ANOTHER AWESOME, SOME MAY SAY CUNNING PLAN FROM THE MIND OF COZ

Hal is leaving us in early June to travel home. Our grand experience will be over, at least until the next one comes over.
My first idea was to fly to LA a couple of days early and have some adventures before putting him the plane.
A couple of years ago there was grand plans to have direct flights from Flag to LA everyday and they were cheap too. Rob and I took advantage of it when we popped down to see Nick Cave at the Hollywood Bowl. So cool.
I guess it didn't make money cause now the flights are crap. The most direct flight leaves in the afternoon and the rest go through Phoenix with 6 hr lay overs.
It was mentioned I could drive but its 7 hrs and that would take up a whole day.
I was pondering our plight while walking the dogs when it struck me, like a hand from above guiding me to the One True Place.
Las Vegas baby.
So is this awesome or what?!
Hal and I leave Thursday and drive the 4ish hrs to Vegas, pausing to check out Hoover Dam and arrive in time to check in to The Excalibur and go to the Tournyment of Kings Dinner and Show.
People allergic to horses enter at your own risk.
If anyone wants any gewgaws..?

Vegas is wierd, I know that may come as a surprise but its true. One of the many many ways it flaunts this is the prices of rooms. Thursday night we get a room for $25. On Friday and Saturday it goes up to over $100. Never go to Vegas on the weekend is the moral..ha.. of the story.
Promise Kate, I won't let him get married by or to Elvis or gamble his kidneys on the Craps Table.

Next day drive the 5ish hours to LA.
The plan there is to check out La Brea Tar Pits. Who can pass by the pools of skeleton filled tar and walls of Dire Wolf skulls. Rob and I liked it so we are fairly sure Hal will to.
Saturday will be either Disney Land or Universal Studios or something of that ilk. His flight isn't till 10pm so we want something fun but exhausting so he will sleep on the plane home.

I will then drive back on Sunday. Was kinda hoping Rob could fly down Friday night and we could drive back together but I understand it does fall into the 'pain in the arse' category so I'll stock up on music and audiobooks and hoon back. I've done it before so its not really a big problem.




And now a bedtime story.....but its not helping me sleep..

WE ARE ALL WINNERS ON THE DAY

Last weekend we went to the Grand Canyon. Its still bloody Grand in case you were wondering if it lost any of its Kaibab shista shine. Still there.

Hal hadn't been yet. The One Place to take him was This Place.
I mentioned it at work we were going the next day. A few had never been and the few that had been went "ehh kinda cool but i would bother going again and really not that interesting.." and other sad noises of that ilk.

I have been there a lot and it always makes me fall in love.
A big part of it is taking new visitors, i get all puffed up and proud showing it off. Its less than 2hrs from home and its freaking awesome!
I can kinda understand (sorta) that once you are on the rim then that's it. You came, you looked, you photographed, you carried on. But there is so much more.


Its Spring. Sunny for weeks. Walking the dogs on the mesa, they had smaller and diminishing patches of snow to wallow in. Roo loves the snow wallow.
All snow is gone now and green is budding.
Then it snows...out of the blue...and all the poor little buds get snap frozen.
We were worried that the fog and snow could sock the canyon in and there would be no visibility.

It turned out to be one of the best days I have spent there.
The light and shadow was amazing. It would be sunny, then snowy, then the fog would roll through, then the sun would break out, rinse and repeat.

We had a good long walk along the rim and a chilly edged picnic, with resident Raven looking for noms.

Hal seemed impressed, and by god he better be, or in the best Tradition of Ripping Yarns 'there would be a damn good thrashing'

Listened to "Good Omens" on the Ipod there and back ( just about to meet the devil dog when we got home).

This weekend just gone Hal played 3 games of U19's Rugby Union. Mike and a few other Landsharks - the men's rugger team up here, started it this year. We kinda coerced Hal into playing. He went along with it to humor us at first but now wants to keep playing when he gets home.

Sorry AJ...your deprogramming sessions may meet with actual resistance.


He has been having fun and he is uber Line Out boy so that makes him feel pretty good.
Teams from Phoenix and Las Vegas came up the hill to play.

Go Mighty CobraFists.

They won 1 game out of 3, and held their own pretty well.
Most of the players are pretty new at this. Rubgy not being a normal American sport. The lads all played well and were good sports.
I managed to leave work early just so I could see him play. It was fun, cheering and yelling. I have no idea of the rules but I did my fair share of egging on.
Next weekend they are going to Albuquerque for a tournyment. I have to work :( but Rob and everyone else is going.

Now it turns out its probably good I'm staying at home...I guess.
I brought 3 tiny pups home to foster today. They are asleep next to me on the lounge. They came from the bottom of the Grand Canyon from the Havasupai. About 5 weeks old and we named them 'Firefly', 'Kaylee' and 'River Tam' (photos incoming soon).

3 weeks till the kiddo goes back to the Mother Land. May even miss him a tad.

Off to the Grand Canyon
Picnic packed
It's snowing
In May
This is how we roll