April/May 2023

Apart from a few record-setting heat days in early April, we've had cooler and mostly very pleasant weather all the way until Memorial Day weekend, when summer officially arrived. I didn't get an update in last month because we were busy visiting family (see below),  so I am combining April and May here. Here are all the photos and videos.

Easter

Rob: For Easter, we just put together an Easter basket with treats for us and toys for Alex, including a Lego helicopter that he did really well with helping to assemble. We hid a few eggs around the yard and let him find them. And we made a nice salmon dinner. At church, we had a nice service and also a brunch activity earlier in the month.

Travel to Utah/Arizona

Rob: We made a trip to the SLC area for the wedding of Becky's little brother Nate on April 28. I stayed there for about a week, while Becky went to Tucson with some of her family for a few days so she could visit her dad down there. The timing of the trip was great because I was also able to attend my niece Isabelle's mission homecoming, and my other niece Alexa became a new mom while I was there, so there was a lot of family stuff going on.

We got to see Nate and Rylee get sealed at the Bountiful temple, and then they had a very lovely and celebratory reception at the Cactus and Tropicals in Draper later that evening. It was a good chance to visit with family and take lots of photos. Nate and Rylee went on a cruise to the Caribbean  and are now working for the summer before they both resume classes at BYU next semester.

Apart from hanging out with my family and various gatherings, we also made a couple visits to the Murray Park indoor activity pool, arcades including the Murray Nickel Cade and the one at the Cottonwood Mall, the Clark Planetarium, and various parks and playgrounds. I also got to visit my friend Adam from college who now lives in my old neighborhood, and had lunch with friends who used to live in my old neighborhood that I grew up with. Alex's favorite part of the visit was taking rides in the back of Grandpa's 1929 Model A. He also enjoyed doing many puzzles with the grandparents and playing with the cousins' toys. He was a very good traveler on the plane and was very good about being babysat by my family while we were out doing other things. He also tolerated everyone's dogs much better this year than previous years, he's learned to coexist with them now.

Becky:  I had a great time with my family in Tucson.  I got to fly home with my mom and eat lunch with her and Sean (my brother).  I visited Sean again later, which is always good times.  I missed hanging out with my nephew, Qito, but I'll make it up to him.  I spent most of the rest of the time staying with my brother David and his wife Stacey and their girls while I visited my dad in his assisted living home.  The first couple of days, I'm not sure how much my dad recognized me, but by the third and fourth day, he totally knew who I was, which was great because it felt a lot more like old times.  

Dad and I  are pals.  We played corn hole, got burgers, had Japanese food, went for a couple of walks and hung out at the Tucson mall.  We tried to interest him in the NBA playoffs at Dave's house, but his favorite thing at Dave's house is the dogs.  (He really can't follow much in the way of TV these days).  He is the sweetest.  I just wish I could see him every week  or more because it's time we both cherish and it would be pretty great for both of us.

The few days I spent in Tucson also made up the longest chunk of time I've had to hang out with David and Stacey, maybe ever.  Lots of good conversation and chill time.  They're the best:)  I lucked out and got to visit Mari and her mom, Gilda.  Mari is my former sister-in-law.  She and Gilda are the nicest.  Everyone I got to see has a great sense of humor so it was a delightful vacation for me, following a delightful time at Nate's wedding in Utah.  At the wedding, I got to see my Aunt Nancy, Uncle Tom, cousin, Levi, and Aunt Mary and Paul (her boyfriend).  Loved meeting my sister-in-law Rylee for the first time.  Rob and I saw almost all of our family and several of our favorite people in a short amount of time.   We're happy to be home, but it was a truly great week, one we'll look back on.

Mouse in the House

Rob: Durying May, we spotted a little mouse scurrying about the living room, and assumed it must have slipped in when we opened a door. We caught it using one of these catch and release traps. But then we saw another one, and caught and released that one as well (this time a little further away from the house). The next day we saw another one,  which we also caught. And then on Memorial Day, Becky was looking for some clothes on the top shelf of the closet in Alex's room and instead she found a pile of mouse poop. Up on that shelf there was one of these neck/shoulder things that you heat up in the microwave and put on your neck to soothe muscles. Turns out it was filled with flax seeds, which somehow a mouse was getting into and making a mess. So cleaning tht up was our holiday activity. So how did ithe mouse get up there? I'm not sure, but there is a small hole in the wall above the shelf so I plugged that up with foam along with other similar holes in the walls elsewhere for running cable. Hopefully that is the end of the mice, but stay tuned.

Notable Local Outings

Rob: Apart from our usual local destinations, we made some longer weekend trips to visit some places in the beautiful Hudson Valley we haven't been to. 

In April, we went about an hour north to Kingston, NY to visit this free park with a playground and a little mini-zoo. It was pretty great, although Alex wasn't into it. So we went to check out the local library, and that turned out to be a big win because their library was outfitted with a big play boat and lots of toys and books that Alex likes. He could have spent all day there. We had a nice meal afterwards at a local burger place.

In May, we went about an hour south to Tuxedo, NY which has a famous Renaissance Festival. But that's not why we went. We visited Sterling Forest State Park and did a little rainy hike there. But the main reason we went was so that I could take some pictures of it for a story I am writing for Scenic Hudson (see below). The visitor center had this big interactive topo map with buttons and lights that Alex liked. 

Memorial Day Pre-Birthday Weekend

Alex was a bit under the weather for the holiday weekend, which was also right before my birthday. Plus we had the mouse issue mentioned above. So we didn't do anything too adventurous. But we did go out to Texas Roadhouse on my birthday, which is always a treat.

What Else Is New

Rob: This year, I have enjoyed a little side project writing stories for a local outdoor/conservation organization's website. I have probably mentioned that earlier I wrote one on the lack of snow in the area and climate change, and one about local hobbyists engaged in a competitive search for the biggest trees,. In April, I also wrote one about an endangered turtle and a collaborative effort with farmers to save it, although I didn't like how this one turned out very much. And in May I have been working on a story about landscape designers and architects in the area who do designs that incorporate native mature trees and vegetation (not published yet).

Alex: Although he has been pushing himself on his scooter for short distances (e.g., across the kitchen) for a long time, he has now discovered the joy on long distance scooter riding. Now we take him with us on rail trails and suh and let him push along as we walk, and he is not afraid to push himself pretty fast now. There is some video of that. Alex also likes looking for frogs when we are by a pond, and making dad poke them so that they jump when we find one.

Becky: I have been appreciating the new Disney Plus series A Small Light, which is a captivating take on the Anne Frank story.