Letterboxing~Albuquerque

Fantastyk Voyager,and my daughter and I did some letterboxing on Saturday after we participated in the San Ysidro Church Mudders Day. We had lots of fun playing with mud as we resurfaced one of the mud walls in front of the beautiful old adobe church.

And afterwards we found the following letterboxes: Oso Canyon, Hidden Park, Bataan Memorial Park, and UNM Dreams. I also helped Fantastyk Voyager find Koi Pond at the UNM Fish Pond. I had already found that 2 years ago. Wow! I've been letterboxing for two years?! Time flies!

So here's the most recent letterboxing update:

FOUND LETTERBOXES
1.Veterans' Memorial (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/12/2007
2.Koi Fish (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/12/2007
3.La Cueva Arrow (Albuquerque, NM) - 03/13/2007
4.The Netherwood Box (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/12/2007
5.Los Vaqueros (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/13/2007
6.Domingo Baca (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/13/2007
7.Rosche's Little Affair (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/15/2007
8.ABQ Sunport (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/20/2007
9.Urban Forest (Albuquerque, NM) - 3/20/2007
10.Embudo Canyon (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/2/2006
11.It's Chile Out Here! (Hatch, NM) - 4/14/2007
12.What is the Thing? (Dragoon, AZ) - 4/14/2007
13.Lordsburg (Lordsburg, NM) - 4/14/2007
14.Tombstone (Tombstone, AZ) - 4/18/2007
15.Rolling Stones (Tombstone, AZ) - 4/18/2007
16.Lincoln Park (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
17.AMARC (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
18.Fly Catcher (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
19.Going Batty II (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
20.Phainopepia (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
21.Rock Solid (Tucson, AZ) - 4/23/2007
22.1st Annual (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
23.Diamondback Crossing (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
24.Diamondback Bridge (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
25.3rd at Columbus Letterbox (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
23.Columbus Park Letterbox (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
24.Silverbell Letterbox (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
25.Crystal's Cathouse Hostel: [5 Hitchhikers] (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
26.Rolling Stones Re-Mixed (Texas Canyon, AZ) - 4/27/2007
27.Ibex Box (Deming, NM) - 4/27/2007
28.Black and White (Mystery, NM) - 5/16/2007
29.Isotopes (Albuquerque, NM) - 5/18/2007
30.Abundant Water (Ft. Stockton, TX) - 5/26/2007
31.Displaced Donkey (Ft. Stockton, TX) - 5/26/2007
32.Leaning Tower of Pease, Texas Governor Series (Austin, TX) - 5/26/2007
33.Oakwood Cemetery (Austin, TX) - 5/26/2007
34.Visual Aid (The Woodlands, TX) - 5/28/2007
35.Tee Time (The Woodlands, TX) - 5/28/2007
36.Branding Iron (The Woodlands, TX) - 5/28/2007
37.Tiger Cub-Go See It!: [2 boxes] (The Woodlands, TX) - 5/29/2007
38.Explorers Circle (The Woodlands, TX) - 5/29/2007
39.Mark by Mark (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
40.Call of the Wild (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
41.America's StoryTeller (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
42.Literary Ace (Tomball,TX) - 5/30/2007
43.Elm Creek Quilts-Quilt Block Series (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
44.Harry's Headache (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
45.The Stamp (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
46.True North (Tomball, TX) - 5/30/2007
47.Mercer Monarch (Spring, TX) - 6/2/2007
48.Grandmother's Flower Garden-Quilt Block Series (Spring, TX) - 6/2/2007
49.Panda Bear, what do you see? (Humble, TX) - 6/2/2007
50.The Pinata Box [18+ stamps!] (Humble, TX) - 6/2/2007
51.A Sssssnake Story (Humble, TX) - 6/2/2007
52.Cactus Pot (Kerrville, TX) - 6/5/2007
53.Peace on Earth (Kerrville, TX) - 6/5/2007
54.Cattle on the Mesa (Fabens, TX) - 6/5/2007
55.Windy Day (Alamagordo, NM) - 6/6/2007
56.Atari E.T.-Random Wierdness Box#3 (Alamagordo, NM) - 6/6/2007
57.Sandia Crest (Albuquerque, NM) - 6/18/2007
58.The Aliens have Landed (Socorro, NM) - 6/19/2007
59.Space Port "Take Me To Your Leader" (Truth or Consequences, NM) - 6/19/2007
60.Cabinet Box (Deming, NM) - 6/19/2007
61.Bisbee Box (Bisbee, AZ) - 6/24/2007
62.Bisbee Pass (Bisbee, AZ) - 6/24/2007
63.Doc and Brutus (Pomerene, AZ) - 6/25/2007
64.To the Bat Cave (Benson, AZ) - 6/26/2007
65.Boys of Summer (Tucson, AZ) - 6/27/2007
66.Presidio Downtown Walking Tour [3 boxe] (Tucson,AZ) - 6/27/2007
67.Crocodile Duck Dee (Tucson, AZ) - 6/28/2007
68.Tucson (Tucson, AZ) - 6/28/2007
69.Speedway (Tucson, AZ) - 6/30/2007
70.Agua Caliente (Tucson, AZ) - 6/30/2007
71.Ben's Bells (Tucson, AZ) - 6/30/2007
72.C is for Cougar (Tucson, AZ) - 6/30/2007
73.Coati Corner (Tucson, AZ) - 6/30/2007
74.San Pedro River (Sierra Vista, AZ) - 7/6/2007
75.Geology 101-'Limestone' (Vail, AZ) - 7/7/2007
