An unexpected trip to Ohio

While in Las Vegas, we were dealing with multiple mechanical issues with our truck. After more than a week of delays, Daddy asked if we'd rather fly to Ohio to spend some time with family while he waited on the repairs. Of course I jumped at the chance to not only see family, but avoid the four day straight drive with the kids. We booked red-eye flights for the very next day.

After our early morning arrival, I didn't see Asher for a little bit and found him fast asleep on the bedroom floor!

We had fun spending time with cousins at Grandpa's house.

Dodgeball!

Basketball

I even got in some good batting practice!

We spent time with my Aunt Janie at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary where
we fed the very bold Bluejays before meeting the birds of prey.

 A house finch built a nest in my brother's wreath. We enjoyed watching them grow during our visit.

Sadly, one of the babies fell from the nest shortly after hatching and died. Such a tiny, fragile thing.

We walked thru Creekside park in Gahanna a few times. It's so pretty there and right next to the Wendy's where I worked in high school.

The kids had fun playing in the creek. They spotted three snakes and caught the largest bullfrog I've ever seen!

 Grandpa and Grandma took us to walk around Dawes Arboretum. 

 And to Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park to look for birds and bison.

The kids finally watched The Wizard of Oz.

 We spent a night up north with my Aunt and Uncle, exploring Mill Creek Park before heading home. Built in 1846, Lanterman's Mill still grinds corn, wheat and buckwheat just as it did so many years ago.

The Biggest Week in American Birding also happened to be going on, so of course I had to make a trip up to Magee Marsh on the shores of Lake Erie. A friend had spotted a Snowy Owl, so my parents drove me up the next morning, leaving at 5am in hopes of seeing this owl that should not be here. After searching for over half an hour, my friend gave up and we made one last pass thru the area. Just then we spotted a line of cars in the otherwise deserted area. Once we got close, we saw the owl sitting on a barn. We watched as he flew down into a field. Unfortunately he was too far away for me to get a good photo. Still a wonderful siting and one I didn't think I'd have for years to come since I'm 'allergic' to cold weather. 

Upon arrival at Magee Marsh, we heard of a rare bird sighting. When you see a group like this, you definitely want to find out what they're looking at. Chances are you'll want to see it too!

Cape May Warbler

American Woodcock

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Wild Turkeys in Central Ohio

We spent lots of time at different parks this visit. It's fun to discover new places after having spent my first 30 years here. I tend to find something new each time we visit, like this Char-Mar Ridge Preserve.

On our flight to Florida, the pilot invited the kids into the cockpit for a fun experience! 

Thanks Allegiant Airlines! 

Hello Vegas

After two years away, it's nice to be back in Las Vegas, a city that was our home for ten years. We took the kids on a hike up Lone Mountain with Courtney and DeAnn for a new perspective of the city.

Visited our favorite horses and friend, Sydney, before taking a ride at Horses4Heroes at Floyd Lamb Park. The kids used to take weekly riding lessons here.

Floyd Lamb is one of my favorite places in Vegas. Aside from the animals at Horses4Heroes, there are tons of peacocks, rabbits and birds gathering around the lakes. It's a fun place to be.

A beautiful Ruddy Duck.

This gosling had something wrong with him. At this moment both geese were picking on him. We shoed them off, but explained to the kids what was likely to happen once we left. The circle of life is harsh sometimes.

Asher and Journey reunited with their friends Jett and Ava.

My friend Danyell blessed us with a night at Red Rock Hotel which we turned into a slumber party with the Durens. Danyell met us for a ladies night of Bingo which is actually quite fun! 

Our first night in Vegas we stayed at the refuge, so I could be out birding before sunrise. I met two birders on the trail and ended up birding with them for the next three weeks. Here are a few of the birds we spotted. Some from Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve.

Wilson's Phalarope spinning in circles

American Avocets

Black-Necked Stilts

And a lizard.

Marc and Eliana are Birding By Bus from Miami, Florida to Attu, Alaska and back during their big year. I had the pleasure of meeting them and birding together at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge on their way thru Nevada. Great people I can't wait to see again!

My friends Lansing and Mandy met us at the Discovery Center so all the kids could play together again. Super fun day playing in the nursery, the cafe and getting lost in the five story climbing tower!

We conducted our first Bone Marrow Registry drive in the hopes of finding our friend Heston's match.

While going thru the things we had left at a friend's house, Daddy found his medical records....this is only THREE years of documentation! Yikes!

We split our stay between Lisa and Dan's and Richmond and Robyn's house. Lisa's kids are so very adorable so we were happy to finally spend time with them. My kids were also happy to catch up on the Food Network's Kids Baking Championship. 

We found some interesting creatures at their house, like this large lizard.

One night after we had the kids lay down to sleep, Asher called for us saying there was a scorpion in his room. In 10 years of living in Vegas, I had never seen a scorpion inside a house, so I was a little skeptical, but I also had flashbacks of the time Asher found a snake in our closet! He told us it was on his neck and he calmly waited for it to crawl off before calling for us. After a frantic search, we found the little guy, a Bark Scorpion, the most venomous species in Nevada. It was a bit hard to sleep after that.

The next morning I went out to the refuge and bought a black light flashlight so we could check the house for scorpions. They glow so bright, you can not miss them with this light. We all slept better knowing the house was scorpion-free after that.

When we moved into our RV four years ago, Richmond and Robyn happily took care of our Bella. She could not handle being left alone in our old RV, so we knew she wouldn't enjoy living in one fulltime. It was a hard decision, but absolutely the right one. We were coming up on Bella's 12th birthday this year, and although we'd been warned about the weight she'd lost and her getting sick often, seeing her so thin was still a shock. I could tell she didn't have much time left. Saying my final goodbye to her was very difficult, but I'm so glad I had the chance, as she has already passed away as I write this. She was a great dog. She had so many adventures and the love of two families, more than any dog could ever hope for. We love you Bella!