we really do not see the shirts. I talked to Cindy then we called Joni and I arranged to drop the shirts off at her work.

A month past and Joni and Bob came to our house on the evening of the 4th and presented the finished quilt as we remembered the 10th anniversary of the accident and then his leaving us the next day. The quilt was rolled up with the back side of the quilt only visible. There was a saying attached on the back that read,"Because the one we love is in heaven there's a little bit of heaven stitched in this quilt." We unrolled the quilt and were overcome with emotion of how fantastic this quilt was. I could not imagine how it would turn out but it was great. Each shirt had a memory of an event when we looked at it. It is a priceless gift and I don't know how we could every repay Joni for her thoughts, time and talent. I've included in this entry pictures of some of those shirts that Gaven wore that made up the quilt.

March in like a lion

It seems like the first few days of March brought the best snow storms of the winter. It snowed off and on for a couple of days and on the morning of the 2nd the sky cleared and left this beautiful view of Ben Lomand  out our front door.It also made the front yard look like a little winter forest scene.

The snow allowed Shannon to build a snow man with Payton and she invited us down to recreate a picture taken 34 years ago with Cindy and myself. The funny thing is that Cindy still has the scarf and mittens worn in that first picture. So while Shannon  made a snow man instead of a snow elephant not much else had changed. I could still carry my bride on my back. Oh wait my hair is different, I have a few more pounds and I am in traction right now.

Today Maddie dropped by as we are going to Kelsey Feltner's wedding today. Kelsey has been with us on so many summer trips she is like a second daughter.




Maddie shared with us that she was the employee of the month at her work and I have included that write up. It makes us pretty proud of what she has accomplished.

After the wedding we went to Salt Lake to a dinner where Cindy's sister Jeanne was honored. It was a fancy dinner and a nice evening.