The Dam Stop

Thursday was the day for our tour of the Hoover Dam. The kids got a kick out of saying things like, "I need to use the dam bathroom," and "Do I really need to wear this dam hat?!" We got to the dam and took a tour that led us down into the dam where we could look out about 2/3 of the way down out of a vent, we got to see the generators, we walked around on top of the dam and up into a lookout with a great view of the dam. We learned a lot about the dam and had a good time. We spent most of the morning there and then went back to the trailer for lunch and another hot nap. Then we went back to the water hole to stand in the lake. It was VERY windy and still pretty hot.

Ratings for the day:
Ann 7- I enjoyed the dam tour, but the heat in this place is just too much and then when you add the wind!!
Marcus 7- To dam hot!
Derek 7- I liked it.
Colin 3- The tour guide wasn't very good!

Rafting in Black Canyon/ Lessons About Gambling

Wednesday we were very worried as we were scheduled to go on an all day rafting trip in the Colorado River, just under the Hoover Dam. The weather was still so hot we were afraid we would be miserable. I think if we it hadn't been so expensive (and previously paid) we wouldn't have gone. We are so glad that we did! The trip was wonderful. We met at a casino close to Hoover Dam. We had some time to kill, and the boys were interested in the slot machines. They asked Marcus to play. He thought that might be a good way to show the boys how silly slots are. They aren't very entertaining and you just lose all your money. He played the quarter slots starting with 10 dollars. All was going according to plan at first as Marcus was losing, but soon he won a fairly big one and ended up 5 dollars ahead. Now the boys are more interested than ever. So much for real life lessons, perhaps a lecture would have been better?!
Once we got on the river, we had a great guide who was funny and knowlegeable. We learned lots about the area and saw some great wildlife. I'm not sure how many Big Horn Sheep we saw, but they came right up to the river to drink and we were not that far away in our raft. We saw Black Crested Cormorants, and Red-Tailed Hawks as well. But the "coolest" part of all ( pun intended) was that the 48 degree water kept splashing on us keeping us nice and cool indeed! We had a nice picnic halfway through where the Smith men even swam in that cold cold water! Colin stayed in the longest. He loved it! Apparently he is a cold water fish.
After the rafting trip, we watched a movie and ate dinner. By the time we got back to our trailer it was cool again. It was all good!

Rating for the Day:
Ann 9- Now this was what I wanted from this trip!
Marcus 9- Rafting was awesome and we got along really well.
Derek 9- The day would have been perfect, but the heat was still pretty intense and I still got annoyed with Colin.
Colin 10- I liked the rafting, we had nice family time and I liked the movie!

VIP winner Marcus with 32 out of 40.

The Most Miserable Day of our Trip (We Hope!)

So on Tuesday, we didn't have any plans and we were thinking that it would be good to have some down time as our trip had been quite busy so far. The main issue was it was so hot and windy that the AC couldn't keep up, even after getting nice and cool overnight. We were miserable and early in the AM too! The sun came up at 5 and beat on the trailer, waking us up and heating us up way to early. It wasn't long before we were desperate for things to in cool places. We went to Walmart and shopped, we went to "the beach," at Lake Mead, a rocky, muddy, polluted place with no shade. It turned out to save us. The water felt very cold, but once you got in, it was wonderful. We just stood in the water up to our necks for hours watching the boys play. We took a brief nap in our hot trailer, and went back to soak in the lake again. When we got back from the lake, we found the awning thrown up over the trailer from the wind and two of the poles that held it up were broken. Yet more trailer stuff broken!! Now we have to find a place to get more poles before we can use our awning again!
The main thing that made the day so bad was that because we were all so hot and miserable, that we were all very short-tempered. It was not a pretty sight. We definately were not feeling the love!

Ratings for the Day:
Ann 3- Pretty miserable with the heat and the bickering, more stuff broke!
Marcus 3- Too dang hot!!
Derek 2- Time in the lake was good, family games were good, the rest was very very bad.
Colin 4- Lake was good, shopping was good, I got 2 new DS games!!

Our VIP scores are so low we are embarassed to share!! We tied for 23 out of 40 each, except for Derek who was a bit lower! We'll work on that!

I Beat the ODDS in Vegas

On Monday morning, we left San Diego bright and early for Lake Mead. The drive over was uneventful. We arrived at the RV park around 2ish. The temp was 111! We broke records in how fast a tent trailer can go up! We had the air conditioner plugged in and turned on full blast before we finished putting the trailer up. Poor thing, with temps like 111, it worked full blast the whole time we were there, but just couldn't compete during the heat of the day. Temps inside the trailer during the day were 97!
After putting up the trailer, we got back into the car and drove to Las Vegas where we were hooking up with our dear friends the Colvins. They had flown in to Vegas for a long weekend. The plan was to walk around and take in the decadent sights, which we did, but the temps were still very high! Derek and Lauren started by riding the roller coaster at New York New york, while Eric and Colin started by enjoying the Lazy River at the MGM Grand. Derek rates that roller coaster a 3. It was too hot and too jerky. Colin rates the Lazy River a 7. Next we headed to The Mirage to see the Secret Garden. We saw trainers working with dolphins and we saw white tigers and golden tigers, lions and Alpacas. There was one older golden tiger in an enclosure by himslef. He was right by the fence, so close you could almost touch him. I was admiring the pretty kitty when he turned his back to me and sprayed my arm with tiger pee. I'm not sure if he was marking his territory or telling me to get out of his space, but I consider myself one of the big winners from my Vegas experience. I mean, how many people do you know that have been peed on by a tiger? I bet that is more rare than being hit by lightening or leaving Vegas a winner! We hung out in Vegas until about 10:00 that night, seeing the pirate show, the volcano show, and the fountain show. It was 98 degrees even then and there were people hawking cold bottles of water on every corner. We bid our friends goodbye and headed back to our lovely trailer hoping with all our hopes that it would be habitable. Luckily, when the sun went down, the AC was able to beat the heat and we had a comfortable night's sleep!

