It might have been inevitable. Even as we purchased our Palomino Pop-Top Camper two years ago, the question was there; “Is this really the right camper for our long road trip south?” Logan & Brianna of PanAm Notes were completely supportive, being in mid-trip themselves with the exact same camper. Others now on the road, such as Ken & Anaka of 30forThirty, are happily driving pop-tops. We knew it could work for us, it was more a questions of did we want it to?
A fun view of the hills surrounding Sedona from an eccentric little garden store we fell in love with.
While driving around the United States we camped in many different National Parks, but Bryce is one of our favorites. Set in one of the most amazing natural settings in the world, Bryce Canyon is an outdoormans dream come true. The camping and hiking are out of this world and evenings in camp, watching the astonishing sky show of stars, is a memory we will never forget.
Located in southern Utah, Bryce became a national park in 1928. Taking up only 56.2 square miles, nearly the entire park is actually the canyon. Words can’t fully explain the wonder of the the region and so, without further ado, a photo essay.
OK, first, a disclaimer. In the interest of full disclosure I think I need to get one thing out in the open right away, I don’t like history. Wait, let me rephrase that, I LOVE being in historical places. I love wandering the same the same rock pathways that people have wandered for thousands of years. I love poking around ancient ruins and peering through doorways into past lives. I am endlessly fascinated by walking in the footsteps of history. What I don’t always love is the facts of history. I’m not exactly sure how it happened. My dad was a history teacher at one point, my older brother still is, and yet start talking to me about the dates and extensive details and I feel myself immediately begin to fade off. I have spent hours and hours tramping about historical places all around the world, enthralled by where I am; just please don’t ask me to remember exactly what year it happened!
Blue Agave, the main ingredient in our signature adult beverage, Tequila. On our latest trip to the tiny town of Mismaloya, I spotted this gorgeous example of this interesting and versatile plant.
India, the name alone captures the imagination. Fascinating, frustrating, and complex, it’s the most intriguing place we’ve ever been and we can’t wait to return. Here is the ceiling detail of one of the havali’s we stayed in on our tour of Rajastan.
Undoubetedly our favorite evening on our recent family trip to Mexico was the night we took a cooking class at Robert & Dolores Brittingham’s house.
Formerly from Seattle, Robert & Dolores have called Puerto Vallarta home since 2002, starting Essence of Cuisine, Dolores’ cooking school, in 2006. We girls in the family had taken several cooking classes in the past and knew it was something we wanted to take advantage of on this trip to Mexico. After months of searching online, I was growing frustrated. Of the many different types of classes offered around town, none of them seemed to suit our group. A couple were perfect for me, 6-7 hours of total immersion, beginning with shopping for ingredients at the market, but deemed much too intense for mom and Wendy. A few well-known classes had great reviews, but were extremely expensive and mostly featured simply watching the chef cook.
Our lives have become busier and more hilarious since we added Aspen to the pack and became a two dog family. Although Porter and Aspen immediately got along, we didn’t see the bonding we were hoping would come. Having never had two dogs at the same time before we weren’t sure how long this might take and if it was even a certainty. However, after our recent trip to Mexico, when they shared a kennel at Critter Nanny, it has become apparent that they are now two peas in a pod. Porter is still our too-smart thinker who often appears worried and Aspen the typical happy-go-lucky lab, but you can see from the pictures of our weekend of camping the kids have pretty much become inseparable!
Waiting outside the bathroom
Pink Flamingos are coming to the Portland zoo this weekend! We saw these at the Puerto Vallarta zoo.
Spain- a land of arid plains, flamenco, tapas and bullfights. Home to one of our favorite cities, Barcelona, as well as smaller gems like Seville and Granada. What do you envision when you dream of the Iberian Region? For me it’s the astonishing flash of color in a flamenco dancers dress, hillsides covered with white Andalusian villages set amongst the grey-green olive orchards, and lazy afternoons enjoying tapas and sangria at a street side cafe.
