Hoover Dam

We took a break from the lights and action of Las Vegas to visit the Hoover Dam.  

 We took the whole dam tour (ha ha!  Funny every time!), which was very interesting.

 This is from the inside of one of the turbines, which we were told was out for maintenance and that most people don't get to see this on the tour, so we dutifully snapped away.

 After walking down the tunnel in the picture below, you could reach out between the slats and take a picture looking back up at the dam.  I wasn't brave enough to stick my phone out there, but David was and it turned out well!

 They suggest not going on the tour if you're claustrophobic...can you see why?  I could stand in the tunnel, but David had to duck.

 Fortunately this was just a place where we could look down at the steps, but not actually have to use them.  It made the teeny elevator a lot more appealing!

 It was a gorgeous sunny day at the Hoover Dam!

Las Vegas, Day 1

From Sedona, we headed to Las Vegas.  We got in Sunday evening and just looked around the hotel and casino where we were staying,  It was a few blocks off the strip, and felt a world away.  We got up the next morning, put on our walkin' shoes and headed out to see the sights.

 The last time we were in Vegas was 9 years ago, so it was fun to see what had changed and what had not.  The gardens and pool area at the Flamingo were still very pretty.  We both remember there being penguins there, but we just found flamingos.  It makes more sense that there were flamingos at the Flamingo than penguins.

We walked, and walked, and walked some more.  I forgot to take my Fitbit on the trip, and David left the hotel room without his, but we estimate that we walked close to 30,000 steps that day.  We took lots of breaks to watch people, and a lunch break to eat fast food lobster - that might not sound good, but the lobster roll and lobster cheese fries were delicious!

The Hershey's store at New York, New York was new to us, but shockingly....we didn't buy a thing.

 I rarely drink regular Coke, but I make an exception at the big Coke store.  It was as delicious as I remember!

 Margaritaville was fairly new the last time we were here.  We never pass up an opportunity to visit one, and this one really puts on a show, Vegas style.

 These guys on stilts were pretty impressive!

By the time we got back to our room twelve hours after leaving it, we were worn out!  It was a great day in Las Vegas though!

Red Rock Country

 Before heading to Las Vegas, we took a side trip down Schnebly Hill Road that starts just outside Flagstaff and ends in Sedona.  It's a much more interesting route than taking the highway.

 I think I've taken these exact pictures on a previous trip, but the red rocks are always so breathtaking, especially against the blue blue sky.

 Once in Sedona, we took some time to wander around the downtown tourist area, then had a delicious lunch with David's cousin Paula Jean and her husband Jess.  It's always so much fun to catch up with them, and it was nice to see the beautiful room they've had added on to their house for David's aunt.

The Long, Long Trailer

We just returned from a great vacation out west.  Our first big stop was the Flagstaff area to the Overland Expo at Mormon Lake.  The day before we arrived, they'd had a fair amount of snow.  It had mostly melted by our arrival on Saturday, creating a muddy sloppy mess. We secretly enjoyed watching some of the very off-road capable vehicles have to get towed after getting stuck in the parking lot.

 We still enjoyed walking around to look at all the booths - and trucks and campers.

 The highlight of our trip was staying in a 1950 Spartan trailer.  It was one of the most memorable places we've stayed!

 I loved the decor...very fitting of the time period of the trailer.

 There were even Arizona magazines from the 50's and 60's on the coffee table.

 The trailer was in a unique location with other old trailers, trucks, and equipment to look at.  The cold kept us from exploring outside too much, but thought this truck had just the perfect patina!

 Just like Lucy and Desi, here we are with our long, long trailer!

We moved on to warmer places, but no other place that we stayed had the personality of this sweet trailer!

A Camper Built for Two

Last weekend we camped at Alley Springs, which has become a favorite campground.  We'd planned for our usual camping crew to go also, but that didn't work out, so for most of the weekend it was just David and I.  It's the first time in 15 years that we've ever camped without our crew, and it turned out to be a fun weekend.

 Saturday morning, the clouds broke up and the sun appeared, so we decided to rent a canoe for a shot float.

 Another couple put in behind us, but we didn't see them again.  The only other people we saw on the river were a couple of park rangers.  It was a beautiful day for a little time on the river.  We saw lots of sunbathing turtles, and one sunbathing snake.  I know there are snakes at the river, but I'd really rather not see them!

 We spent a little time relaxing (and napping) and exploring Alley Spring Mill before Dale and the kids arrived.

 Seems like everything tastes better when cooked and eaten outside.  Camping food is one of the best parts of camping!

Our little camper makes camping much more comfortable.  It was a great weekend, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.

The Little Pie Safe that Could

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I have been on the hunt for a little armoire or chest for extra storage in our bedroom.  I seem to have acquired an awful lot of clothes and things were getting a little tight in my closet.

 On Saturday, I found the PERFECT little pie safe.  Perfect size, condition, and just cute as a bug.  David was so nice to stop on his way back from Arkansas and load it up for me AND carry it upstairs.  The only thing that I didn't love (come on, you knew there would be something!) was that it was shabby chic white.  It was adorable that way, but didn't look quite right with the darker colors in our house.  I love black furniture, and already had some Martha Stewart chalk paint in beetle black, so I took the plunge and painted.  Once I had one side done, I was sure I'd make a huge mistake.  The flat black looked just awful.  But I was already committed, so I pressed on.  I let the paint dry overnight, then started distressing it with sandpaper Sunday morning.  I started to like it better.

 The picture above shows one side distressed and the other side just as it was after painting.  Deciding that I'd spent enough on this project already, I tried to use Briwax that I already had to wax it.  I tested in a small spot, and was glad that I did as that was removing the paint.  Yikes!  Back to Michael's to get the Martha Stewart clear wax that is meant to go with the chalk paint.

 That was $6 well spent.  The door on the left has been waxed, and the one on the right hasn't.  It just added a nice rich luster (without being shiny) and made it look more finished.

 Here's the finished product.  I love it more than anyone should love a piece of furniture, and am very happy with how it turned out.

 This is a close up of my favorite part.  See the little keyhole?  The distressing really brought that out.  I couldn't decide on new knobs, so I just went with plain wooden ones.  I waxed them with a brown wax, then painted the chalk paint on top before sanding to give them a worn look.  They're the least expensive knobs I've ever purchased, and just might be my favorites!

 My quest to free up closet space is complete!  I could have painted the inside, but it was clean and smelled nice like the store it came from.  Also, by the time I painted, sanded, and waxed, I was all out of energy. ;)

Happy Birthday!

In January, we were invited to David's aunt's 90th birthday party.  She is a lifelong baseball fan, and especially the Cardinals.  Her party was at the triple A ball field in Oklahoma City.  No baseball going on in January, but the club house had a great view of the quiet field.

 David's dad is on the far left, and Jo - the birthday girl - is on the far right.

 The baseball theme was perfect for this fan!

It was a fun party, and we followed it up with fried chicken at the famous Eichsen's Chicken in Okarchee, OK.