A boy and his train.
It has been a long time and we've had many travels since Christmas. The photos will tell most of our story, and our time spent in Michigan was great. Nathaniel has an appreciation for hockey and the piano at Aunt Pat's house. We had a wonderful time catching up with our family in the North and look forward to any and all visits from them this spring.
We had a great time at the circus. Nat loved loved his frist visit to the circus and really enjoyed the clowns, elephants and tigers.

David Crowell gave Nat his first bean bag and its been a hit with him, especially during story time before nap and bedtime. Here, he has fallen asleep in front of the T.V. after a long morning of playing outside and library fun.

A day at the zoo is never a dull day, especially when there is a Komodoo Dragon statue to play on and the real thing behind a few inches of glass just feet away. This is where Nat was learning about the difference between real and a statue.

Kathleen and I had a fun trip to the city of Las Vegas. As everyone knows, you should visit Sin City at least once to get a flavor of gambling, smoking, drinking and covert promiscuity everywhere. The Bellagio fountains are really cool and we were able to see them from the balcony of Shintaro, a Japanese restaurant with Haibachi grills. I was able to catch the Mirage's volcano eruption around 11 at night. There are many things that you can see and do just walking down the sidewalk of the strip. We went to the Cirque du Solei show "O", which is a water themed feat of acrobatics. They did some incredible feats of daring and swimming.
Here is a picture from inside the helicopter we took to the grand canyon. This is of the Vegas strip. Riding in a helicopter with 4 other people is very different from floating in a jumbo jet across the country. We were bumpped a couple times by air currents, but for the bulk of the ride it was a smooth trip. I can't imagine how it would be when it is windy in the canyon.

Hoover Dam. It has an amazing effect on the landscape and allows millions of people water, recreation and electicity where there shouldn't be people.

Kathleen and I had a very brief lunch about 200 feet above the Colorado River. It is a rugged beauty and the early explorers must have thought this to be another planet. The river is surprisingly clear and you can see rocks at the bottom despite the murky appearance.

We had a fun vacation and Nathaniel had fun with his Grandparents on Sanibel. This week is his birthday, but it will be very low key with cake and singing and a few presents.

Be well,
Michael