The Perfect Storm

 

(The sky in these pictures were deep steel-y blue storm clouds that were so dark and fluid...I wish I could have photographed them better.  They were gorgeous.)

The long version:  Today was my first day back to work for inservice, the kids come Tuesday.  The beginning of the school year is always a flurry--too many things to do, not enough time.  This year especially, as we are trying to get ready for a weekend away at camp in the North Woods of Maine with my husbands family (a trip over a decade in the making!).  So today we are doing all of the stuff going away for the weekend entails (packing, shopping, cleaning, getting the kitty situated etc.) and we are also gearing up for Hurricane Irene.  I'm not sure the storm will be everything they are saying it will be, but I firmly believe in better safe than sorry, so we'll be heading out to stock up on supplies tonight.  Then the second I'm out of work tomorrow we are off to Maine. 

The short version: I won't be back in this space until early next week (assuming we have power...), I'll be off having adventures. :)

We Went to Arizona

We stayed in Williams, AZ, an hour south of the Grand Canyon.  We originally settled on the location because it was the closest town we could get to that wasn't completely booked.  We ended up absolutely loving Williams.  We saw dust devils and crazy lightning storms across the desert.  We saw a cowboy shoot out on Route 66.  We saw cactus and Joshua trees and lots of other flora we are not accustomed to seeing.  We found out we were within an hours drive of Montezuma's Castle...a place that had always seemed mythical to me, something out of an Indiana Jones movie that didn't have a location on a map.  We went.  We loved it.  We drove through a ghost town.  We stood in awe at the size and beauty of the Grand Canyon.  We think it should be renamed the "You-really-won't-believe-how-big-it-is Canyon".  Arizona was amazing.  It was just the right combination of exciting and relaxing and overwhelmingly beautiful.  Don't worry Arizona, we'll be back someday.  Count on it.

We Went to the Hoover Dam

We went to the Hoover Dam.  We both love history and had high expectations.  Our expectations were blown out of the water, the staff there is amazing.  We learned lots of new things (Did you know the Dam was named Boulder Dam for years until it was renamed the Hoover Dam!??).  We walked the labyrinth of tunnels inside the dam.  We said "damn dam"...(within reason...). We asked where the door was that Clark Griswold almost fell out of.   We learned that some Hollywood tricks are more humorous/magical when you don't know how they're done.  We went down a tunnel to the exterior of the Dam and looked out.  We straddled the Nevada-Arizona state line.  We took in the beauty of Lake Mead and the Colorado River (that teal!).  We rubbed the angels feet for good luck.

Last stop: Arizona!

We Went to Vegas

We went to Vegas. We played some slots and lost some money.  We saw "O".  We ate at a buffet.  We marveled at all the neon.  We celebrated our one year wedding anniversary.  We decided the water show at the Bellagio was our favorite.  We had a few safety scares.  We walked over 10 miles one day.  We drove the next.  We ate fried oreos.  We visited with my Aunt that I haven't seen in over 10 years.  We were slightly overwhelmed by the chaos of it all in both the best and worst ways possible.  We went to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop.  We saw lions and ducklings.  We walked down palm tree lined streets.  We missed a certain kitten something fierce.  We had an amazing time, and are so glad that we saw it, but decided we will not be those people that come to Vegas time and time again.

Next stop on our road trip: The Hoover Dam!

The First Harvest

The first tomato harvest of the season from my little porch garden happened while we were on vacation.  My dad plucked them for me and left them in the fridge where they made their way into some tabbouleh.  They are small, but oh so sweet.  The first tomatoes of the season are always the best aren't they? 

Late last week I made a batch of mustard pickles and this week I plan on making a batch of Claussen inspired dill pickles (last years dill's left much to be desired as far as flavor goes).  We are set to close on our house on September 7th, which means any canning I plan on doing this year really needs to be done by the end of August.  That fact equally stresses me out and inspires me. 

Mykonos

After our stay in Santorini we headed for three days in Mykonos.  We didn't want to leave Santorini and while we were in Mykonos we wished we hadn't. Truth be told, by this point in the trip we were ready to be home.  We missed we missed our families, Vermont, and American food.  BUT, even if we weren't ready to be home, we didn't feel that Mykonos could hold a candle to Santorini.  Mykonos felt dirtier and unsafe in comparison, had we gone to Mykonos first we might have had a different feeling about it, but overall we weren't nearly as impressed as we were in Athens or Santorini.

Overall, it was the trip of a lifetime and was so much more than we had ever hoped.  We were warned about the chaos and heat of Greece in August, but when we were there it didn't matter, I mean really, we were in GREECE!  Our dream is that we will be able to return in the future, maybe our 25th wedding anniversary or something...there is no way that I will go the rest of my life without going back to that amazing place.

Last Batch from Santorini

I can't describe Santorini any way other than: Santorini was like living in a dream.

Sick of Greece Pictures yet?

We couldn't get over the color of the water.

The barren looking pictures were taken when we hiked the active volcano in the Caldera, Nea Kameni.  After the hike we jumped into the ocean off the boat and swam to the hot springs at the base of the extinct volcano, Palea Kameni.