76.Rincon Valley (Vail, AZ) - 7/7/2007
77.Five Minutes of my Life (Tucson, AZ) - 7/7/2007
78.Willcox Playa (Willcox, AZ) - 7/11/2007
79.Ladybug Peak (Bonita, AZ) - 7/11/2007
80.Safford Cotton (Safford, AZ) - 7/11/2007
81.Vexing Letterbox Anomaly (Mystery Box) - 7/11/2007
82.The Red Brick (Farmington, NM) - 7/22/2007
83.Downtown Moab (Moab, Utah) - 7/22/2007
84.Happy 10th,11th, 13th Birthday (Moab, Utah) - 7/22/2007
85.Choose the Right 'Pawth' (Provo, Utah) - 7/23/2007
86.Moose (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
87.Utah's State Symbol Series: Elk (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
88.Olympic Letterbox (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
89.The Swaner Box (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
90.Bark City Letterbox (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
91.Summit County Library (Park City, Utah) - 7/25/2007
92.Farmin' Fun Fer All (Salt Lake City, Utah) - 7/26/2007
93.On the Farm Series: [4 boxes] (Salt Lake City, Utah) - 7/26/2007
94.Wetlands #1 Catch & Release (Sandy, Utah) - 7/26/2007
95.Wetlands #2 Fowl Play (Sandy, Utah) - 7/26/2007
96.Utah State Symbol Series: Sego Lily (Sandy, Utah) - 7/26/2007
97.Horse Thief Trail (Moab, Utah) - 7/27/2007
98.Fish Out of Water (Moab, Utah) - 7/27/2007
99.Moab Man (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
100.Dourown Petroglyph Panel (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
101.Art on the Rocks (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
102.Newspaper Rock Box (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
103.Indian Creek Box (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
104.Hole in the Rock~Spanish Trail Box (Moab, Utah) - 7/28/2007
105.Four Corners (Four Corners, Colorado) - 7/28/2007
106.Tunnel Canyon (Tijeras, NM) - 8/23/2007
107.A Texas Acorn (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/30/2007
108.The Netherwood Box Re-Visited (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/30/2007
109.Bio Park (Albuquerque, NM) - 9/6/2007
110.A Little Scare (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
111.Araneae (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
112.Day of the Dead: Cancion de Amor (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
113.Day of the Dead: La Catrina (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
114.Double, Double Toil and Trouble (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
115.Flight 1007 (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
116.Fly by Night (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
117.I wnt 2 suk yor bl%d (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
118.I'm a Lumberjack and I'm Ok (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
119.The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
120.You've got Candy (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/6/2007
121.Rattlesnake (Albuquerque, NM) - 5/12/2008
122.Los Altos Park (Albuquerque, NM) - 5/12/2008
123.Smokey Bear (Capitan, NM) - 5/25/2008
124.Embudito:Letterboxing is for the birds (Albuquerque, NM) -7/20/2008
125.Lost Dog: German Short Hair (Albuquerque, NM) - 7/20/2008
126.Bosque:Letterboxing is for the Birds (Albuquerque, NM) - 8/11/2008
127.Roosevelt Park (Albuquerque, NM) - 9/11/08
128.Alburwocky: (Mystery Box, NM) - 9/11/08
129.Alphabetical New Mexico~Quarra (Mountainair, NM) - 10/08/08
130.Miner at the Mirador (Cerillos, NM) - 10/18/08
131.Letterboxing is for the Birds~Hawk Watch (Carnuel, NM) - 10/24/08
132.Paws & Purrs Kitten (Santa Fe) - 10/26/08
133.Paw & Purrs Puppy (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
134.Paws & Purrs Bonus Box (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
135.La Paloma (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
136.Fortitudo Dei (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
137.Giant Rebel of Eden (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
138.Bear in Mind (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
139.The Crow Knows (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
140.Are your Dogs Barking (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
141.Honor, Loyalty & Peace (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
142.Lizard Goes South (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
143.Artful Southwest: Santa Fe Style (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
144.The Art of Ebru (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
145.The Falling Leaves (Santa Fe, NM) - 10/26/08
146.1/4 of July Canyon (Tajique, NM) - 11/04/08
147.Marsh Mellow (San Antonio, NM) - 12/15/08
148.Dabbling Duck (San Antonio, NM) - 12/15/08
149.ABC New Mexico:Sand Hill Crane (San Antonio, NM) - 12/15/08
150.New Mexico in a Box (Socorro, NM) - 03/22/09
151.Pie Time (Socorro, NM) - 03/22/09
152.Oso Canyon (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/25/2009
153.Hidden Park (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/25/2009
154.Bataan Memorial Park (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/25/2009
155.UNM Dreams (Albuquerque, NM) - 4/25/2009

