Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Ezra's First Christmas

Our first Christmas on the road was a "good news, bad news" scenario. 

The really good news was that Ezra talked his parents into driving to Borrego Springs for a couple nights. The bad news was that none of the other boys could make the trip. We had hoped to rent a house so we could all be together, but none of Bill's boys could come, and travel from Seattle was a huge pain for Jeff.

Daily high winds made decorating our outdoor space impossible so we didn't have a tree, but we put up a few special ornaments to remind us of the season. After decades of decorating every room in large houses (which I loved doing), it was very nice to just have our simple reminders.

Sitting outside reading in the sunshine, and walking Tessa in the desert is a lovely way to spend Christmas day, and we are very happy when we get the text that the kids have arrived at the motel before dark!

Bright and sunny Christmas day at the state park
Taller than the mountain..... :-)

Hanging out in the backyard
They join us for a very non-traditional dinner of pork and green chili burritos with the more traditional pumpkin and apple pie for dessert. The best part is seeing them all again, and playing with Ezra. He has already grown too much!!  I don't get many pics as we're just having such a good time visiting.

Yes, I know the camera's over there.. that's why I'm looking over here
Sophie the Giraffe and Ezra in the lion seat - Happy 1st Christmas little man
Friday morning we enjoy a yummy breakfast at the Red Ocotillo (our favorite eatery this visit), and then head out in search of creatures in the desert.

With continuing winds, a day spent exploring in the Jeep seems ideal for all of us. Galleta Meadows keeps us entertained all morning. Art that you can literally drive or walk right up to, spread over miles of open desert, makes up the Galleta Meadows project. Commissioned by Dennis Avery who passed away in 2012, the 130 metal sculptures were created by Richard Breceda and placed throughout the Borrego Springs area. Breceda continues to sell his creations from a small lot near the Temecula Valley.

A magical dragon appears beside us
Charming the beast
See? He's friendly!
We are amazed by the detail in the metal - especially the "hair" on the sloths
The wind really kicked up the dust on the dry lake
Fortunately it was much clearer up the hill with the dinosaurs
Where we could take photos
and make new friends
Ezra doesn't have much to say about this holiday adventure, but he's clearly having a great time.

After lunch we peruse a couple fun shops in the tiny "mall" in town. I keep saying "I'm so glad I don't have a house" as I look at all the beautiful handmade items and colorful textiles. I sure save a lot of money :-)




Sorry Grimace, we don't have room for you
We drop the little family off at their motel for a few hours before meeting up for dinner later. If you're in need of a clean, cozy, friendly, warm and cute little place for yourself or family while in the area, the Borrego Springs Motel is a very reasonable option. The owners live onsite and take a lot of pride in their little (9 rooms and a small swimming pool) solar-powered motel.

Part of the large Palm Canyon Resort, the Big Horn Bar and Grill is a very nice restaurant with a small but decent menu, friendly staff, nice selection of brews, and enough room to enjoy a leisurely dinner with family. We take our time, knowing we'll be going our separate ways in the morning.

Granpa takes his turn showing Ezra "all the pretty lights"
The time went by way too fast
The evening wraps up with big hugs all around. It was a wonderful holiday visit, and we can't wait to see them again as soon as possible.

Saturday night we have our first full night's sleep since arriving in Borrego Springs as the winds have finally died down. Just in time for us to pack up Sunday morning :-(.  But I am grateful to have a calm, and short, driving day.

Happy New Year everyone.


21 comments:

  1. The art work is amazing. Ezra is so cute.. Seems like yesterday you were posting pictures of him when he was just born. Great pictures. Happy New Year to you and the family. Xoxox

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    1. XOXO to you and yours Laura. Can't believe how big and active he is now :-))))

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  2. Travel at Christmas time is always difficult. It seems everyone has so much going on. However, little Ezra would make any Christmas special. Happy New Year!

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    1. So true. We sure understood, but missed them all. He's no only cute, but such a good baby that it's a real pleasure to have him around.

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  3. How wonderful to see Ezra again. Grandchildren really complicate the travel plans I hear. I know the advent of our first has changed our spring plans. Holidays definitely change when you are on the road. How wonderful of Dennis Avery to have commissioned those fabulous metal sculptures. Love your pictures of them.

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    1. We won't see him for quite a while now, so it was really special to share his first Christmas with them. Dennis left an amazing legacy - people come from other countries to see the desert statues.

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  4. Love that shot of Bill with the dino!

    Those glass hearts are beautiful!

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    1. Thanks Lisa :-) So many pretty things I wanted to take home......

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  5. The desert sculptures are great! Love your photos of them...especially the one with Bill. :). Your little Erza is a sweetie!

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    1. Being able to drive around them is so cool - and playing with them is fun too :-). We think he's the cutest :-))))))

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  6. It was good that Ezra was able to talk his parents into visiting :-) As he gets older he may decide to leave them home and visit by himself! Happy New Year to you both!

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    1. Indeed! He's a great negotiator already :-)) Happy New Year to you and Ron - and Rufus!

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  7. What a wonderful holiday surprise! Ezra is growing cuter every visit.

    Happy New Year!

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    1. He really is :-) Happy New Year to you and Bill!

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  8. So glad that you got to spend some more time with that beautiful grandbaby:) Sounds like you had a wonderful visit despite the wind.

    Wishing you and Bill a very Happy New Year full of new exciting adventures:) Looking forward to seeing you in few weeks:)

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    1. We are so happy they made the trip out, and that we were able to show them the statues and enjoy our baby time!! Happy New Year to you and John, can't wait to get caught up with you.

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  9. Ezra is so adorable -- he's growing so quickly! Sounds like you had a very fun Christmas -- doing a tour of the sculptures was a perfect idea and gave you some wonderful photo ops. :-) Wishing you and Bill a glorious New Year of travel and adventures. Happy 2016!

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    1. A very happy New Year to you and Eric as well! Definitely hoping 2016 gives us more opportunity for our paths to cross :-)

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    2. We hope so, too! Looking forward to more fun times hanging out with you guys. :-)

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  10. Merikay and I find your blog fun to read. Happy New Year!
    Hope to meet up with you in the coming year. Maybe at Quartzite or is there a Blogfest 2?

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    1. Thanks Craig! You and Merikay were some of my inspiration for "hanging in there" when it felt like the last few months before launch would never end :-) We're in Q from 1/14-1/24. There's a Blogfest on the 23rd, I'll have to pull up the poster and add it to my next post. Happy New Year!

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