Home!

A trip home to Washington for less than 72 hours was exactly what the doctor ordered. I am sure a larger dose would have been OK, but I will take what I can get.

It was awesome to see my family and do a whole lot of nothing like sleeping, good convos, playing with the pups, watching March Madness (Washington and Syracuse lost...balls.), eating good food, going in the hot tub, doing laundry, shopping at Value Village... It was bliss.

And it was good to feel some cold on my bones. A Texas Winter is not a real winter.

The night is catching us! Love flights like this!

Ruby is not a fan of sharing her bed with Flat Miranda.

Otis, Baker and Flat Miranda interrupt Sky's nap.

It is flower time in the Skagit Valley!

S-W on Letterman!

We are famous! I might be a bit of a nomad, but home has always been Sedro-Woolley.

More Adventures of Flat Miranda

This past week Flat Miranda and I went to Cavender's to look at boots and hats! They were all too big for her...but it was lots of fun to see all the options!

We also flew to Washington for the weekend. I need a couple days at home with my wondrous family. We had over an hour to kill at IAH before the flight and thus we did a mini photo shoot. We took photos with the Qatar Airways plane because I used to live in Qatar. We took photos with the British Airways plane because I have spent a good amount of time in the UK and London is one of my favorite cities in the whole world. We also took a photo with the Alaska Airlines plane that would take us home. It was an easy four hour journey filled with reading...and napping. 

The Adventures of Flat Miranda!

All the wild bluebonnets are starting to bloom and they smell so nice. 

Visiting the birthplace of Texas - Washington-On-The-Brazos!

Welcome to Aggieland! 

Flat Miranda agrees: There are a lot of excellent climbing trees in Texas!

                                                                         

The tree looks like a snowball.

LOOK AT THOSE HORNS! AND IT IS STARING AT ME! BUT I STILL SMILE!

Another beautiful Texas day! But so flat!

So what is this all about? I got Flat Stanley Miranda in the mail. Miranda, the daughter of my cousin is doing a Flat Stanley project in her first grade class. For more info on Flat Stanley: http://www.flatstanley.com/. I absolutely LOVE this project! I wish it was around when I was a kid because it would have so fed my thirst for learning about other places and desire to travel...but then I probably would have been more obsessed with adventuring around the globe. Anyway, I got Flat Miranda right after G and I's weekend in North Texas. Bummer because it would have been lots of fun to take her (BTW I find I talk about her as if she is a person when I talk about her to others...). I instead have been taking her around the B/CS area. And the above pictures are evidence of her adventures so far (a couple other adventures are planned this week and we are going to Washington next weekend).

Jeeping and Camping in North Texas

G and I went Jeeping and camping in North Texas (NW of Fort Worth near Bridgeport) last weekend. It was a great weekend - super weather, lots of fun, outdoors, s'mores, no showering for a couple days...and G did not ruin his beloved Jeep. 

G both excited and nervous to tackle the trails.

My preferred location: taking pictures from OUTSIDE the Jeep. Did not want to be in it if it got hurt.

Jeeps and peeps waiting their turn or watching others go up a treacherous hill (it was worse in person than it looked from this angle).

Slowly, slowly, slowly...

Me! This trip I sported Syracuse love.

 G making sure nothing was broken.

 Just like skiing and snowboarding, off roading trails are rated. Our favorites were the lone diamond trails, not the 3 and 4 diamond trails.

 A caravan of Jeeps.

 G navigating a really rocky trail. I could hardly breathe as he went down it.

 This guy got STUCK on a rock. I was waiting for something to bust, but after about 30 minutes of gentle back and forth he was freed. G smartly decided to not do this trail.

 G got a kick out of me driving another guy's Jeep to the tire station. The guy was BSing with a couple other people and asked me to move it for him.

 Cows! So many in these parts.

 The view from and the start of the sunset at our campsite. $5 dollars!

 The necessary couple's photo.

Dusk.

San Antonio

G and I went to San Antonio at the end of January (I apologize for the delayed post, but all the pics were on G's camera). He had to get his Jeep worked on at this speciality shop in San Antonio and so we decided to make a trip out of it and explore a little of San Antonio.  

 View from our hotel. It is blurry, but we looked out to the Alamo! Highly recommend Hotel Indigo.

 View of dinner from my seat. YES!

Walking the amazing River Walk at night. 

 The Alamo at night. 

 Breakfast! Mi Tierra's refried beans were simply the best damn beans I have ever had. I considered asking for a large takeaway container of just beans...but that would be awkward.

 We saw this Elvis wannabe guy and his cape all over San Antonio. Walking, biking, hanging out...

 San Antonio is old. It is nice to have such historical places here in the States. I get tired of strip malls and freeways. I want some history.

 The one and only Alamo! A source of pride for Texans! But it was much smaller than I imagined. 

Nice thoughtful sign at the Alamo that many people miss.  

 Historic sight...but a tourist trap... And goooooo Huskies!

 We bought water at this CVS right on the River Walk (most businesses on the River Walk are restaurants and bars) because it was hot! Winter in Texas... 

 What a fine couple. 

 Husky flower!

 G and his engineer mind pointed out to me all the flood gates. 

This is my favorite picture from our trip. We were just walking down a quiet pathway back to our hotel and this luche libre guy walked by us like nothing was out of the ordinary, like he struts his stuff dressed up ready to wrestle all the time. Do your thing, my friend.

San Antonio is a great city! Lots to explore, lots of history, GREAT food, great weather in the winter. When can I go back?