PLACED:
1.Mariposa Ranch (Rio Rancho, NM) - 3/16/2007
2.Sandia Man Cave (Placitas, NM) - 3/16/2007
3.Vikings in New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) - 5/18/2007
4.Indian Blanket (Bernalillo, NM) - 5/20/2007
5.The Catwalk (Glenwood, NM) - 7/11/2007
6.Tijeras (Tijeras, NM) - 5/17/2008
7.DWI Memorial (Moriarty, NM)- 5/20/2008
8.Golden Eagle (Edgewod, NM) - 7/08/2008
9.Have a Javalina (Edgewood, NM) - 7/08/2008
10.The Masked Bandit (Edgewood, NM) - 7/08/2008
11.The Big "I" (Albuquerque, NM) - 7/20/2008
12.Monkey Cave (Tijeras, NM) - 11/07/2008
13.Fortune Teller (Sandia Park, NM) -03/28/2009
14.Corrales Crawdad (Corrales, NM) - 4/21/2009

HITCH HIKERS:
1.Hebrew Aleph-Bet~Zayin (Albuquerque,NM) - 3/20/2007 (Placed: "It's Chile Out There~Hatch, NM - 4/14/2007)
2.Merry Traveler (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
3.World Traveler (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
4.Reading Rocks Bookworm (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
5.Green Leaf (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
6.Sandy (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
7.The Cannonball (Tucson, AZ) - 4/26/2007
8.Reading Rocks BookWorm (Bisbee, AZ) - 6/24/2007 (Placed: "Wetlands #2 Fowl Play~Sandy, UT - 7/26/2007)
9.Mojo (Albuquerque, NM) - 7/20/2008 (Placed: "Tijeras"~Tijeras, NM - 7/27/2008)
10.Hermie Hitchhiker Cuckoo Camino (Tajique, NM) - 7/04/2008 (Placed: Alphabetical New Mexico-Quarai - 11/4/2008)
11.Moving On (Albuquerque, NM) 4/25/2009

