Out of Africa Wildlife Park

The weekend after we visited Knott's Berry Farm with our oldest grandson, we headed north to Out of Africa Wildlife Park with the remaining two grandsons.

 

The park is located about an hour's north of Phoenix, away from any homes.  Who wants to hear lions roar in the middle of the night?!

 

Five year old Joshua was ready for photo ops.

 

One year old Caleb was eager to see the animals.  Hubby obliged with a closer look.

 

First up was an open-air bus ride where everyone got to feed a giraffe.

 

"Get back here giraffe!  I want to feed you!"

 

Joshua loved feeding him.

 

This baby zebra was quite entertaining too.

 

The park specializes in big cats.  They even had a show where some of the zoo keepers swam with tigers.

 

They have a lot of other animals from Africa too.

 

Naturally, Hubby had to make sure Joshua got to pet the giant albino python.

 

Joshua enjoyed the prairie dog village too.

 

For the more adventurous there is a zip line traveling over the animal enclosures.

 

At the end of the day, parents and grandparents were dragging but these two were still going strong.

 

In a couple of weeks we'll be heading the 5th wheel to Pennsylvania for a new job at Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant.  What new adventures await?!

 

 



Knott's Berry Farm

Over the long President's day weekend we made a little trip over to California and visited Knott's Berry Farm.  It was originally an actual berry farm in Buena Park that started a chicken restaurant.  The restaurant became so popular that they started a little amusement park to keep customers entertained while they were waiting to be seated.  Today it is a large amusement park with a distinctly family atmosphere - and the same fabulous chicken restaurant.

 

Until April, Knott's is offering tickets at half price with a portion of the proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  That's a deal we had to take advantage off!

 

The Peanuts comic strip is the cartoon of choice around here.

 

Our grandson, Jacob, loves his cartoon characters.

 

However, his favorite was Snoopy.

 

The exciting rides are another big draw.

 

A lot of them had to be ridden more than once.

 

And there are a lot to choose from!

 

Jacob and Mike (our son-in-law) even made new friends at the park.

 

Waiting in line for a ride isn't so bad when you have someone to snuggle with.

 

The roller coaster riders rested on some of the slower rides with Hubby and me.  Those included the train and .....

 

.....the stagecoach (a personal favorite).

 

Hubby and I also went to some of the excellent shows in the park.  This one was the stunt show.

 

This was a musical comedy show.  It was hilarious.  We saw it twice!

 

These were four brothers and, boy, could they sing!  They did everything from hillbilly music to the Beatles.

 

We didn't quite close the park but we went as long as we could.  A great time was had by all!

 



Happy 83rd Birthday Dad .. Grandpa .. Great-Grandpa!

This month my Dad turned 83 years old so we gave him a surprise birthday party.

 

He was happy to share barbecue with his granddaughter Dawn. 

(I forgot to take a picture of the birthday cake!)

 

Youngest great-grandson, Caleb, enjoyed lunching with his dad.

 

 

Some Dad's presents were pots and tomato plants.  All three great grandsons had to assist with the planting.  The plants are still recovering from the ordeal.

 

Then, there was a little picture taking session followed by generous amounts of kissing and hugging.

 

It's not every day you turn 83 years of age, and, Dad enjoyed his special day!  (Although, I suspect Mom and Dad enjoyed the peace and quiet once all the grandkids went back home too.)

 



Camping at Lake Pleasant

I keep so busy, now that we're at home for a while, I have trouble finding time to blog.  We took our oldest grandson, Jacob, camping not long after we got home from Alabama so we had to give our second oldest grandson, Joshua, a camping experience of his own.  (The youngest, Caleb, is only one year old so he'll have to wait for his turn.)

 

Traveling dog Maggie was happy to have someone to share the back seat with.

 

We chose Lake Pleasant Regional Park for Joshua's first camping trip.  It's located a few miles north of Phoenix.

 

Once we arrived, the first order of business was to set up camp and Joshua pitched right in!

 

 

 

With camp set up, we headed out for a short hike to the visitor's center.

 

They had some interesting exhibits at the center.

 

How'd you like to meet up with this fellow?

 

The center even loaned out binoculars to get a better view of the lake.

 

 

Hubby impressed Joshua with his gold panning skills.

 

Finally, it was back to the trailer for story time and a snack.

 

Before long Joshua was back at work gathering firewood.

  

He was thrilled with his very first campfire.

 

The next morning there was time for a quick hike before heading back to the city.

 

We had a great time and look forward to many more camping trips with the grandsons!

 



Saying "Good-bye" to Robards Mansion

The last couple of months have been a whirlwind!  Shortly after my appendectomy, my parents house sold in Hannibal, Missouri - something we had been praying for for a long long time!  In short order, Hubby and I found them a new home, not far from where we live, then packed up Maggie the Traveling Dog and headed to Hannibal to move them out of Robards Mansion Bed and Breakfast.

 

We encountered a little snow and ice but, personally, didn't have any problems on our way to and from Missouri.  We did pass a massive semi-truck pileup near Amarillo though.

 

We arrived the week of Thanksgiving and they were having unseasonably warm weather in north Missouri - at that time!

 

Mom and Dad sold the furniture with the bed and breakfast so we were able to rent a U-Haul trailer to move their personal possessions.  It was warm enough then to load the trailer in our shirt selves.

 

My sister's family came from Iowa to help and we couldn't have done it without them.  Plus, we got to have Thanksgiving with them too.

 

I loved spending time with my sister, Penni, and my niece, Kimme.

 

Soon, it was time to say "good-bye" to Missouri.  Three long days later we said "hello" to Arizona.

 

Since then, we've been trying to get Mom and Dad settled into their new home.  We also enjoyed Christmas with four generations of family this year.

 

With eleven of us, we had to move all the gifts out to the lanai.

 

Oh, and did I mention that Mom and Dad finally got to meet their newest great-grandson, Caleb?

 

This has been a busy, but truly blessed New Year!  What new adventures await us in 2014?!