As we pack things up tonight to hop a flight back to the homeland Monday, it seems like a great time to recap the week that was. It all started last Monday with a late night flight from South Bend to Mesa.
We took the bird down with a few of our family members.
For some of them it was their first time in an airplane. But all went smoothly.
Before we knew it, we were hanging with the clouds ...
... and watching the sun set on another day.
It was a very late night with the 3-hour time change.
So we were sure to keep things laid back on Tuesday. Well, as laid back as card games can be with Gracie.
On Wednesday, we ventured out to the Phoenix Zoo. Gracie and Augie were in charge of the map.
We let the giraffes be in charge of eating the hay.
And the otters be in charge of playing.
The monkeys volunteered for the sleeping ...
... though the tigers offered their support, too.
The baby orangutan was in charge of folding the sheets.
And the lizards were in charge of eating the ants.
Well, the lizards that hadn't escaped their enclosure anyway.
We would've put Augie in charge of the flying, but he only had the wingspan of a great horned owl. So we just let him be a kid ...
... and put him in charge of turning pennies into souvenirs.
Here's part of the gang hanging out in the shade for a picture. I mention the shade because it was literally 105 degrees at the zoo.
Thankfully, they had a couple of splash pads around where the kids could try to cool off.
Anyway, enough with the zoo. On to the real reason we are in Arizona. Meet my great-grandpa. Last week, he turned 100 years old. And he's still as sharp as a tack. Family and friends came from all around to celebrate his milestone birthday.
We took the opportunity to snap a few photos with him, since we may not ever get back down here. It's been at least 20 years since the last time I was here.
We almost needed more space to get everyone into the five generations shot.
One of the aunts made these up for the party. It gives you a good idea of just how much has happened in great-grandpa's lifetime.
The open house was six hours long, so we were sure to let the kids veg upstairs with a movie for part of the day.
There weren't just a lot of people visiting the house we rented in Mesa, there were a lot of us staying in it, too. Gracie spent a lot of time hanging out with cousin Abby.
I mentioned Wednesday was hot. It wasn't the only day. There hasn't been a day that hasn't hit triple digits.
And by triple digits, I mean closer to 110 (or higher) than to 100.
Good thing the house came with a pool. When it's 110, you don't even need a pool warmer. The sun does all the work for you.
On Friday, we ventured to Legoland. And, as you can image, there were lots of Legos to play with.
There were a few pre-built items, like Gracie's older sister.
And Augie's safari friend.
But there were Legos all over the place for building things like ...
... race cars ...
... which you could test out on the tracks.
There was also a room of tablets set up so you could make your own stop-action movie. The only missing component was the option to email the video to yourself.
Saturday was the longest day of the week, because we decided to bite the bullet and make the 4-plus hour drive north to see the Grand Canyon. This photo doesn't do it justice. There's a better interactive version of this photo on my Facebook page if you're one of my friends. You should check it out.
As you can see, it was another hot day.
Though it was only 85 degrees at the Grand Canyon as opposed to the 110 it was in Mesa that day. Plus we found some clouds and a breeze, so it wasn't really as bad as Gracie made it look.
There were plenty of guardrails along the South Rim, but I was surprised at how many spots there were further down the path where you could just walk right out to the edge. One stray squirrel startles you and down you'd go.
And let me tell you, it was a long way down to the river below, where it was allegedly 105 degrees. So not only would you be a pancake, you'd be a hot pancake.
We didn't stay long, but we were in the mountains long enough to see the sun set on another day. It's hard to imagine a much better view.
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