Good Friends

Good friends are treasures. This past weekend, Noah's friend joined us for a long weekend. They skied, they biked, they chatted, they played Monopoly, they solved Rubik's cubes, and they created Lego contraptions. I am pretty sure there was not much sleep involved, but they created lots of memories. As his friend got ready to leave, they schemed and plotted about the next visit - the where, the when, and the what.

Birthday Celebration

Lisa, Barb, and Elisabeth surprised me with a spa day for my birthday. I met them at the L'Auberge. We began in the hot tub, catching up on all that has happened since we last saw each other, last summer. After an amazing massage, we headed over to the restaurant for a delicious lunch. The ripples and trickles of Oak Creek - thanks to an unusually wet winter - was a pleasant backdrop to our conversation. The perfect way to celebrate a birthday!

First Day of Spring?

The calendar says March 21, the first day of spring. Too bad the weather is not in agreement.

Family Skiing

Since Bob had spring break, he could join us for a day of skiing. Although it was overcast and a bit on the chilly side, we had a fun time exploring the slopes together, picnicking at the lodge, and munching on chocolate as we rode up the lift. Noah strapped the GoPro to his chest and captured some of the runs, and even a few epic falls.  The gray sky 0fooled us! We all had interesting sun-tan lines that evening.

Only in Arizona is a cactus appropriate in the snow

Dumplings

We found a steamer basket at the thrift store and Lukas and Noah made dumplings for dinner using leftover pork that they seasoned appropriately. 

Another Driver

And so it happened, another permitted driver in the household. Noah took his Driver's Ed course online, took the DMV test online, and went to DMV to get his photo taken. He walked out with a temporary permit and he is ready to hit the streets.
Now "rock, paper, scissors' determines who is driving.

A Good Excuse to Go to Sedona

Lukas was hired to photograph a property in Sedona. It was the perfect excuse for us to go for a drive through the canyon. The weather was glorious, blue sky, warm sun, red mountains, delicate green budding trees, and even some remnants from the large snowfall.

While Lukas and Noah completed the work, Bob and I enjoyed the view of the mountains.

The view of 'our' mountain

Chemistry

Our Classical Conversation community group is in Cottonwood. Although it is only an hour away, the temperature difference is significant. Since it is comfortable to be outside, we usually conduct our chemistry experiments on the back patio. At times this can cause trouble for the data collection, is the sun shining on the thermometer? Is the wind impacting the reading?  Lukas and Noah need to consider and take into account outside factors making the experiments more realistic and challenging.  Being outside makes clean up a breeze, and we do not need to worry about toxic fumes.

On occasion, it is just a tad too cold to be outside, especially working with ice.  

Test, Shop, and Scout

After our college visit, Noah joined the scout troop for the monthly camp-out. Lukas remained with us and on Saturday morning took the Classical Learning Test, a standardized test. After completing the exam, he had a chance to shop in a large Chinese supermarket, loading us up with noodles of all varieties. We then dropped him off at the scout camp so that he could spend the remainder of the weekend scouting. He 'test drove' one of his newly created backpacks.

ASU Campus Visit

On Friday, all four of us toured ASU Polytechnic campus in Mesa. We had the opportunity to walk through the engineering buildings, see the many labs and workshop spaces, and hear about the programs offered at this smaller ASU campus. Although we visited two college campuses last summer, Lukas is now beginning his college search in earnest. We are hoping Noah is taking notes!