The luggage is unpacked, dirty duds are laundered, folded, and put away, that huge pile o' mail has been opened (most of it was shredded), and vacation photos have been organized. After downloading images from two cameras and three cell phones, I think we took 562 pictures. A few deletions resulted in narrowing the pictures down to the neighborhood of 400-ish. Truth be told, only 100 photos are really worthy of sharing. Okay, okay... maybe it's more like 50, or 25. Who's counting?
I most definitely will not post 100 vacation photos. No one, not even those of us who were on this journey, want to sit through that. I will share as many pictures as I can get away with, adding supporting details, as needed.
And so it begins...
Once upon a time, Numbers One and Two Smithling flew to Portland, OR, to meet up with AJ, while the rest of us Smiths stayed put in the Texas heat.
Leaving Love Field -- the westward adventure begins!
After delays, flight changes, lost luggage, and a very late night arrival, M&A finally made it to Vancouver, WA, a few hours later than originally planned. Thank you, AJ, for your midnight shuttle service. :-) Thank you, Southwest, for a middle-of-the-night, while-everyone-was-sleeping luggage delivery.
Liesey has been looking forward to purchasing a certain little white car for quite some time, and has been saving money for even longer. The time has finally come.
The exchange was made; check for keys. Congrats, Liesey!
After spending a few days in Washington State, the summer road trip began. First stop: Roseville, California.
Raleigh Court faces are looking far too grown up.
Liesey Lou and Lauren enjoyed a much-too-brief visit. Friends are friends forever...
After a few crammed-packed days in Roseville, it was time for M&A to hit the road again.
Next stop: An overnight stay in Flagstaff, AZ, on Saturday night. Sunday's goal was to meet up with the other three Smiths in the Rockies -- sorta, kinda near (30 minutes away from) Aguilar, Colorado.
Word is that the road trip from California to Colorado was scenic and memorable.
Hmmmm... The Four Corners Squat? I'm thinkin' it was well worth the three dollar admission fee to capture that pose.
Focused indeed.
Perfect 10 and 2 hand position, too.
These two have logged a lot of miles, and smiles, over the past few days.
While #1 and #2 were driving from CA to CO, Mr. Smith, #3, and I were driving from TX to CO. Our family's situation reminded me of a dreaded mathematics problem from junior high:
Q: If one train leaves point A and another train leaves point B, they are heading towards each other, when the trains meet what will be the distance between them?
A: Getting closer, closer, closer... CRASH!
No, we didn't crash, but our family of five was reunited at elevation 9,200 ft.
There are tooo many stories to be told, but the following photos will do a pretty good job of sharing our time in the mountains.
"Oh, brother!"
Mr. Smith and his brother Ed not only look alike, they sound alike, laugh alike... and the list goes on.
Jeepin' along the Herlick provided lots of bouncing, squealing, and giggling. Thanks, Ed!
Fun & games
Our oh, so gracious host and hostess
The road to Cuchara provided scenic views...
...and opportunities for more pictures.
Millie Girl's artsy view through the lens just had to be shared on my blog.
Millie found a wooden pup to pose with.
Chief Stone Face had no sense of humor whatsoever.
Downtown Cuchara
Oh, deer! This is the final photo for this particular installment; however, there is much more to share. Looks like another blog entry for another day...
