Camping McKinney Falls SP

A few weekends back, we went with some of our friends to McKinney Falls State Park for a weekend of camping. Nothing like catching people making funny faces!



Mike brought his son Kiran & he was so adorable.



We'd reserved to spots, but set up all 3 tents around the same area so we could all hang out.



On a non-camping day, hubby would never be caught dead in a shirt this wrinkled.



We had some crazy Texas spring weather & we couldn't decide if it was going to be hot or cold or sunny or rainy.



Mike & Kiran made breakfast on Saturday & he even helped with the dishes.



Kiran kept begging somebody to play horseshoes with him & H finally obliged him to a mini-game.



5 adults...3 dogs...1 kid = tons of fun!



Piccar was a strange dog & Mike tried his best to keep her chilled out.



We left Zoe at home to hang out with the 'rents & Mia did pretty well on her 2nd camping trip.

After horseshoes, Kiran wanted to play checkers & suckered H into playing.



Somebody gave Kiran an "emergency whistle" for his big camping trip & we had to teach him to use it *ONLY* in an emergency.



It was perfect weather- cool enough to even wear pants on Saturday morning.



Breakfast was so good, Mike took a little mid-morning nap.



As the sun came out, we went to check out the falls & saw an awesome field of flowers on the way.



Macho, macho men!



Mike is a great dad & Kiran is super sweet.



Even got a shot of us!



Mia wanted in on the flower-photo action too.



Back at the camp, we played our favorite game, Catch Phrase.




Kiran was awesome at the game- there were thing that were way over his head or before his time & he still managed to find a way describe them somehow.



It's like a hot potato drinking game....good times all around!



H is very animated when the plays...it's super cute.



There were hundreds of butterflies all around & they were a constant hazard to my glass of wine.



Mia joined in the circle was interested in everything we were doing.



Mark was in charge of dinner & cooked up some mean burgers and hot dogs.



H caught a little afternoon nap....



Mark even brings chili for the dawgs...



Speaking of dogs, this puppy was sad when the trip was over & she had to go home.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Found a spot for a future girls dinner- Charlottesville, VA is a super cute little town.

Pacific View Paradise B&B

For our first night in Christchurch, we stayed at a small B&B up in Cashmere Hills, overlooking the city. Pacific View Paradise Bed & Breakfast was probably the smallest B&B we stayed at on our trip & felt the most like being in somebody's home.



The house was new & nice, but the real selling point was the location.



Up on the side of the hill, surrounded by tranquil and lush gardens, it was incredibly peaceful and relaxing to just hang out on the lawn.



This was the view from our room looking out towards the sea.



We had the rose suite and it was pretty tiny. It was enough room for all our bags, but barely. This was probably the first places I booked & I wished I'd reserved one of the larger suites.



We enjoyed an amazing sunset & sat out on the patio sipping wine and nibbling on some snacks. Breakfast was excellent & the owner was very friendly. My only word of advice or caution would be the location- you are a short drive from downtown & there aren't too many food choices in the immediate area. On our way out of ChCh, we stayed downtown & were within walking distance of many things.



Down near the bottom of the hill, along Cashmere Road, there a great park with a jogging trail that runs alongside the stream.



The huge old trees were magnificent & the early morning light streaming through the park made for a spectacular run.



Being on our own schedule, we headed out to jog a few miles in New Zealand!



It was so neat to see all the kids walking to school in their uniforms. After breakfast, we packed up and set out on our journey around the south island!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Headed to Virginia and West Virginia today.

King of the Beach

Been a long time since I've had a brother update....last weekend they had a volleyball tournament at church. I love thieving photos from Facebook.



He's actually as tall as I am now!



I love to see him smile!



What form! I am quite impressed...



Somebody is waaay too cool for school!



Gotta love the air guitar pose!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Played hard all weekend and we're both working (traveling) like crazy this week.

Yard Time

After several months of chaos, it was so nice just to chill out in our backyard and play with the puppies.



Mia is the happiest puppy ever-just wags and wiggles and dog-smiles all the time.



H loves to get down on the ground and wrestle with the pups.



His poor little grill had been neglected for quite some time & needed a thorough cleaning.



Couldn't resist another gif of hubby cleaning out the grill with a lawn blower!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Cooked dinner with hubby & did the dishes before 6:30 tonight.

Around & Above Christchurch

We hopped on the little trolley and continued our beautiful afternoon of exploring Christchurch continued as we continued down Worchester Street passing by Christchurch Art Gallery.



We jumped off at the Arts Center, a wonderfully renovated and restored building that was the University of Centerbury in a former life.



I felt like I'd stepped into a Harry Potter movie with all the old English architecture.



There was even a very inviting pool in the courtyard.



Next time I have a pile of sticks in my yard, I will call it art!



We kept heading west until we hit the Christchurch Botanic Gardens where we found more interesting "yard art".



If we'd have had more time, this would have been a great place for an afternoon stroll or a picnic in the park.



There were some amazing floral arrangements & majestic old trees.



The gardens are surrounded by the Avon River & that's where we found this cute little guy.



Again- so peaceful, so serene, so tranquil.



We'd bought a pass that let us hop on & off the trolley and included a punting ride down the river. Punter wasn't so good at taking photos, but oh well!



The Antigua Boat sheds have been restored in a lovely fashion & were the starting point for our punting ride down the river.



Lots of ducks and trees, along with a gentle breeze made for a splendid ride.



Caught a nice shot of the trolley after we departed.



Round about dinner time, we had a difficult time locating a restaurant away from the main river front area, but managed to stumble into that little outdoor cafe for a drink & some snacks.



We did manage to walk past the still functional Christ's College & saw many students tending to their afternoon activities.



I love wandering around little old cities....



We stayed at a bed & breakfast up in Cashmere hills & enjoyed driving by Sign of the Takahe several en route- I really wished we'd stopped and checked out the view.



Windy, steep road made for some adventures during our first hour of left handed driving.



Such great views- I'd love to live up there.



We really enjoyed going up, up, up but I can't imagine walking up this massive hill like I saw many people doing.



Also caught our first glimpse of this "red tree" that was super cool.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Got to spend an hour this morning getting caught up on pictures- camping, birthdays, dancing, parties all to come eventually.