weekend of playing outside-almost go time



Temperatures are super mild right now in the valley. It is about 60* and sunny and I love that. Nights are still freezing into the 30's but the days have been warming up big time. We took full advantage of it this weekend. Friday we went to Spring Mountain Ranch within Red Rock Canyon. Super beautiful and lots of great photo ops. Too bad I forgot to bring my camera. Boo! My cell did take some decent ones and I will definitely be taking the kids there one day this week for some real picture time with the SLR.  It is actually a very historic and cool place. The farm house (on the ranch) is very 60s and has a lounge, few  bedrooms, great room, bathrooms and kitchen.

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at the pond

There is still a wet room off the pool deck which has stone flooring with a shower and sink to freshen up from the pool. The kitchen's appliances are all that avocado green and of course General Electric. Some lady named Vera Krupp? used to live there as well as Howard Hughes. Hughes used it as a retreat and a place to do business while in Las Vegas. Spring Mountain Ranch really does offer great history from the Spanish trail up to the 70's when the Nevada park system took it over. On the grounds beside the main house is a blacksmith, stables, ranch hands quarters, an outhouse and two other buildings that we couldn't get access too. There is also a pond (they call a lake) and of course the area that was the (at one time) working ranch.  It stands at 3800 feet so it was cool and beautiful out there. This is only about 5 minutes from my house and I had never been there. Shame on me. I loved it. Can't wait to go back this week.



Yesterday we went to Valley of Fire which is another Nevada State park. It is about an hour from us north of the city in the middle of no man's land. We have been here a few times before but it is one of those places that just is rich in history and education as well as a fun place to spend the day outside. The kids LOVED climbing all over the rocks and playing in the sandy dirt. There are petroglyphs that are 3000+ years old and some petrified wood along the cool red sandstone formations. The ancient people lived there starting around 300-1150

AD-how cool right?! I love old history, and to see it still on the walls of some of these formations is just so cool. We spent about 2.5

hours hiking and climbing before we made our way back to the valley. Weather was phenomenal there too ranging from 52-68 depending where we were.

Frank only has one more weekend here until he heads East and I will be away in NJ that weekend. We wanted to try and squeeze as much in as possible these last few weeks we are together here. We will be getting a sitter a few more times just so we can go out on the strip to take in as much as possible before it is go time. The packing supplies I ordered last week are all here but the boxes. They are back ordered! Go figure. So now I wait until they arrive until I can start to organize and pack away everything. Will update everyone on my date leaving as well as where we are going as soon as we know. If you want to come to Vegas and visit-hurry your ass up since time is short and definitely running out. We will have been Las Vegas residents for just under 5 years by the time we depart. Weird how that time has gone by that fast!