The kids are on Spring Break this week, so I took the morning off and we drove up to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, which is now experiencing a “super bloom” following the heavy winter rains. The beauty is stunning, and it never got old as we walked one of the loop trails. In… Read More »
Our grand adventure came to a conclusion at the grandparents’ home in Merlin, Oregon. Here we had just a couple of days to relax before the final drive home. I honestly can’t remember much beyond what the photos preserve (one year’s memory blends into the next), but I’m sure it was relaxing and enjoyable. As… Read More »
At the last minute we decided to swing by Crater Lake on our drive from the campsite to my parents’ house. Our family previously visited in 2009 and we thought it was time for a return visit. We learned, however, that late June is not a good time to visit, as many roads and some… Read More »
From Yellowstone we headed west across Idaho, stopping to visit our old IBEX friends Randy and Phyllis at their home near Boise. On our westward trek in 2009, we visited them at their mountain cabin, and this time they hosted us in their home near the church where Randy pastors. We had a wonderful visit… Read More »
I think our family has been to dozens of national parks, but “Yellowstone” was only a myth to us until we drove in from Cody on this cool June morning. Strangely enough, I really knew nothing about the place before our visit besides the existence of “Old Faithful.” We planned to spend two days, knowing… Read More »
When we left Kelli’s parents, we began a long two-day drive west toward Yellowstone. Along the way we saw a couple of friends and some beautiful scenery. Our first stop was in Iowa to see a college roommate of Kelli’s. They were close in college but had not seen each other since then. They had… Read More »
Our time in Rockford was the centerpiece of the trip, and we spent more time here than anywhere else (though I alone disappeared for a few days, which I will explain in the next post). There were lots of adventures, many of which were not photographed (by Kelli or me) and so are largely ignored… Read More »
Ten years ago today, our lives changed. For many years (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008), it was my habit to post here on the anniversary of what I refer to as my “exile.” I’ve recently decided that that’s inappropriate, as the true exile from Israel didn’t allow regular return visits. Nonetheless, I feel a real… Read More »
We arrived with our friends, the Clutterhams, at the Ark Encounter at about noon. This full-size replica of Noah’s Ark was only built last year, so it was a first time for everyone. We started off with some family photos with the ark in the background. You can’t really appreciate the size, though, until you… Read More »
When we got in touch with some old friends who had moved to St. Louis, they suggested we take our families to the City Museum of St. Louis. The museum website suggested we were in for something different, but we didn’t realize just how different. The first thing to recognize is that this is not… Read More »