Bonding in Las Vegas

Whether the teen and near-teen grandchildren want to admit it or not, Grandpa really looks forward to putting them to work for a couple of hours while they visit. They should be thankful we don't live in the country or have a farm. Of course if that was the case they probably wouldn't come to visit for fear of all the work expected of them.

The Allen's were in town last week and I invited Mac and Alyssa to help in the dreaded "tree" project. They have never done it before and didn't know what to expect. I was up early walking at 5:30 am, cuting down limbs at 6:30 am and we finally finished about 9:30 am. Mac has only used power tools in the past, so I had to teach him how to use a "hand" saw and he got very good.

Mac and Alyssa were a great help. Once we got Alyssa involved
the work went twice as fast. We just needed someone to stuff
the trash can - and she did great!

Once done with the hard work we had lunch and off shopping that afternoon. By the time we were all done I was exhausted, even if they were just getting started. It was a fun day with my grandkids, daughter, and spouse. It was a lot harder shopping then trimming the tree.

Not as many bags as usual, but that's because we are getting
into a rhythm of accomplishing the work. And bags are bags!

Wordless Wednesday

Just Another Quiet Weekend or the "FAMILY-BLITZ Weekend"

JoAnn and I relish our quiet weekends together. We find time to play, do a little work, read a few books, and maybe watch a little television. Sorry Tim, no sports. In Indiana we used to go out for drives on Saturday afternoons. We could always find someplace in the country to go and enjoy ourselves. It has been a little more challenging in Las Vegas. The beautiful country is all desert and there are a limited number of times you can look at the desert. Instead we have taken to discovering some of the older neighborhoods in Las Vegas that have larger homes and have not had their owners escape to newer neighborhoods. But when we get a chance to leave town and see something other than desert, we jump at it.

Wednesday last we left late in the afternoon for Albuquerque to spend time with daughter 5 and her Marine husband. I had a little work to do that afternoon just outside of Searchlight, NV. We were at the Walking Box Ranch. "The Walking Box Ranch was built in 1931 by legendary silent film stars Rex Bell and Clara Bow." More on that in another post. We left from there late and drove toward Laughlin, NV and Bullhead City, AZ (what a name) and then on to Flagstaff before we decided enough is enough. We got up early the next morning and left for Albuquerque and arrived in time to have lunch with Marine son-in-law. We went out to a little place called "Baggins", like in Bilbo (you will have to read the Hobbit). Excellent sandwiches. Be sure to put it on your go-to list in Albuquerque.

On the way into Bullhead City our air conditioner went out. Thank goodness for cool mountain weather. That is, once we got out of the Colorado River basin. We got it fixed in Albuquerque, but the car was in for a spa weekend. So we took the kid's truck to Aurora. Left on Saturday morning, had a great afternoon, evening, and Sunday morning with daughter 2, her Air Force civilian husband, their 4 kids and with daughter 1, who flew in, and her middle child.

It took me almost 2 minutes after our arrival to discover the quiet weekend was fully out the window! Daughter 2's son was receiving the Aaronic Priesthood (reason to travel, like we need a reason) and they had a party to celebrate his birthday. The noise level was off the scales. All the women were in the kitchen (I lost count) and the men were in the living room playing video games. Son-in-law's dad and I were left to fend for ourselves. I think we were both exhausted. I know I was after a 4 am get up and on the road for 8 hours.

Sunday after church we reversed the trip and headed back to Albuquerque. The Albuquerque kids have had so many family trips recently and have more planned, they couldn't take any time off. We got our car back on Monday late afternoon, and drove home on Tuesday.

Monday evening JoAnn and daughter 5 made chicken fajitas with guacamole sauce, all from scratch. We had some good meals on this trip, but this "hands down" was the best meal of the trip.

Tuesday we finished our not-so-quiet weekend with a drive home. We were exhausted and just sat in front of the tele and vegged last evening. But it was a great family-blitz weekend. We drove 2,000 miles in 4 days and still had time for fun. There are several more blogs and photos to come from this weekend.

I think next weekend is a quiet weekend, and the one after that, and the one after that, ....

The OCD Connection Continues

I have always known that Meagan was a bit OCD. Okay, her mom would say she is over the top. Jeni hung a box and filled it with wooden flowers in Meagan's room. While grandma was there Jeni gave her one of the flowers to take home. When grandma left Meagan explained to her mother that it just is not right, a flower was missing. Tim and Sally like to point out that a good OCD is a born accountant - good luck Meagan.


However, her true colors came out while the family was visiting in Las Vegas. The kids gave grandma a 500 piece puzzle focusing on quilts - lots of quilts, colors, small, and difficult. At least I thought it was difficult. Grandma, Mom, and Meagan got into the puzzle in a hurry. Grandma got busy with other projects, Mom would come back periodically, but once Meagan got the hang of the puzzle it was all over. By my count she did at least 50 percent of the puzzle. There is some disagreement there, but since it's my blog my number counts.


Meagan was so proud of herself when she was finished. She just beamed. We have an 8-year old puzzle whiz. Is there a TV show for that - there seems to be for everything else.


The best part of being a grandpa is watching your grandchildren grow up and learn about themselves. It is a discovery process that brings back old memories of when their parents were small. I have to admit, living closer to our children is a whole lot better then living far away. We have enjoyed the opportunity to see them more often. And their parents too.

