Harper Turns One

Last week Ron and I packed up the RV and joined our WIN friends plus the tens of thousands of other RVers in Quartzsite, Arizona.  But before enjoying all the activities and checking out the vendors associated with this annual event, we left the rig there and took the car to San Diego for Ron's grandson's first birthday.  Kelli and Sean put us up (or put up with us) for a few nights so we could be there for the big event.  They threw a heck of a party for him on Saturday.

Here's Harper with a couple of his little guests.

There were four children under 1 1/2 - a real festival of cuteness.

Plus a couple of slightly older children and lots of adults.

The birthday boy enjoyed his own personal cupcake, leaving the cake for all the guests.  No, no, Harper, you're one not two.  Or maybe he's giving us the peace sign.

Harper is really pretty neat.  This was as dirty as he got, even with red icing.

He got pretty excited about all the presents or maybe it was the sugar high.

His mom Kelli helped to open them.

Although soon it seemed everybody got into the act.  Hey, where's Harper?

Oh, there he is modeling his new hat.

Grandpa Ron's present was a huge hit!  It's very versatile for when he grows enough to ride on his own.

For now, he likes somebody to push him really fast or he gets behind and pushes it himself.  He isn't quite walking on his own yet, but it think I caught a couple of his first steps in this poorly-lighted video.


On Sunday we walked around Coronado and admired the Hotel del Coronado.  At 125 years old, its beauty romanticizes a bygone era.

I know this is getting way too long, but I have one more thing.  You remember the picture of Harper crying on Santa's lap?  Well, I made an ornament out of it so they can always remember the event..  This is one side of the ornament . . .

And with Diana's magical help, this is the other.

What Do You Think?

I had the weirdest experience today.  When Ron and I took our daily walk, we stopped to talk to a neighbor, we'll call her Karen, who was already talking to a fellow walker, we'll call him Oscar (well, actually those are their names.)  She was explaining that she was tired of dogs pooping on her lawn - which in our neighborhood consists of stones, not grass.  So to make a point, she pushed all the poop onto the sidewalk.  I was the only one of the four who thought this was crazy.  She seems to think (and the guys agreed) that this would make the point to the dog walkers that they need to pick up after their dogs.  I disagreed.

I think
1 - This simply inconveniences the people who walk (without dogs.)
2 - Anyone inconsiderate enough not to pick up after their dogs will not change their ways because of this.
2 - After all the people walk through it, what does the sidewalk look like?
3 - This is an over-55 community.  There are people who courageously walk with canes and walkers.
4 - If somebody slips on her sidewalk, they could probably sue.  (Somebody tripped on a crack in my sidewalk years ago and they sued.)

I could go on and on.  I only got through point number one because nobody would listen to me, so I'm appealing to my blogger friends.  What do you think?  I'm wondering if Ron and Oscar just agreed with her because she's young (for this neighborhood) and cute.  Or am I wrong?

2012 Year in Review

In late May, early June we took a European river cruise.  It was truly a 'trip of a lifetime' and couldn't have been more wonderful.  We flew into Paris and back home from Prague.  We saw lots of river towns, each with its own castle.

We stopped at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Luxembourg where over 5000 Americans are buried.  It was a heartbreaking experience.

After returning to the states, we left for our summer RV travels in the middle of the June heat so we zoomed uphill to Flagstaff, then east to New Mexico.  On the way we stopped at Petrified Forest NP with its lovely petrified wood . . .

And Painted Desert.

After enjoying some time in historic Santa Fe, we moved to Antonito, CO, to ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.  What fun!

 Then it was on to one of my favorite places, Salida, Colorado, where we hung out awhile.  But the next calendar picture is Clear Creek Reservoir, north of there.

Eleven Mile Canyon in central Colorado was well worth a visit..

And we explored the always impressive Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

During our stay in Denver, we drove up Mt. Evans which is known for two things.   It's the highest paved road in North America and it is populated with very tame mountain goats.

We spent a total of two months in Colorado, so Ron purchased a fishing license.  Here we were staying right along the Colorado River.

We hiked up to scenic Lake Agnes.

Next we moved on to Utah where we enjoyed six weeks, beginning with Flaming Gorge NRA.

We admired the foliage at Fish Lake.

We finally made it to Cedar Breaks National Monument.

And we enjoyed hiking and biking in Zion National Park.

We rounded out the year with Thanksgiving at Kelli's in San Diego and Christmas in Yuma with the WINs.