The Backyard is Spring Ready!

After a trip through the Midwest, I decided I needed a cactus. While I would have liked a cactus from Sedona, I suppose the prickly ride home would have been no fun trying to keep the thing upright and undamaged. Thanks to the Home Depot, I now have myself a nice little cactus as well as some other plants to remind me of the recent trip!

Sunday in the Swamp

Today's swamp report: 3 alligators, 1 snake, 1 rabbit, 1 squirrel, countless dragonflies and lizards, and one white marsh bird.

Bayous and Snoballs

It's springtime in New Orleans! That means a few things: outdoor courtyard dining, walks in City Park, and jazz concerts in the square... but it also means drives with the top down and snoballs! Today we took a drive down Hwy 11 through Bayou Sauvage and then we tried out a new snoball place, Van's. They don't compare to Plum Street Snoballs but they were still quite tasty! Here are our photos:

Grand Canyon Road Trip

We just got back from our "grand" Grand Canyon Road Trip! In only six and a half days we managed to cover about 3500 miles!

Day 1: New Orleans to Dallas
Mostly we just drove our hearts out and tried to stay awake! We had both worked that day. We made it Dallas about midnight, got a room, and tried to rest up for the next day's drive.

Day 2: Dallas to Amarillo to Albuquerque, NM
We visited the 2nd largest canyon in the USA along this route and went to The Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. Dinner at Saltgrass Steakhouse was a real treat.

Day 3: Albuquerque, NM to The Petrified Forest/Painted Desert to Grand Canyon National Park
Our morning started with "The Happy Day Breakfast" and a hug from "Tim" at "Tim's Place". What a special way to start a day. We toured the petrified forest and painted desert: amazing! We were fortunate to make it to The Grand Canyon to see sunset. What a beautiful site! Words cannot describe how it felt standing there on the edge! For dinner we got to try rattlesnake!

Day 4: Grand Canyon National Park to Sedona to Roswell, NM
We woke up at 5 AM to get to the park for sunset. We hiked a bit and then headed for Sedona. The gigantic red rocks and boulders were stunning. We got to eat lunch at "The Hillside" surrounded by these massive rock formations. After lunch, the convertible top came down and we headed towards Roswell! The rural route we took offered no options for lodging so we made it all the way to Roswell before getting a room about 2 AM.

Day 5: Roswell, NM to San Antonio, TX
Roswell was somewhat of a disappointment. However, we were in for a treat back in Texas. In San Antonio, we got to see "Fiesta", we strolled the romantic Riverwalk and had dinner at The Republic of Texas, visited the Alamo, and went to the zoo!

Day 6: San Antonio to Houston to Galveston Beach
Along the route we ate dinner at the Kemah Boardwalk and enjoyed some late night waves on the beach.

Spring in the Swamp

Here are some photos from our recent swamp walk! The swamp has come to life... green is everywhere and the flowers are blooming!

A Day at the Park

Photos from a recent day at Audubon Park...