Gotta Love Spring Travel

I truly have become a Las Vegan. If it isn't sunny, warm, and nice I don't much care to travel. Well in the last week I flew to Salt Lake City and upon arrival I picked up my car for the drive to Provo and the woman at the rental counter says, "We are expecting 5 to 8 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow." My response was, "If that's the case, I won't be back tomorrow." Not that I don't like driving in the snow (I don't), but especially not in Salt Lake City or any other big city. And, I'm just a little out of practice. Not much snow (or rain) in Las Vegas.

Jeni, Craig and the kids came for spring break and I promised to drive Jeni and the kids back to Denver since Craig had to go back to work. As I watched the weather (remember I just dodged a storm in Utah) I noted that Denver was set for a Friday-Saturday snow event (that means .1" to 24" depending on how mother nature feels). So we opted to go through Albuquerque to Denver. Yes, it is a little longer, but the scenery is still new to me and with David & Krissie in Albuquerque it makes for a nice stop.

We got off moderately early (5 am), saw Hoover Dam just as it was getting light. Noted the new bridge is making great progress and then headed south to Kingman, AZ and Interstate 40. Off we were east to Albuquerque and making good time. We stopped for gasoline in Flagstaff, noted the wind was getting brisk (how about just plain hard) and got 17 miles east and hit a standstill. We made 1.2 miles in 2 hours. I could see our "good time" going right out the window. By the time we got to the off ramp - yes the road was closed - we were informed all roads east were closed due to high winds (gusts up to 65 mph). So, we turned around, back to Flagstaff, found a hotel with an indoor pool (lukewarm water and cold indoor space, but still indoors) and after everyone quit shivering we were off for lunch. Back in the room we looked outside and yes, the wind was blowing, the side roads were filling up with trucks (nowhere to go) and then the snow hit. It was horizontal (a good Iowa snow) and whiteout conditions.

It really did look a lot colder and snowy when I looked at it. Photos make a car look like it lost 10 pounds - or more.

By comparison the rest of the trip was uneventful. However, as I was driving east on Saturday through eastern Arizona and western New Mexico I thought more than once about the movie Cars and how much scenery we must be missing. Remember the scene with all the traffic on the interstate. Well, that was us! I decided to save that detour for another trip. After all we will be going to Albuquerque 2 more times this summer - on the way to Denver. Thank goodness I don't have to go to Boise to get to Denver.

We had dinner at a little Mexican restaurant on Saturday evening in east Albuquerque, close to the Air Force base, and it was truly a mom and pop operation. The food was superb. It may have helped that we were all starved, but we did have a great time. I had a photo of Jeni expressing just how HOT the red sauce was, but had to censor it (for fear of my own health).

This shot of Alyssa came as she was being a bit of a teen and not wanting a photo taken. I set my iPhone on the table, propped it up with hot sauce container and shot a series of time lapse photos. This was the point where she asked what I was doing. Of course I told her nothing, but I don't think she believed me.

Now, as I sit in the Denver airport waiting I'm excited to go home and see my lover. I've forgotten what it was like to have kids at home and how little of JoAnn I really got to see.

Changing of the Guard

It is spring once again in Nevada. Actually spring has come and gone and I'm still thinking it is spring. After 35 years in the midwest I truly had forgotten about those California (and now southern Nevada) February springs. Trust me when I say I'm not complaining - maybe a little gloating. But what has that got to do with the "changing of the guard?"

It is tough to get a photos of a squirmy crowd - and 2nd son was the worst of the group (more on that later)

Yesterday, the Bake family left for Boise about 10 am PDT and simultaneously the Allen family left Aurora (11 am MDT) to come. The Bake's took in a little Disneyland and southern California beach (jealousy on my part) and returned to recover at our home. Of course with 2 little boys I really don't think there is any such thing as recover in the vocabulary.

Nonetheless, we had a great time. Dean & I took the kids to the Bass Pro Shop one evening to wear them out. Yes, it was I who was worn out by the time we got home, but they had great time looking a the fish tanks, stuffed animals (they are fake too), and going 100 miles an hour plus through the store in an effort not to miss anything.

Now we turn to a little more sedate group - by that I mean older, with the Allen's in town. It will still be a busy week. And they were ALL up early (is there no justice?) on Sunday.

Grandma and I had about a 13 hour break yesterday and got a lot done - provided you call relaxing and recovering "a lot done", and we did call it that! I think we both felt done in, but when the kids arrived at 11 pm, we and they were ready to go.

Family is all about strengthening relationships and we want our children and grandchildren to have great experiences when they visit. It is the family experiences that they remember - doing things together. There is a strength in our family that is all important and it is the most important work that we do as parents and grandparents.

Happy New Year

About 9 am this morning we are doing the breakfast dishes and the telephone rings. The caller ID reported "Colorado Call." That's the cue for an Allen family call.

I pick up the phone and say "Hello" and hear on the other end "Hey," so I respond with a "Hey." Then I hear a chorus of young voices in somewhat unison, "Happy New Year!" And my daughter saying, "Oh, you ruined it?" I didn't think I did. I thought it was cute.

"Let's do it again for you mother. On 3."

I listen, "1, 2," and a put the phone to JoAnn's ear before the "3."

"Happy New Year" was a little louder. Nothing works better then a little rehearsal.

So, Happy New Year everyone!