Anna's first day of Kindergarten

The Felice household has just gotten really quiet. Anna headed off with her brother and sister on the big yellow bus for Kindergarten. I guess the prom is right around the corner.....

On the Road - in South West Pennsylvania

Cathy, Thomas and Elizabeth are in Pennsylvania this week. Elizabeth is attending Camp Chihopi -a summer camp for kids who are transplant recipients. Meanwhile Cathy and Thomas are hanging out nearby doing some camping with Chilipepper and seeing the sites.






















Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water

Let's Go Hiking in the Adirondacks!

So....
because Elizabeth is at camp and HATES to hike, Thomas and I decide it would be a good time to go to the Adirondacks to check out the high peaks (there are 46). I talk to my good friend Rinda (who could win Survivor hands down and has climbed 37) about where to go. I was not comfortable making this attempt on our own, so we hijack Rinda and head to Mt. Colden.

Mt. Colden : 4,714 feet
Ascent of climb 2,850 ft
# 11 on the tall peak list
Round Trip: 15.2 miles
Weather Forecast - Chance of scattered showers

We leave Livonia in Mot's VW Westie, Chilipepper, and arrive at Rinda's Aunt's camp on the Schoon River and stay overnight. We get to the Adirondack Loj and starting our big adventure around 9 am.

1st stop Mt. Marcy Dam

Snacks are good - wait I thought you knew where to go, Rinda! (just kidding!)

Follow the trail ....

Climbing higher...

Next stop Arnold Lake
and some of those "scattered showers"

Keep climbing, keep raining....

Cool Alpine Vegetation

At 2:20 we reached the Summit! No views, just rain :(



On the way down, we sat out of the rain under the rock ledge.



View of Mt. Colden from the one of the false peaks.
Notice the sun trying to break through - it gave up after a few minutes.

Thomas finds a friend who doesn't seem to mind being soaked.


We wanted to be off the trail by dark, so we continued back down. We were about as wet as wet can be without actually swimming. The rain made the trail more muddy and slippery. We should have taken pictures of:

• pouring water out of boots
• wringing out socks
• Thomas slopping straight through the pools of water in the last 1/2 mile
• walking through the parking lot with dry clothes under Mot's rainbow beach umbrella
• Thomas and I saying "ow, ow, ow" with every step through the lodge
  

but it was too wet to get the camera back out. We made to to the parking lot at 6:50.

Good thing for Chilipepper! We didn't even pop the top to sleep. We got in our sleeping bags and ate apples and cheese for dinner, listening to the rain keep falling. I think we were all asleep by 8:15.
Rinda is a good friend to have dealt with us "Newbies" out on the trail.
Definitely an adventure to remember!

Grand Canyon Railway

Cousin Mike arranged for all of us to take the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams Arizona to the Grand Canyon. On the way up - we all rode together in a Pullman passenger car from 1910[?]






Once at the Grand Canyon, we toured the rim and took lots of pictures. A very warm day indeed. In the distance you could see smoke plumes from forest fires.












Cousin Tom, Cheryl and Joshua Jones













Dad, Cathy, Eric and I









Julie and Mike Jones













On the return trip, Eric and i found out you could upgrade to first class for the return trip. the train had a vintage VistaDome car that I REALLY wanted to check out - so Eric indulged me and we upgraded.





The VistaDome was awesome. I loved it. We would have liked to share the return ride with the rest of the family, but instead got to sit with the "Morbidly Obese Family" who made no pretenses whatsoever of attacking the buffet offered when we left the station. Apparently Couth Couth was not on the menu.

Spoons*

What are cousins to do for entertainment? Spoons of course. A rapid fire game, seemingly simple in rules, yet complex in dynamics.

(Initiation of new players is always interesting as they pick up the subtle strategies after a few hands - Cathy)




We commandeered the Sante Fe room for our ritual Friday night.

















*no actual furniture was destroyed during this ritual.

Sedona

Cathy, Dad, Eric and I are in Arizona for Uncle Bob and Aunt Clare's 50th anniversary. We all gathered today at the house to caravan up to Williams. "Caravaning" in our family means - lose everyone as fast as possible by any means. We drove up in Mike's truck with Mary, Cathy, Dad, Eric and I.



Cathy checking her reach to the cooler for our trip.

(Too bad the windows were WAY too HOT to actually perform this manuever in transit! - Cathy)






We took a detour to see Sedona on our way to Williams.

(We weren't lost, we were following map 1.0, blissfully ignorant of the latest upgrade. - Cathy)






The road from Sedona to Flagstaff was closed due to forest fires. So our stay in Sedona was momentary as we backtracked to the highway. Very beautiful however.

(If we had the map 2.0, we would never have seen this amazing formations. Sometimes upgrades aren't all they are cracked up to be. - Cathy)



Ironically, Eric and I just saw the movie Cars by Pixar. Great movie. The setting for it seems to be modeled after Sedona and Williams Arizona where we were headed. It was a neat parallel.

Communion weekend without all that crazy color

Great party Lizzy. Boy does that deck set up for a nice back drop.

Here's a couple of my black and whites.

It is truly an honor to be associated with such pretty people....and good work with the camera Eric. Thanks much.

Jimmy

First Communion Weekend

Kristin and Mark hosted the family this weekend for Carolyn's First Communion Party. The new deck was throughly tested by everyone, Dad's mirror got blasted and some nice Mother's day gifts were given. A swell weekend ....





This is Kristin. She often wears a ballgown and crown.




















Grandpa and Grandma Felice
















Quality Assurance Team




















Eric's Beltbuckle Message was a hit. Click here to see the movie.


















Unwrapping gifts











Anna assisting Aunt Cathy

















Kristin and Aunt Cathy Pedro