The Last Hike of 2007?

On Saturday the kids and I set out on what may be the final hike of the year, as cold weather may make Monday a no-hike day. We visited the Volcanoes area of the Petroglyph National Monument. The area includes trails around three extinct cone volcanoes. the smallest and closest to the parking area is JA Volcano, seen here in the distance behind the kids:
The volcanoes were sacred sites to the ancient inhabitants of the area, which is in part why the escarpment to the east of the cones is dotted with thousands of petroglyphs. And because the area is still considered sacred to the Pueblo people of the Albuquerque area today, hiking atop the cones is prohibited. But the trails skirting the sides of the volcanoes make for a good hike; altogether there are about 5 miles of trail around the three cones.

We hiked toward JA Volcano, then turned north to circle Black Volcano before returning to the city overlook at the base of JA. Here the kids pose with the city behind them:

And here the kids sit at the overlook before embarking on the return trip to the car. All told, we hiked about 2 miles. When the sun was out from behind the clouds and the wind was calm, it was a very pleasant hike. When the sun was hidden or the wind picked up, well, it felt like a December hike. But it made for a very nice end to a year of fun outings in and around New Mexico. Here's to more adventures in 2008.

Open Space Visitors Center & Cranes

To celebrate Boxing Day, the kids and I paid a visit to the Albuquerque Open Space Visitors Center, a new facility housing information about the city’s open space in the foothills, along the river bosque, and in the west mesa petroglyphs. The center is a renovated house on the western edge of the bosque, near farmland and trials. On Monday I visited the city’s website and saw that migratory sandhill cranes were in the fields near the center, so we went by today.


The courtyard outside the visitors center is decorated to represent the Rio Grande running through the state, with rock outcroppings representing the mountain ranges of the region. Three cone-shaped hills represent volcanic field in the western portion of the state. Each of the kids sat atop a volcano and slid down.

We then visited the overlook to the west of the open field where nearly 200 cranes and several dozen ducks frolicked. Here the kids pose in front of the cranes (the cranes are the small dots in the background).

We also paused to see the Arbol de la Vida—the Tree of Life. This sculpture was carved into the standing trunk of a lighting-struck cottonwood, decorated with reliefs of the native wildlife of New Mexico.

Merry Merry

Christmas came and went with much joy here in the desert southwest. A smattering of snow fell Christmas day; nothing stuck, but we got to call it a “White Christmas.”

The kids had a wonderful time. Here is Allyson with the gift from Nathan, as well as slippers form Isaac and pajama pants made by Summer.
Here Ryan plays “Jumpin’ Monkeys,” a game we got from the Kimbers. Ryan is the best monkey jumper in the house, and the game is more fun than it really ought to be.

Isaac’s big present from Santa is this wood work bench. I put it all together after all the gifts were opened, causing me to quip, “I need a work bench to put the work bench together.” In the future, Santa will assemble his presents beforehand.

Thanks to all our family for both gifts (grandparents were, as always, generous and thoughtful, and Nathan, Heather and Dave, and Cheryl and Jason all gave some wonderful presents) and, more importantly, the great joy and love we share with you. The greatest gift we enjoy is found in our loved ones. And may you all have a happy and safe New Year.

And for all you chumps going back to work before mid-January, have fun at the office…

The First Hike of Winter

A winter storm hit northern New Mexico Friday; we got rain, but the mountains got some decent snow. So Saturday we hit the Sandia foothills for a quick hike. There wasn't more than 2 or 3 inches, but it was enough to blanket the ground. The hike itself was pretty pleasant, with little wind and a mostly sunny sky.

I carried Evan in the front carrier.
Allyson and Ryan ranged off trail and played in the snow.

And Isaac stayed close to Summer and ate a pound or so of snow.

See the picture of the week for the snow-covered cactus.

Ward Xmas Party

Friday was the ward Christmas party. Last year, due to systemic in-fighting, we did not hold a ward party; this was almost enough to topple our bishopric in a coup, but they hung on and learned from the lesson. Well, I'm not the ward clerk anymore, so maybe to appease the masses I had to be banished to nursery.

Anyhow, here are the older boys on "Santa's" lap:

Ryan looks like he's cluing the big man in on some secret.

Houses of Gingerbread

This past Monday, some friends came over for family home evening, and in between the ruckus of the six total children, we built some gingerbread houses. Here is our family's contribution to the project:
The small figures surrounding the structure are gummy bears. It's some sort of siege...

And here is the chaos of candy that resulted from the project:

Sweet sugar overload! The kids haven't slept since Monday...

What Did He Say?

It is a truism that parents struggle to understand their teen-aged children, but we got a glimpse of that with our preschooler recently. About a week ago, Isaac started saying what sounded like, "The vine fell dusted," which made, obviosly, no sense to us. We asked him to repeat himslef over and over, but to no avail. But the other day, Summer cracked the code.

You see, for his most recent birthday, Ryan got a set of Calvin & Hobbes books, including There's Treasure Everywhere. On page 131 is this comic:

It turns out that for several days Isaac has been telling us to "define well-adjusted." I'm not sure what to think...

Christmas in Old Town

On Friday, we made our way to Old Town, where we participate din the annual Holiday Shop & Stroll and saw (actually, heard about 45 seconds before we got there) the lighting of the 55' Old Town Christmas tree. The plaza across from the church in Old Town--as well as the streets throughout the neighborhood--was adorned with hundreds of luminarias. We saw the Santa parade around the plaza, visited some shops, and drank hot cocoa. And, here's the best part--while the picture below indicates a high level of bundling up against the elements, such was largely unnecessary, as the night was chill but certainly not cold. Every member of our party had doffed his or her hat by the time we left; simple walking made it too warm for hats and scarves. And we wound up untucking Evan, who more likely overheated, rather than froze. The Christmas season without the bitter cold is the most wonderful of all things.
Of course, when I told this to Carolyn, she said, "I hate you."

Happy Happy

To celebrate my wife's birthday, her father decided to send her a present. Actually, he's cleaning out his files and felt she could take better care of some of her paperwork. But in with the assorted documents were some photos from our trip to CA after we wedded. Here is a gem--we're opening a wedding gift. The caption for this picture would be, "Look, what an amazingly useless and awful piece of junk! How long do we have to keep it before tossing it? One year? Two?"
In all seriousness, happy birthday to my favorite person. I love you.

Welcome December!

We have now completed 11 months of the year, which means my annual truce with holiday decor has been broken and the tree is up. As part of the decoration festival, we strew ornaments, stockings, and nativity pieces around the house. Out of the mess today emerged this:
He wanted nothing more than a Santa hat to finish off the outfit. But, alas.