Dessert Southwest?

Last fall we scraped our yard of all living things and put down rocks and mulch and bigger rocks and more mulch. Our plan and hope was that most things would die and just our newly planted, xeric, native shrubs would be individually hose-watered and flourish alone.
And then this spring brought rain. And rain. And more rain and rain and rain. And weeds in our pristine mulch. And grass coming back and more weeds. Aaaaaand mushrooms. 

That’s right. Our front yard, xerically designed and south-facing the dessert sun, is growing mounds and mounds of mushrooms. The girls make a daily habit of running around the yard with sticks knocking down the day’s new sprouting caps. (We have a firm rule of no touching with skin – I’m mushroom shy.)
So much for our great xeric plan. But at least there’s a silver lining: neighborhood boat design masterclasses and gutter-puddle launches.

Impromptu

A couple hours before this picture, I sent a text to some neighbors: “anybody around this afternoon and want ice cream?” And then almost everyone on the block was out on a shady lawn with bowls and cups. And 6 kids were on bikes in the middle of the street. And everyone was talking and happy and playing. And I think we live on the absolute best street in the country. 

Weekend at Mesa Verde

It’s summer here — the girls are about to start their 3-day-a-week summer programs, Bill’s only got to grade the final exam for his summer course, and I’m about to begin working during the weekdays like a normal person. All of that means that we’ve been taking to the road (a little) for some mini camping trips. So far we’ve stuck pretty close to home and they’ve been short and sweet. We figure while the girls are so new at this camping thing and while Tessa is so young (and mercurial), we need to stack all the cards in our favor. Positive experiences will hopefully make the girls fall in love with camping!

Last weekend we ventured to Mesa Verde. We didn’t venture 45 minutes down the windy road to any ruins; we hiked some nature trails and played at the visitors’ center instead. Lots of people in the campground already. And lots of grasshoppers to catch!