No tires! Just gas!

No tires! Just gas!,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

I guess Parker's seen Cars maybe one too many times as that what we heard him repeating over and over again. ''No tires! Just gas!''

Death Valley Birthdaze - Sunday

The next day we head out for the Valley floor. On the way, Chris keep seeing this red flower and we eventually had to stop to he could check it out up close. From what I can tell, it's called the Ocotillo, a.k.a. Chris' obsession. At Stovepipe Wells we hit sea level. Soon after that we hit the desert's sand dunes.



We soon discovered that sand was too hot for the puppies feet. So Robin and Chris took them back to the cars as the rest of us explored the miles and miles of sand. Aimee laid on the ground to take a picture of Nick. But my shot of her looks like she's taking a picture of a 10 inch person. Go figure.


After the dunes, we checked out the Harmony Borax Works. Am I the only person who remember Borax...that powdery soap dispensed out of public restrooms? Well, Aimee, Matt, and Erin weren't aware of it so either I'm way old or I spend too much time in public restrooms. Neither seem to be good options.


Last stop was the Valley's lowest point...Badwater. It's the hottest point in the valley and yet there's water just inches below our feet. Seeing that we were standing on a salt flat, though, you can easily see how Badwater got it's name.

Death Valley Birthdaze - Saturday

This year, Aimee wanted to go camping for her birthday. So bright and early, we packed the cars and headed out to the desert. Yes, we were camping in Death Valley. (You know, Aimee. Turning 29 is not the end of the world.)


A couple items of note regarding Death Valley. Don't buy gas at Panamint Springs. It's way more expensive than other stations in the Valley. And, when it come to camp restrooms, I've got to express my love for the pit toilets at the Wildrose campsite. I can't believe how clean they were. They're definitely better than any gas station toilet. (Yes, Brittney. This maybe one public bathroom where you can go barefoot! Wait. Yeah, that's never a good idea.)


Camp life was all about music -- until the rangers shut us down for the night. I guess the drums could be heard a quarter mile away. With the dogs also having to remain on leash, it made camp life a tad restrictive. (Sorry Frankie, no more fetch)


Nonetheless, the dogs -- Frankie and Raven -- seemed to enjoy themselves, even if they got pretty dusty laying on the camp floor. As the evening moved on, the fire started and the libations poured.


Raven seemed a tad tense (based on the dandruff that accumulated on her back). However, overall, all was well as we played board games and ate food. (Steaks! Yum!)

Afterward, we hung out around the camp fire. Quietly (so as not to alert the rangers), Matt and Erin serenaded the birthday girl. And we ended the evening with roasted marshmallows and ghost stories. (Of course.)

Grand Central Market

Rachael was in town for the Kids' Choice Awards so we hung out over the weekend. The chosen adventure...visit Downtown -- specifically, Grand Central Market.

After a bit of coordination (not to mention several cell phone calls), we met up in the Market's parking structure. Once in the Market, it became evident that that was were we were going to catch a bite to eat...most likely, Mexican food. After circling the Market twice, we settled on one stand where we ordered way too much food.


Afterwards, we headed uphill to check out the Disney Concert Hall. What a great day to see it. The city's beautiful blue skies made an awesome backdrop for the structure. Rachael walked Parker up and down the steps. Parker definitely got a kick out of exploring new places.

Afterwards, we headed by to the Market to get something sweet to eat before heading our separate ways. Parker chose a pink Mexican sweet bread, which got all over him. No matter. So long as it reached his mouth, he was happy.

And so ends a great day.

Rockin' the Gogurt

Rockin' the Gogurt,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

I'm wondering if the parenting books capture this stage of development -- when they learn to roll the bottom of the Gogurt (Otterpops in my day) to make sure you get every last bit out of the tube. Well, we've achieved a milestone here.