Vacation!!

We heard last week that Jackie, Eric's grandad Dick's wife, died in her sleep while in rehabilitation after some health problems during the last few months.
She has always been so kind to me, and was a sweet sweet lady who loved Grandpa Dick and her animals and grandchildren. Grandpa Dick is twice a widower and a wonderful man and we are thinking of him and praying for Jackie's family.
I don't have a good way to transition to vacation pictures from the sad news about Jackie- I hope I do not seem too callous.

May 16 I turned 10 months! I am so handsome. I now fit in an outfit cousin Wendi sent. Huzzah!

We had a week of vacation and decided we would combine time with Louisa and Will- the Willzabeast- in Phoenix with Ruidoso trip. So we flew to Phoenix, had quality cocktails and good times in the pool at the Biltmore with Louisa and Will.
Truly, baby's first time in the pool was mindblowing- he was SOOO happy. I wished I'd had the camera or another set of hands to film him at that time. I always try uploading video to the blog, but it craps out everytime, so I have to put them on facebook.
At the Biltmore hotel restaurant- Frank and Albert's- for happy hour:


Croquet. Naturally.

Hiking at the Phoenix Mountains Preserve:


Somebody fell asleep.

In the pool!


Since Lou and Will's flight was delayed (by an entire day) we stayed an extra night in AZ and did awesome things like eat pizza and pancakes, watch the Mavs and hang out with the amazing couple.
Then we departed for a long drive to Ruidoso. We split the drive into two days (poor babykins watched sesame street dvds over and over on our portable player)- taking a northern route, mostly Hwy 60. And we stopped at a camp of cabins near Eagar, AZ. The road down to the cabins:

Our cabin was very nice with a small kitchen and two bedrooms.

The drive was beautiful. The tiny ranching towns in southwestern NM and souteastern AZ were very remote and the transition from desert to mountain to prarie back to mountain was dramatic.
At last we arrived in Ruidoso!

It was too dry to hike in the National Forest- they had a ban on all entry and our favorite hikes were barred (you couldn't even drive a car to the entrance!) so we trekked a bit behind the cabin (also national forest, but nobody could stop us), and out to a state park area.

Somebody LOVES his daddy!!

Hal put a $2 bet on a filly at the races:

Thank you to the Attebury's and Watkins' for house and cabin use!

We had a great time. (except the way home. don't ask. I feel like barfing just thinking about yesterday).