The Frigid Southwest

We've been exploring our new locale this week. The scenery has changed, to be sure, but it's a little cooler than we anticipated. We must have brought the chill with us. In fact, it even snowed! So much for daydreams of flip-flops and wide brimmed hats!

Ice on the cactus. Those yellow parts are the cactus flowers. They're very waxy.

Snow in the buttes

This is what it looks like when it snows on the buttes.

We've settled back into our homeschooling routine and made sure to get our temporary library cards. If you really want to immerse yourself in a community, always make sure to join the local library. They tend to be the place where you can find great programs and people post event advertisements. Plus, we love books and it's fun to earn about the history and food of where we are.

Another quick resource I've found is children's books.  Most places offer a coloring book made for kids with digestible bits of information. These books come in handy before day trips because they help familiarize you without overwhelming you. Then, when you find a subject you want to explore more, you can get the larger, more detailed books!

This past week we visited a Boy Scout troop. I love this because it really introduces our kids to other kids who know the area and local traditions. Plus, most scout troops do community service projects and they are usually very friendly and helpful. At this meeting the boys took the lead and walked my younger son through knot tying (he is now a pro at tying people up. ;-)) while my older son observed.

They also invited us to join them to help set up a traditional Southwestern holiday event. When they described it to me, I had never heard of the tradition! Needless to say, I'm SUPER excited to participate with the kids and report back to you. You'll just have to wait for the details until then!

My husband and I went out for a drive this past weekend and ended up visiting the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It's a Catholic Church that was commissioned by local rancher and sculptor, Marguerite Brunswig Staude. She worked with architect firm Anshen and Allen and it's very unique. It's also supposedly located within an "energy vortex". As a visitor, though, I can't say I felt any more or less "energized" by being there. Although I was pretty amazed by the architecture and landscape.

We learned that Sedona is not a name that comes from either the Native American or Mexican languages. This city is actually named after Sedona Miller Schnebly. Her mother supposedly made up the name, herself, because "it sounded pretty". Sedona Miller Schnebly was the wife of the first postmaster here. He decided to name the town after her. After reading more about her life, she sounds like a very interesting and hardworking woman.

Since Christmas decorations weren't on our list of things to pack for this trip, we headed down to the local Walgreens yesterday and picked up a tiny tree and some stockings. Now we're all set for the holiday season!

We also searched all over for, but sadly didn't find, an advent calendar. I thought they'd be everywhere right about now! I even looked online for Lego ones and it seems they're all sold out. Wow! During our search, though, we played some of the public instruments downtown. It's really a fun, artsy town.

We're still on the lookout for Javelina!

Wishing you all a wonderful month! Happy December!

- Jen

Driving in a Winter Wonderland

Today we woke up to ice. It's 7 degrees outside here in Victor, ID. Thank goodness we followed the Boy Scout motto to "Be Prepared" and bought ice melt for the driveway and chains for the tires! It snowed yesterday so we spent the better part of the morning shoveling to make sure it was as clear as possible for today. Our hard work paid off and the driveway is still clear and dry.  Because today was our original departure date, and it seems to be the only window in a series of snow storms here in the Grand Tetons, it's now or never!

The valley below our house

The trailer before we shoveled

We all pitched in!

A job well done

Both the house in Alaska, and the house here, have these grates outside the front door. It's for getting the snow off your shoes and letting it melt in the dirt below instead of tracking it in the house. The dogs hate it. Like the pajama pants? ;-)

Dealing with freezing temps brings on a new series of things to consider. For example, how did the glass jar of jam I packed in the trailer yesterday fare in the deep freeze? Am I going to have to deal with a shattered mess of glass when I get out there? How will the car handle the icy roads with the added weight of the loaded trailer? Did we bring enough blankets for the chilly RV park overnights until we reach AZ? Things like that.

I have time to write this short update because we've decided to wait until the sun is completely out and it warms up a smidge before leaving. We'll head out around 10am mountain time and will probably be in Utah tonight. Next time I post, we'll be all settled in at the new house in Sedona, Arizona! Until then, it's so long, Idaho (or more accurately where we've been, Driggtor, Wydaho)! Thanks for the memories! And a very special thank you to the family who runs Daydreams Espresso for the best chai, breakfast burritos, and muffins around! Keep spreading the good news! :-)

Have a fantastic week!

- Jen