Visiting The Cloud Museum

We went on a field trip to The Cloud Museum.

The place was full of old cars and old machinery. Kitt loved sitting in the old cars there, and I even posed in one with him.

Sonny's favorite thing in the msueum was this scooter, which he thought was in good condition for its age.

The old-fashioned bicycle fascinated me, and I wondered how people ever got up onto it to ride it. Of course, the old typewriter reminded me of the one I used when I was younger.

We were also amazed at the "3-minute wonder" washing machine. Does that it used to actually be that fast to wash clothes? We learned alot from seeing all the old stuff there but realize we have more to learn about how things used to work.

Painted Desert Trail

Since Lukas was off from school on Jan. 16, we decided to go for a hike at Painted Desert Trail in the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge. We did actually stop for 2 letterboxes on the way to the parking lot. On the left, you'll see Lukas rehiding the letterbox we found underneath the rock.







Welcome to the Painted Desert Trail.

These were the very first hoodoos that we saw, and we were interested to learn more about them. We read that they are formed when two washes have met and the water erodes the stone away. Kitt was trying to imagine what the different hoodoos resembled. He thought the second one looked like a profile of a person.

This was really the only uphill part of the hike and wooden stairs had been put there to help in the climb.

We enjoyed the view from the top and were interested to find out what had caused the different colors of rocks in these hills. I can foresee more research into the geology of this area.

Kitt did take time to examine various rocks along the way, as well as look at the various colors covering the hills. We saw reds, orange, brown, black, white and a tinge of green.

Kitt wanted his photo taken inside this small crevice, as if he was holding the boulder apart himself.

After we made it back to the parking lot, we had a small snack at the ramada there before driving back.

On the drive back , we glimpsed Martinez Lake and the Colorado River. I stopped the car, so I could take a photo. Water in the desert is so beautiful.

Golf School

My son has wanted to learn golf for a very long time, and finally we found a summer golf school which fit our schedule, with a very good teacher.

There are 6 boys in the group, all around his age. The first three days went well, but yesterday was rainy and dampened his spirit a little.

He is trying to earn his "blue card" this week. Some of the tests he is trying to pass are:

40 meters at the driving range with a 9 iron

70 meters at the driving range with a tee and wooden driver

4 out of 10 balls out of a bunker

5 out of 10 balls chipping

putting- 23 hits one 9 puttings holes

handicrafts

My son is now starting his very first cross-stitch. He decided to try this when we were shopping last week with a friend. All my sons have learned handicrafts, like crochet and needlepoint. I tell the boys that even boys should know how to sew and such. He will actually use Math skills in doing needlepoint, too. Of course, he wanted me to do one at the same time, so he helped me pick out a cross-stitch for me to make.

learning about Vikings

We went to visit the Viking market at Foteviken.

The two vikings on the right are playing a game called hnefatafl. We bought a book with instructions so we can make our own game set later. We just need a piece of leather for the board and colored stones for the pieces.




We enjoyed watching the battle and were impressed by all the clothing and weapons. Kitt noted that the swords were real but kind of blunt. He also noted that the oldest men there had the greatest padding to protect them.

We were impressed by how this Viking village has grown in the recent years. More buildings and more reenactors making this even more exciting to visit.

As we were driving home past Malmö, I decided to stop to find a geocache near svågertorp. I was surprised to discover this archeological dig and reconstructed Viking village in the midst of the big box stores. We would never have noticed it there, although it is in the middle of all the stores, if it hadn't been for the geocache that brought us here. There is even a labyrinth here, which we will have to explore next time we come here to shop.