more AZ trip details

I wanted to make note of a few things, kind of family album style, so as not to forget.

Tolliver's been on an airplane before, but was too small to remember.  This time the pilot invited him into the cockpit and gave him permission to touch whatever he'd like.  

I'm afraid he may be confused about his name now though.  Airport security asked for it, and, not shy at all, he said Tollie.  But the paper said James.  And if that wasn't puzzling enough, after last week I'm pretty sure he thinks his last name is careful, middle initial B.  As in "Tolliver, be careful!  Please don't get too close to the edge/to the cactus/to the barbed wire/to the fishing hook/to the possibly venomous snake."  Tolliver B. Careful!

Red Rock Crossing:::
The boys might have spent the whole week throwing rocks into Oak Creek if we'd let them.

Tucker turned everything on the trip into a math problem.  How many states will we fly over?  How many minutes are in four hours?  How many inches long is a trout fish?  If it's six AM in Sedona, what time is it in Ohio?  He got to use some of his Spanish language skills and learned what words like mesa mean.   He grew his geography knowledge and map reading abilities.  And on the last day, he finally caught a lizard!

Rainbow Trout fishing:::

The guy who cleaned the fish for us put the still-beating heart on the ledge for the boys to look at.  And then he ate it.

Fay Canyon:::
The boys hiked the trail past the natural arch ALL the way back to the rockfall, where it dead ends, so two and a half miles total.  There were LOTS of breaks for food (oranges and Doritos and water and salami and peanuts and M&Ms...) and even more breaks to draw in the dust and to kick the dust and to pick up the dust and let the wind blow it out of their hands.  By the time we reached the car, Tollie was sucking on a juice box like it was a pacifier. And all four of us were covered in dust.

"T" for Tolliver!

 *Tuck took this shot with the camera remote!

Slide Rock State Park:::
This was our favorite spot in Sedona, and the one thing we did twice.  Slide Rock is just what is sounds like, a stretch of slippery creek bottom.  The water was frigid, but all four of us worked up the courage to slide down the slick chute. And the boys all braved jumping into deeper parts from rock ledges!  We spent most of our time at Oak Creek Canyon wading in shallow pools, trying to catch lizards and avoid snakes.

Honanki Heritage Site:::

It was closed.  At 3 PM.  So we snuck around.

Pink Jeep Tour:::
The Broken Arrow trip came highly recommended, and did not disappoint.  The boys LOVED the thrill of Devil's Staircase and thought the "round about" at Mushroom Rock was fun.  Our guide was super, full of interesting facts and funny stories, and almost enough patience to field two hours of Tuck's questions.  We all enjoyed learning about "cowboy killers," and appreciated the risks and the safe return.

Chapel of the Holy Cross:::

 Cathedral Rock:::

Tolliver developed a real fondness for Aunt Cherie's clipboard of scrap paper — he carried it around and took "notes" all week.  He napped with it.  On Saturday he took it with us to Cathedral Rock and drew pictures of lizards and even wrote his full name for the first time sitting in the shade where the trail splits.  Once he had energy to resume walking he asked if we’d get him his very own clipboard with a green pen just like hers.  When we said Yes, of course, he asked if we’d get him a house just like Cherie's too, with two bedrooms and a big white tub and a long deck in Sedona.  We decided we’re pretty lucky she doesn't mind sharing her space!

We've been home for a few days now, blessed by our time away, by our time together.
Now we're turning our thoughts toward a summer that looks long and a little bit lazy and just lovely all around.