Two weekends ago, Stan and I went to sunny Southern California

This week, I got to fly to Anchorage to watch this guy participate in the Alaska State Spelling Bee.

Very proudly, I watched Benjamin spell his way into 12th place.  Out of 147 spellers, that was not bad at all.  Next year, first place!!

After the bee, we spent a few minutes outside enjoying the cold.  Here Cooper is playing on the Broom Ball rink outside of the Performing Arts center.

I walked around a little and snapped a couple of pictures of sites close by.

I wanted to show the intensity of the cold with these.

It WAS COLD!!

On Friday, Dave took the boys to the movies and Tricia and I went grocery shopping.

Before we picked the guys up, we went to the airport to check groceries and bags in for

 our flight to Bethel.

Seriously, this is what people do when they have the opportunity to go to Anchorage. The tubs are affectionately called Bush Luggage. 

Tricia is packing her groceries into the tubs.

Finished and lined up ready to go.

Loaded and ready to take inside.

OOPS!!

Repacking.  It all made it inside safely this time.

We made it to Bethel and are now awaiting our luggage.

Monday morning was a balmy -26 degrees.  This is Cooper in his Bethel School uniform:)

My original intent was to fly up on Thursday morning, go to the Spelling Bee and fly home on Thursday evening.  Did not work that way:)  Anchorage School District was out for Spring break and all flights to the "outside" were booked solid.  So I had the real pleasure of going to Bethel for a few days with the family.
We flew into Bethel on Friday night and I was able to make connections to come home on Wednesday morning.  I think that in the short time Tricia has worked for Alaska Airlines, I have flown more than I have ever flown in my life.  Absolutely love it!!

Once again, Thanks Tricia and Alaska Airlines!!

Have I said it before?

Here we were at about 4055 ft elevation.  I am looking East over a valley to the mountains at Mt. Laguna

I love my daughter Tricia's job.  I am glad she likes it too.  This weekend, Stan and I were able to fly to San Diego. 

We rented a car and headed out of the city.  We wanted to see the country.  We went East towards the Arizona border and then North up into the mountains.  It was very interesting to see the differences in the mountains in comparison to the mountains in Washington.  In Washington, we have very sharp and craggy mountains.  Here we found so many different types and formations.

This picture was taken in the Anza Borrego Desert.  Loved the cactus.

Also in the Anza Borrego Desert.

We headed East on Hwy 8 to Escanso then headed North on 79.  We immediately took another highway East that connected to S1 which took us North past Mt. Laguna to Julian.  From Julian we headed East again to the Salton Sea. We drove North along the Salton Sea.  I was really saddened by what I saw there.  Total and abject poverty. I commented to Stan that much of the area looked like the slums in Tanzania looked like. It broke my heart to see people living in the conditions I saw there.  Some of the little towns along the sea were completely deserted.  Just shells of homes standing behind chain link fences.

Pelicans on the Salton Sea.

We continued North past the Sea to Indio and then East again on I 10 to the Joshua Tree National Park.  Because we wanted to make it to our friends house on Saturday, we only ventured in as far as the Park Ranger Station.  About 10 miles.  We then returned South to a town called Mecca.  Again, nearly a ghost town. Very depressed.

Joshua Tree National Park.

At Joshua Tree

In a canyon going through the Orocopia Mountains to Mecca

The sun setting behind the Santa Rosa Mountains and the Salton Sea 

After visiting our friends in Niland Saturday night and returning West to San Diego on Sunday, we once again crossed a mountain range.  I am not sure which one it was, but we went over the Tecate Divide.  It was just pile upon pile of rock.  Some of the most interesting configurations I had ever seen.  Huge rocks piled on on another.  Looking like they were fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle.

More tomorrow.  I must say though that this was a trip both Stan and I needed.  We both enjoyed the time away.
      Thank you TRICIA and Alaska Airlines:)