Even More Baseball

Monday we went to the afternoon Isotopes baseball game. It was a beautiful day for a ballgame, and we had seats on the third base side, 12 rows up from left field. Here is Allyson's face-painting; she had birthday money burning a hole in her pocket, but ever the frugal one, she got the $3 version instead of the $6 one.

The boys also got in one the fun. Here Ryan licks cotton candy off his fingers.

And here he is dancing to "YMCA" during the 7th inning stretch. He looks like he's in pain, but he's actually enjoying himself.

The game was great, especially after the shade crept up to our seats. In the 6th, the 'Topes turned their first ever triple play. In the bottom of the 9th, a pinch-hit double drove the winning run in from second.

Cool Nature Photos

Now I realize that readers of this blog are most interested in the kids being adorable, but here are some rather impressive pictures taken during our recent camping trip in the Jemez. Summer took most of these, and since I've just learned how to compress the files, I thought I would upload a few.

First, here is a shot taken looking upward through the Ponderosas at the campsite. The moon was framed beautifully among the tall pines, and Summer got the perspective down. Next is the one Summer is most proud of. This is from our Friday morning hike to Jemez Falls. This is the eastern horizon, shrouded in clouds.

I took this picture of Battleship Rock from the picnic area before our second hike Friday.

And this is a picture Summer took of Battleship Rock looking west from the trail. All of these are missing the typically rich blue of the New Mexico sky; Friday was quite overcast, and we actually got a serious downpour later that day.

Jemez Falls

Thursday we went camping in the Jemez Mountains, about one hour northwest of Albuquerque. The Jemez lie at the edge of a massive ancient caldera, the same set of geothermal features that created the Tent Rocks area. At about 8000 feet, the Jemez area is worlds different than the high desert of Albuquerque, and the Ponderosa forest in which we camped was cool (actually, downright cold at night) and beautiful.

We had originally planned on going all the way to Bandelier National Monument, but the scenery of the Jemez Falls campground and the variety of hikes available convinced us to scale back our plans. We’ve camped at Bandelier once before, so we decided to try a new spot, and our efforts were rewarded.

After dinner Thursday, the kids and I went on a hike around the campground. We scaled a hill on the western edge of the camp area, climbing about 300 feet in a half mile or so. Here is a picture of the two oldest at the peak.

Friday morning we hiked from the picnic area to Jemez Falls, a beautiful 75 foot waterfall the plunges below an observation point. Here are the kids with the falls behind them.

We then drove to Battleship Rock, a massive sandstone outcropping that juts out from the mountain and looks, well, like the front of an aircraft carrier. He hiked along Jemez River for a while in the most lush riparian area I’ve seen in New Mexico. The kids and I again scramble up to mountain a bit. Here Allyson and Isaac stand by a small cave in the soft volcanic rock that has eroded away to expose Battleship Rock.

A hike leads from the falls to Battleship Rock, but it's about 3 miles each way, with a 500 foot elevation change, so we'll save that for next year.

Some Silly Isaac

Here are some rather recent pictures of Isaac being silly. This happens quite often, so look for more.

First is a photo from Mother's Day. After lunch, we insisted that he nap so he'd be less cranky at church (we have the late block...). When we went in to wake him up, we found him asleep on the floor, pillow and all.

The next one is from Monday. Isaac was helping Summer water out front when he bonked his head on the exterior of the house. Summer asked if he wanted a bandage, to which he immediately assented. He, however, was only happy with the Ace Bandage, so here he is with it wrapped around his head. Apparently he was cured at once...

Elena Gallegos Picnic Area

Saturday morning we made the trek up to the foothills in far northeast Albuquerque for a picnic and some hiking. The city operates a large park here that connects several trailheads to longer trails in the adjacent Cibola National Forest, and it’s a popular biking, hiking, and picnicking site.

