We were fortunate to make our 10th annual trip to Arizona to visit with Tom and Hailey. The wonderful sunshine, activities and time spent with family were once again cherished. The week seemed to fly by this year as we made many great memories...
Each day we enjoyed the amazing view from Tom's abode overlooking the desert landscaping with Indian Head Mountain in the distance.
The view from the front of Tom's house...
And the view from the back (Can you see the head of the indian (side view)? Starting at the right, see the first hump-the forehead? And the next hump-the nose? And down to the mouth and then chin...
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Caden had his own project to do this year...remodeling his bike!
I guess you could say...like father, like son ;)
He had the best time sanding the frame down to the metal and getting it prepped for paint...of course his favorite color, GREEN! And to top it off...catchin' some air and hittin' the jumps to finish it all off!
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The project this year was to construct a concrete pad/area for Tom to wash and do frame work on cars. The kids were once again excited to see the big concrete truck come, and even more excited to leave their lasting impressions in Arizona forever...
Tom was hard at work pushing the rocks down, and getting the concrete ready to be finished...Calli thought it looked like a good walker for him, Ha! Ha! ;)
Mark doing a fine job of finishing the concrete pad...
And the lasting impressions...
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Hailey Girl...Tom's sidekick, companion and best friend...
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Boys will be boys...all Caden needs to survive is a bike and dirt!
Caden with the help of Mark constructed a jump in Tom's backyard to hurdle his bike and another fun toy...a Quad over!
Caden is pretty sure that he is an expert in jump building now since he has learned from the best at the BMX track. Hence, you need a 4-wheeler to "pack the dirt down"...
He even convinced Calli "to try it out"!
Tom's neighbor was so kind in borrowing Caden his grandson's 4-wheeler (a.k.a a quad) for the week. He had a load of fun tearin' it up in Tom's yard...
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A new event we attended this time around was the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction. WOW...I never imagined SO many cars for SO much money! We had a fabulous time looking at all kinds of cars, paraphernalia, eating treats and even racing some remote control cars...
The auction site...the biggest tent constructed in America! The kids could not believe how fast the auctioneer could talk...they often asked, "What is he saying?".
Mark was so thrilled to be able to attend this talked about event amongst the car world fanatics. He LOVED looking at the Chevy Camaro's and Corvette's...
And I was ecstatic to sit in my favorite...a 2012 Convertible Camaro! I think we should have matching his and hers, since Mark has a 1969 Camaro, don't you agree?
It was very interesting to see and read about the hearse that JFK rode in...indead a great part of history.
One of my favorite pictures from our day at the Barrett-Jackson car auction;
capturing the moments when Tom and Mark would discuss cars and their stories...
Caden was super excited to "see the real General Lee" from the Dukes of Hazard! This oldie has become his new favorite show to watch...
It was surreal to attend a car show amongst the beauty of the mountains...nothing like the car shows in Minnesota ;)
Since we attended the car auction/show during the middle of week, the kids had full reign of the Traxxas remote control vehicles and track!
Calli thought this little truck was SO cute...she wanted her picture taken with it. She said it reminded her of Guido from the Disney Cars movie ;)
One of the MANY tents that housed all the auctioned cars...
I captured this fantastic shot of the mini blimp that flew over the area...
Barrett-Jackson announced that more than $92 Million in sales were generated and over 270,000 attended the 41st annual Scottsdale auction!What a memory this day was for us...one that will forever be remembered especially by Mark.
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Our next Arizona adventure took us on a 2 hour road trip to Tucson to see the beautiful Sabino Canyon.
The landscape of the desert along with the wildlife was astonishing...
We partook in a narrated, 45-minute, 3.8 mile tour into the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains via a tram. I was able to capture some amazing photos along the way up and back down during our hike/trail to the canyon...
We learned many intersting facts about the Sabino Canyon, including its vegetation, wildlife and trails. Pictured here is, Thimble Peak, as you can see from the shape...
Caden managed to find his own "walking stick" along the way...
Traveling back down the mountain via the road that brought us up... it was a lot easier crossing this bridge via the tram, Ha! Ha! It's only water, right?
A "Where is Waldo" moment...can you find the mule deer amongst the desert landscaping?
The variety of cactuses, trees and vegetation in the canyon were so beautiful; it was a photo taking bonaza.
A precious moment captured while watching eagles circling their prey...
We had a beautiful, SUNNY day at the Sabina Canyon; I still love this photo of the kids and the waterfall/dam in the distance, despite their sun-glazed looks...
Truly a breathtaking place to view and experience the marvels of our country's landscaping.
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The kids finished off the week before we left with some extra fun that Caden brought along from home...
Do you think Caden got his fill of dirt this week?....Ahhh, probably not, BOYS will be BOYS ;)
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What a great week...thanks for another terrific time, Tom.
We love and miss you already...:)
A BIG thank you again to Charlie & Genevieve for a wonderful, thoughtful and creative gift idea for our family to enjoy and spend time together...
A BIG thank you again to Charlie & Genevieve for a wonderful, thoughtful and creative gift idea for our family to enjoy and spend time together...