EVENT STAMPS:
1. ¡Bienvenidos! (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
2. G is for gatherings (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
3. LBNA Map Roving Event Stamp (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
4. Santa Fe SPOOKtacular Letterboxing Event Stamp (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
5. SPOOKtacular Magic Words (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007

COOTIES:
1. Cutie Bee (Tijeras, NM) -July, 21, 2008
2.Evil Bat (Santa Fe)- October 6, 2007
3.Putting on Pounds (Santa Fe)- October 6, 2007
3.Clover (Santa Fe)- Ocober 6, 2007

PERSONAL TRAVELER STAMP EXCHANGES:
1. A Corking Carivan (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
2. Aztraveler (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
3. Cowabunga! (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
4. Gait Training (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
5. Literary Personal Traveler (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
6. No Mirrors for Me (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007
7. Sheshells (Santa Fe, NM) - Oct 6, 2007

LETTERBOXER EXCHANGES:
Lionsmane, Astro D, The Great Wuga Wuga, Rubberpeace, RBR Horno, Highwayman, Front Range Hiker, Warm Front, Cold Front, Azroadie, AZJokester, y nought, preboxed, Triple T's, South Hill Hendersons, Fantastyk Voyager, Phancy Phan Tail

Letterboxing~Albuquerque WestSide and Corrales

I'm very behind and trying to catch up with some older photos and adventures.

In late August Jackson, Jenna and I traveled West from our beautiful mountains, through the unique city of Albuquerque and across the chocolate-colored Rio Grande River.
We were wanting to do some letterboxing and explore some old 'haunts' of ours.

Our first stop was to check on one of the letterboxes we placed last year. It's way out on the mesa in Rio Rancho, NM. Our Mariposa box was just fine, but we'd had a lot of visitors, so we pulled the full log book and replaced it with a new one. The statue there is just so striking, don't you think?While there we noticed that many of the yuccas were producing fruit. Jackson wanted to pick some to have a closer look. Did you know that Native peoples of New Mexico used the tough leaves for fiber, the central stem for a strong soap/detergent, and the flowers for eating and the fruit for baking or roasting? The Native Peoples that utilized the yucca fruit included the Havasupai, Hopi, Navajo, Pima, Yavapai, Zuni, the Mescalero and the Chiricahua Apache. Many groups still harvest the yucca.The Native People harvested the fruits, then roasted or baked them. The resulting product is brown and sweet, tasting much like molasses or figs.
After baking, most Native People continued the process by stripping the seeds and pounding the remaining flesh of the baked fruit into a pulp. They shaped the pulp into flatcakes, and sun-dried them. The sun dried cakes could be stored or ground into a powder for mixing with other foods. Some groups, like the Gila Pima, boiled the fruit, dried it, and pounded it into a sweet meal.
Yucca fruit are not only sweet, they are, like agaves, a very strong laxative. A large plate of this tasty treat will keep you running like the EverReady bunny.
Yucca is also an excellent source of soap or detergent. When the central stems or rhizomes of some yuccas are pounded and soaked in water, the resultant mix will foam due to the saponins they contain. Many Native People used yucca as soap for bathing, and for washing clothing and hair.
In addition, the leaves have a long straight fiber that provided material for baskets, cordage, weaving mats, making sandals and snares, tieing basket coils and attaching material to house frames.
We tasted the fruit, but it was quite bland, more like a cucumber than a fruit. I can imagine if it were baked or roasted that the sugars would become available and the fruit would be much sweeter. We thought the seeds would make a beautiful necklace if threaded with string, either painted or left black. The seeds would have also been useful to place inside rattles for ceremonies or to entertain a baby.After leaving Mariposa, we decided to go hunt for a letterbox called Coronado's Campsite. We are studying the Spanish Conquistadors and the Pueblo people right now using our Sonlight Curriculum, so we were excited to search for this letterbox.
Unfortunately we weren't able to find it, but we did enjoy the beautiful hike in the Rio Grande Bosque, with the awe-inspiring Sandia Mountains as a backdrop.Jackson discovered these fragile and delicate leaves. Doesn't this one remind you of beautiful lace? Jackson commented that it also reminds him of suburban sprawl. See the crowded-in roads, houses, yards?We left the Bosque Nature area and drove south out of Rio Rancho and into the quaint village of Corrales. When we lived in Rio Rancho, we spent many days in Corrales, visiting the park, pool, library, hiking the trails, or attending many of the fun events that the village hosts. There is always something to see and appreciate in Corrales. Like this unique artwork. Don't you just love that bunny riding with abandon on his spirited horse?And just look at the detail on this strikingly lovely glass tiled fox.And who said art can't be fun? And healthy, too?Jenna was just wishing that they were real cookies!Watch out Jackson! Those aren't crumbs falling from those animals.We left Corrales and headed for the West Mesa to do some hiking and letterboxing in Piedras Marcadas Open Space area. It's amazing how many hundreds of houses have went up around this area. I remember hiking with my dogs over 14 years ago and the closest house was at least a mile away. Now they back right up to this Open Space area. We had to walk past backyards and all the household smells, like fabric softeners, bbq and cooking smells, dog poop, before we could reach the more wild spaces.If you click on the picture, you can see the remnants of three of the five cinder cone volcanoes in the distance. They were formed over 150,000 years ago, and were the dynamic finale to a series of fissure eruptions that coated the surrounding landscape in a basalt caprock. You can see the volcanic rock covering the hills.The trail has several places to stop and admire petroglyphs.Jackson discovered some little shells while we were out hiking. How they got there, I'm not sure. At one time New Mexico was a swampy sea, but is now an arid desert. But these shells don't look old enough to be from that time. Nor could they have survived all of the urban sprawl and thousands of trodding feet. Maybe someone had some escargot while hiking on the trail? For now the shells remain a mystery.In the end, we weren't able to find any of the letterboxes: Coronado's Campsite or the Christmas Cactus, but we had a great day exploring, hiking and being surrounded by nature and many learning opportunities.

