Has cousin play ever been as fun as when you have been separated, then see each other again?  Camping was great. We seemed to have found the perfect campground and site for the kids to run around having lots of room to play, and options like playing in the beach or in the water, or playing in the tall grass or little grove of Quaking Aspen trees, or just digging in the dirt and pine needles near the tents.  With a post card view of the lake, and a slight breeze most of the day, it was also a perfect spot for us adults to step out and away from the craziness of our everyday routines.

The big boys found several geocaches and Suzanne and I took a sunset walk a ways down the hiking trail that skirted the lake.

I think my parents would love camping here I’m kind of sad that we had to leave but also overjoyed at the discovery of such a beautiful little lake tucked up in the La Plata mountains at 8,000 feet elevation.

With one last day together we revisited one of our favorite National Monuments Mesa Verde and Four Corners.

So sad to say goodbye, but really, it is just see you later.  It was sooooo good to just hang out for a few days.  We love you guys, thanks for coming!

The kids have been eagerly awaiting their cousins since we broke the news to them a week and a half ago, . . . OK, who am I kidding.  I have been awaiting their visit just as eagerly.  I don’t think we realized how much we were missing our family until the last few days, when the anticipation was just about too much to bear.
Well, they are here now and we plan on enjoying every moment.

For the first time in all of our Capitol visits we did the tour, which was awesome.  We learned so much, some things we already knew, like the the Zia sun symbol, and the meanings of the four lines and four sets of arms representing the four seasons of the year, the four times a day, the four directions, the four stages of life.  The story behind the two eagles on the state seal was quite interesting.  The bigger eagle is the United States, watching over the smaller eagle eating a snake.  The Spanish settlers in the area had a vision that the sign telling them where to settle would be an eagle sitting on a cactus eating a snake, so they looked and continued to move and explore and migrate, until at last, In the current New Mexico, they saw exactly that.  The United States is watching over the smaller New Mexico, as they decided to join the union and become a state.

The Capitol building is not in the shape of a traditional dome building, but rather it too is the shape of the Zia sun. They have incredible art throughout the building, with very interesting stories behind each one.  One buffalo sculpture was completely made out of materials from a land fill, to remind New Mexican residence to be more mindful of their environment and protect it.

. We also learned the story of the celebration at the end of August where they burn the Zozobra, which I hope to post more about at a later date because it is fascinating.

The also show case a large selection of children’s art work as well.

We found Tillamook Indian tribe on the monument dedicated to all the Native American tribes in the US.

We tried prickly pear flavored candy which the kids LOVED! It tasted like strawberry lemon aide.

Near the Capitol in Santa Fe, there is a very old adobe house that is believed to have been built in 1646, and be the oldest house in the US.

It is across the road from the oldest church.

We thought of Alex Zukowski as we saw a modern mystery in the Angel Staircase. They have been unable to determine where the wood came from, and what kind of wood it is, and they do not know who made it.  It is quite old, and quite amazing, and even though it has never been actively maintained or restored, it looks brand new.

Last but not least we window shopped and just enjoyed people watching at Old Santa Fe Plaza on the historic Santa Fe Trail.

It is amazing to look at 400 years of history.
-Sarah

We have seen so many puebloan ruins at this point, that it is starting to feel like the same thing over again.  Chaco Canyon was different, however.  The main difference being the size, and the other being proximity to neighbors. Chaco Canyon is way out in the boonies, down a washboard dirt road, and just when you think that there is nothing out here, slight canyon walls raise on either side of you and a unique butte marks the beginning of the park.  I maybe should have done more research before going, because I thought it was one pueblo, but no it was 11 different pueblos each about 1/4-1/2 mile of each other each time you get to one you can see the next one in the distance.  They must have gotten along well with their neighbors, which I guess I always imagine the Native American groups always fighting with each other, and not being able to live peaceably this close.  Also they were four to five stories tall with huge rooms several times bigger than any other pueblo ruins we have seen so far.  Each one was huge!  As BIG as they were, anthropologists tell us that only about 2,000 people lived in Chaco Canyon.  That doesn’t even seem possible, with the pueblos having about 600 rooms and there being 11 of them.

We didn’t do the hike up to Pueblo Alta, or a few others that were quite a hike, because it was quite hot and the kids were tired.
It all makes me wonder how it would be to live here in Chaco, in a pueblo with 600 rooms.  In that day and time starting about 10,000 years ago.
-Sarah

I’m so glad for a day off.  At work our unit just moved in the middle of the week, so we are all relearning where everything is, and hunting for things that have somehow been misplaced like the Doppler and bio static gel.  Also, the lights have not yet been installed on the new unit, so we have been doing repairs by flashlight.  Thank goodness the providers have been aware and patient with the mostly controlled chaos, but all the same it has been exhausting. Chad had a special breakfast planned and we talked a lot about the meaning of Memorial Day over breakfast.  I look at pictures of all these young soldiers who have given there lives that flood FaceBook on Memorial Day, and I can’t even comprehend the sacrifice that not only they, but their wives, their parents, and their kids have made to protect our country and freedom.
After a morning of rest we headed out to check out the river, parks, and greenbelt that Chad and the kids discovered this weekend.  It was awesome!  A cool breeze, nowhere to be and the rest of the day to squander.

We played by the river for a good two hours, and then made our way slowly to Berg park, where there is a splash pad and a whole bunch of play equipment that resembles gym equipment.  The kids had a blast.  Chad went back for the car, picked up some dinner and we continued to play until a quarter past seven.  While we played by the river Chad carved a spoon for me out of a stick.  It is so light and cool!  I think I’m going to add it to my backpacking stuff.

Thank you God for a slow relaxing day to enjoy the amazing-ness you have created in the form of inquisitive energetic kids and loving husband.
-Sarah