Private lunch for two at Bright Angel Point, etc.

We took advantage of a great opportunity for a working vacation Friday and Saturday.  A company that we have done some previous work for at the North and South Rims called up and have another job they needed us to check out and give them a bid for.  We were more than happy to take the time to go over and do that.  We left Friday right after I got done with school and stopped off in Hurricane to try the outdoor pizza oven for lunch.  It was really good.  Then we took off for Jacob's Lake to spend the night.  We stopped of at a viewpoint and bought some pretty jewelry from some Navajo ladies and then took a side road for a cool walk in the ponderosa forest.  We arrived at Jacob's Lake and checked in.  We had reserved one of their old rooms, but they gave us one at their new building because they are doing remodeling on the old rooms.  It was a nice upgrade and even had a balcony.  We learned that you don't want to go out on the balcony without bringing your key!  We both went out and then couldn't get back in.  There was nobody around, so I volunteered Paul to make the climb down.  Luckily there was a big pile of snow just below our balcony that made the drop shorter.  When Paul asked them for a second key the kid at the desk was amazed that he had gotten down from the 2nd floor.  After a nice dinner we took a wonderful evening walk in the forest.  In the morning after breakfast we were off to the North Rim.  We checked out the job and measured it up and then headed out to Bright Angel Point where we had lunch. It was so cool that it was just the two of us at one of the most popular places to go when the park is open.   We saw maybe 5 other people there working to get ready for the park opening on May 15th.  After lunch we did a short hike - Uncle Jim's loop.  It has some very nice views of the canyon.  Too bad a lot of the trees had in that area had been burned or it would have been even prettier.  After that it was time to head home via dinner in Kanab and the drive through Zion.  It was so much fun, and just what we needed.  Hopefully we will get the job and be able to get back over there to wash it!  It was a great Earth Day celebration...just one day early!

This little guy seemed to want his picture taken.

The skies and clouds were magnificent.

Easter Fun and more

Our family Easter gathering was on Friday this year.  It included a picnic in the backyard and presents and cheesecake for Christie and Sarai's belated birthdays.  After that the parents headed up behind the tank on the Red Hill to hide eggs while Paul, Juge and I herded the youngsters up there taking the long route.  The eggs were in place when we got there and the hunting began.  Every egg was found.  Then we trekked back down where the kids commenced and pretty much finished up on the consumption of the goodies.  Before everyone came over we made it down to the Art Festival and enjoyed it.

On Saturday we took a drive looking for a "hidden" waterfall.  It's still hidden, but we did see some interesting territory.  After that we took a hike in the Red Cliffs reserve.  It was tame, but close by with some nice views.

I had Monday off and we went up to Zion with Juge, Lance and kids to take a short hike to see some petroglyphs and then went up a pretty little canyon and ate our lunch along the way.  It was a beautiful day and a fun time.  Eden just loves the pretty sand.  Every time we go hiking with her she seems to come up with a bag that she has to fill with sand.  This time was the same.  She and Noah both seem to like it...enough that I saw both of them take a little pinch to eat!  Funny birds!  Sometimes it is so pretty that it looks "good enough to eat"!

Yesterday I had to talk myself into being happy that it was raining when I was so hoping to get out on a hike.  Instead I did housework that I had been putting off and after that Paul and I took in the Scout Expo and ran some errands.  Then I got started on another task I have been saving up - making a bunch of tiny sugar cube temples for a stake activity for the girls 8-11.  We are taking them on a hike to the temple quarry and learning about how the temple was built.  Hopefully it won't rain that day.