ABQ Natural History Museum

I'm finally getting our trip to the Natural History Museum posted. We've been busy around the ranch and have also started our homeschooling schedule. And along with guitar lessons, band practices, and a U.S Presidential Civics Class we have very busy weeks now.

But while John and the terrific twins were in Maryland, Jenna and I went to the museum for a few hours. She had been begging to go see the dinosaurs and bones. So, as you can imagine she was very excited!

Look Mama! Dinosaur Bones! Lot of bones! She finds bones, skeletons, skulls and animals and dinosaurs fascinating.Wow. So Big!These eggs are much bigger than our chicken's eggs!Jenna asked me to take a picture of this T-Rex skull.We both found walking through the volcano kind of fun, although a little spooky. The museum pipes in smoke and a burning smell, and the walkway is plexiglass over 'flowing red lava'. I wonder when the next big U.S volcano eruption will be?Whenever we visit Explora Science Center, next door, we have to always stop by and visit Spike. Jenna is very fond of him.She's not as fond of Alberta, probably because she can't even see her face up close. But she is pretty impressed by her.I don't usually buy anything from the gift store, but Jenna saw some tiny plastic animals she was interested in. And I just fell in love with this book and thought it would make a wonderful addition to our homeschool library.

Letterboxing~Roosevelt and Alburwocky

While John and the boys were in Maryland to attend a wedding, Jenna and I decided to head to Albuquerque to visit the Natural History Museum (Photos in next post) and do some letterboxing.

