Fun In New Mexico

July is really getting away from me in the blogsphere so I'm gonna post about the 4th, and then about going up to ID for Angela's recital... mostly because I just want to share the pictures :).

I didn't get to take a whole week off of work to spend with the family but I was able to crowd lots of fun into the short amount of time there. The fourth is my favorite holiday of all time... so much goes on.

This was mom's 4th of July breakfast.  She was the only one who took the effort.

Funny story, I forgot to beat the eggs before I put them in so the pancakes were a little flat.  I didn't say anything and nobody else mentioned the skinnyness so I think it was OK.

Then it was off to the community parade and fair the church does on the back lawn.

I asked Jenny to take a few pictures with my camera... see Aaron there in the back?

He was the one who was supposed to be painting faces.  I had not planned on it.  But Aaron got his two nieces and I to paint so that he didn't have to.

I thought it was actually fairly brilliant but was wished for a little warning and I would have brought my own brush... This year the only strange request I got was for some animated character I didn't recognize.  The rest was all fireworks with a few flags thrown in there.

That afternoon we made enough food to feed Johnson's army but we didn't have very many show up...

Aunt Lynn had graciously let us use her backyard even though she was in Utah for Clark's new baby to be blessed.

Do you like the red white and blue?  Mom shore went all out.

Aaron and his shadow... Jacob actually was very talkative so I don't know if shadow is the right word..

At the end we did have a much bigger crowd cuz 2nd cousin Lincoln and his family came down from Los Alamos and then the (Grandpa) Scott and Julie Parkinson family came over for ice cream.

I of course only got bad pictures of the fireworks.

I had mentioned to Dad one of the reasons I was sad I had to fly instead of driving was that I couldn't bring my bike and do the LA loop.  I have wanted to for a while but last time I tried the lab road had been closed because of the fire.  Dumb fire.

So of course Dad went to Santa Fe and rented a bike for me.  Be careful what you ask Dad for.  Remember 3 yrs ago when all I asked for was a small sword made out of  a 1X2 for a Halloween costume?  I shoulda known.

So I rode it as much as I could.  On the second day, I did the loop... and got a flat tire...

But I made it all the way around !  About did me in.  I looked up the mileage but now I can't remember.  About 30 miles?  The elevation gain was quite a bit because you go up and down canyons.  Apparently I'm not in a good shape as I have been in the past.  I'm determined next time to be more ready and hopefully feel much better after doing it.

On Sat we helped Dad with his building.  Tom didn't want me up on the scaffolding after Dad almost pulled me off while he was trying to position the purlin I was holding.

So I handed him bolts (picture courtesy of Jenny)

I like this sequence of pictures.

You ready?  I"m going to take the drill/wrench thingy up to dad.

Here I go.

(Notice Mom not watching)

And there it is.

I just liked walking on the concrete pad I designed.  Not very often I get to do that :)

I had tons of fun in NM (as usual) but it shore felt like a whirlwind trip.  Its never long enough. Next post, Idaho!