The Sandia Mountains rise abruptly from the eastern edge of the Rio Grande Rift, forming in places a 5000’ angle of granite. On the eastern slope the Sandias emerge from the plains slowly, but on our side, the sudden climb is dramatic. Here is a view of the northwest edge of the Sandias from the picnic area.
The hiking trails pass through the scrubby vegetation of the high desert, characterized by bear grass, cholla and prickly pear cactus, and, after a wet winter, a variety of wildflowers. As you ascend a bit, juniper and pinon become more common, and a mile past the end of today’s hike (a two-year old and a pregnant woman make long hikes a dream) you find yourself in a full-fledged forest.

Of course, the whole point here is the hiking. Walking around in the foothills is a very relaxing experience. Mere minutes from the traffic of the urban space, you find yourself removed completely, with a unique perspective on the modern city.

Adventures at Starbucks

A few weeks ago CNM held a professional development conference, and I presented on electronic essay grading, and since this sort of initiative is new and kind of big deal, the VP for Academic Affairs wanted to thank the presenters. So Thursday I found a nice thank you card in my box, along with a gift card. I love gift cards. But the gift card was to Starbucks.

Now I'm sure Starbucks is a fine place, but it's very out of my comfort zone. I told Summer that few gift cards would be less useful to me than this--maybe something for illegal drugs or ammunition...

But Summer, descended from a line of Starbucks aficionados, insisted that I get her something. She called it a "frozen hot chocolate," which confused me even more. So I stopped by the nearest Starbucks last night while I was out. What ensued was high comedy.

I walked into the sort of place I dread most--hip, dimly lit, quiet, fragrant. My head spun. I looked at the menu board for "frozen hot chocolate," but to no avail. When the barista asked what I wanted, I stammered and contemplated running away. But ever the hero, I stood my ground. I explained my wife's request, which was greeted with a derisive reply, "What?" After what felt like an hour of trying to translate from English to coffee-speak ("I wanted hot chocolate, but cold, and NO COFFEE") and back (she said things like "mocha" and "frappachino"--are these even words?), she said "I can make that."

I walked about, with $6 left on my gift card, holding what seemed to be a two-gallon milkshake topped with a pound of whipped cream. But the look of dread mixed with confusion on my face the rest of the evening (while brushing my teeth I wondered what horrible accident had befallen the white-haired man in the mirror) was classic.

Several years ago, Summer commented that she rarely sees me do something poorly, and the insinuation is that I don't try things I'm not comfortable with. Yesterday reminded me of why that is...

Father-Son Campout

This past Friday-Saturday was the Stake Father-Son Campout, or, as I thought of it, the greatest test to date of my fathering skills. I’ve had all of the kids for extended periods of time by myself, but always on my home court, or at least a home court, but never in the woods with fire, snakes, and bears. To say the least, I feared tragedy.


We were camping at Water Canyon, in the Cibola National Forest near Magdalena. After driving though some uninspiring desert plains, you ascend through the foothills to a secluded canyon in the mountains with a stream running near the campsite. Except for the occasional cholla cactus, it felt a lot like the Uintahs.

After setting up camp, we had dinner. We then went on a little hike up along the stream, which meanders around, but never widens more than 3 feet across. In spots, the trail dead-ended on one side, so we had to cross and take it up on the other side. We then scrambled up the hillside and got a view of the canyon from above. We repeated this hike Saturday morning, but with more adventure.

It was early Saturday when we began hiking. Isaac’s internal clock means he wakes up around 6 am every day, no matter how tired he is or how late he stays up. So we were hiking by 7:30. As we hiked up the canyon, I heard a sound to our right, at the top of the hill. Four deer ran off through the brush not 100 feet away. Later, 2 more deer crossed the trail 50 yards ahead of us. Here the boys stop to watch some sort of bug, which to them was more interesting than the deer.
We stopped about a mile into the canyon, at a spot where a large, sheer outcropping rose from the canyon floor. Seeing a great opportunity, I scaled up 50 feet or so while the boys tossed pebbles into the stream and looked for more bugs.