First we went to Roosevelt Park to meet a friend and give her the spinning wheel back that she had loaned me to practice on. And it just so happens that there is a letterbox placed in this park.
But first it was time to play for a little while. Jenna and I had a lot of laughs on this climbing structure. There was this spinning thing that made us both dizzy. And Jenna had fun swinging from the monkey bars.I love this face so full of concentration. After finding the Roosevelt box, which was placed by our talented friend, Lions Mane, we headed over to spend some time at the museum.
Afterwards we drove a bit to hunt for a mystery box called Alburwocky box. This was our second trip to this location and we almost didn't find the box this time until a lightbulb clicked on in my head. haha!
Jenna found a bone, probably coyote. She is just fascinated with bones. She was also enamored with these wood log structures. So, of course it was picture time.The sky looked so ominous and the area was so stark.On the way home, on I-40 the traffic moved at a crawl. I took the opportunity to take a few pictures of the beautiful painted pottery sculpture art set up in the median. I've never been able to capture these because it's pretty hard to take a photo when you're driving at 65 mph. I think I was only going 10 mph, stop and go for this photo. There are approx 6-7 pieces of this bigger than life size art, all different. They are so pretty and uniquely New Mexican. I really like seeing them there. At least until the traffic picks up again and then it blurs right past.Before we entered the canyon to head home we turned off on Tramway Blvd to take Rt 66 home. At the corner there is a huge colony of prairie dogs right there next to the busy intersection wedged between two busy roads and a hotel. These are truly city dogs. Jenna and I always enjoy watching them as we wait for the light to turn green.Just as we enter the canyon there are a couple horse boarding and riding barns. The riding barn is also a feed store. They rent out their horses by the hour.Can you see that beautiful white horse? I'd take it home in a minute. So pretty!This place is very dreary. Just look at those enclosures. They are just disgusting. It's a wonder this place hasn't been shut down already.This poor guy looks like he's bored silly. He's chewing and sucking wind. Poor boy. And if you look closely, he and several other brown horses have white markings on their backs. These types of white markings are usually caused due to poorly fitting tack, especially saddles that rub.There are 12 horses in this one tiny, crowded, wreck of a corral. They never get out of there unless someone comes along with some money to pay for a ride on the trails. It makes me so grateful that my beautiful horse has almost 2 acres to roam and browse without having to fight for food, dominance or space. This situation is just sad.
Almost home, I pass a reminder that I get my kicks on the famous and historic Route 66 anytime I leave Laughing Orca Ranch to head east or west.

Good Bye, Dear Friends

We had a sad day recently, when it was time to say good bye to our dear friends who are moving to Flagstaff, AZ. We've only known them for about 2 years, but consider them near and dear. We'll miss them greatly, but wish them lots of happiness in their new home. And of course, Flagstaff, Arizona is less than a 5 hour drive away, so we look forward to taking a few camping trips out to visit them in the future.

Eryn is Jenna's first best girlfriend. They are so cute together and always have fun.Jackson and Jeremiah love to hang out with their buddy, Sean. They enjoy playing Legos or Star Wars mock battles.Hugs from friends are the best! And grass confetti is fun!But still, it's so hard to say, 'Goodbye'.

Explora Edventure

This past week we stopped by one of our favorite museums in Albuquerque, Explora Science Museum. Since we have a membership, we appreciate being able to just stop in for a few hours and don't ever feel rushed to do or see everything. In fact, quite often we will spend our entire time playing and exploring one exhibit or station. We love that the entire museum is hands-on.

The music exhibit area is a favorite of ours and we like to try our hand at playing different instruments.And recording music and sounds for play-back.Jackson & Jeremiah like to ride the balance bike when we visit, too. The next few photos are of Jackson pedaling through the air.Fearless Jackson.Brave and adventurous Jackson.The Jacksonator!While each of them is riding the balance bike, the other one heads to the 'spy camera' to keep an eye on the activities of their brother."Hi Jackson!". Notice Jackson looking up at the camera on the screen.Meanwhile Jenna has fun playing with the balance bike model. Flipping it upside down is such a thrill.And now it's Jeremiah's turn. Super Jeremiah!Jenna always enjoys playing at the water table so we spend a lot of time here.And no visit to Explora is complete without a visit to the restroom. Jenna got a kick out of the 'poop poster' on the wall of the restroom.See? There are learning opportunities everywhere in Explora Science Museum!