San Diego and Friends

After our Cruise we went to San Diego and stayed with our friend Howard from College and his wife Loreen and their two boys Trevor and Troy. Their boys are in between the ages of our boys, so that worked well. It was great to get a chance to catch up with them! We got there on Friday at about 4:00, and went out to a nice dinner that evening. The next day Howard's company had their annual picnic at the Wild Animal Park. One of the highlights was that they brought in some wild animals to show and tell. We were lucky enough to have front row seats. We had VERY close up views of a Golden Eagle and a Cheetah. It was Very cool! We enjoyed feeding the laurakeets, and the tram ride through the back country!
Sunday we had a leasurely morning and then went to La Jolla to see the baby Harbor seals. The boys enjoyed getting a chance to get to know Trevor and Troy and we had a great time visiting with old friends... not to say that they are old, just good friends for a long time dispite the fact that Howard likes San Diego sports teams.

The 60th Anniversary Cruise

So, as many of you know, we went on a cruise with my siblings and their spouses to help my folks celebrate 60th anniversary. We left on Monday, May 31st and arrived back in Long Beach on June 4th. Take down of the trailer took longer than we thought, but we finally got our ducks in a row and got to the Long Beach cruise terminal where we parked. We got on board with no hitches and used the magic of cell phones to find my siblings. My sister, Penny had called ahead to have my parents room decorated. There were streamers and flowers and a banner. I will attempt to post photos later. We started the cruise by doing what one does a lot on cruises... we ate!
The cruise was interesting! It was certainly NOT Smith hours! Most all the activites ( even for the kids) started after our bedtime (9pm) The kids were in clubs for their ages. Derek's club seemed to start at about 9 and go until 1am. Colin's was a little more variable, though he had one night party that went until 3:30am!!!! That first night Marcus and I enjoyed playing pinnochle with Sandy and Steve like we used to when we lived in Chico and Sacramento! We made it all the way 'til 10:00pm.
During the day we went to Catalina where we wandered around with various family members, shopping, hiking and chatting. That evening after dinner the adult Smiths went to bed early. The nest day we went to Ensenada where we shopped some more. The kids enjoyed the bartering process and ended up with some cool hats, and sling shots. That evening we found a room to take over where we presented our parents with a DVD of photos of each of us and our families as we grew up. It was so fun to see the old photos that brought back so many memories! Sandy did an excellent job putting it all together! My dad then talked about each of his children and thier strengths and how mauch we each mean to him. Then he gave his sweetheart a lovely Tahitian pearl necklace and earrings that he had collect and bring on board. To top it off the 5 of us kids sang the anniversary song Sandy wrote for their 50th anniversary.
The rest of the cruise was spent visiting and catching up. Poor Penny ended up with the flu and was very sick, spending most of the rest of the time in her room. That was sad, since she lives in Germany, and we don't get to see her very often, let alone how misereable she was.
All in all it was great to see each other. We had a wonderful chance to visit with each other which is so rare since we all live so far apart!

Rating of the cruise:
Ann 9 I had a great time seeing my family, but I would have liked the activities to have started earlier.
Marcus 7 It was good to see Ann's family, but the cruise was not really my thing.
Derek 10 It was really really good!
Colin 9 It was great!

BBQ on the beach with Marcus' cousins May 30th

So, I know it has been a while! What a whirlwind of adventures we have had! I will try my best to remember it all. May 30th was a family day with Marcus' side of the family. He has several cousins from his dad's side that live in the area. We took the opportunity to have a family BBQ on the beach. There were 16 of us. What Marcus and I hadn't realized was this was Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and we were trying to have a beach bonfire in LA area. We got there first and it looked like there were no fire rings to be had. We parked the car and wandered up and down the beach looking for one. Trina got there next and looked farther south on the beach. She found one of the last few fire rings to be had for the day! We lucked out with parking too. Trina even threw herself in front of a truck risking life and limb for one of the last spots. Once all the family was there, we started to settle in. AS I said there were 16 of us, but I'm sure we had enough food and beverages for 160! And wood. We had plenty of wood for our fire! It was none too warm with the wind on the beach, but the sun was out and we were happy to get to spend the time together. Derek begged, bartered and manipulated his way into starting a family game of capture the flag, which brought on lots of giggling, and feats of athleticism and skill. Soon, a neighboring group joined in. We ate, we chatted, we ate some more. The only down side was the wind. It was very hard to get away from the smoke with all the fire rings lined up in a row. Our eyes were burning and we smelled of campfire as we went home to our little trailer, but we wouldn't have traded it for the world! We had a great time reconnecting with Marcus' side of the family!

You will have to survive without rating the days and such for a while, until I catch up with myself! Sorry!