Zion

Earlier this summer, our friends from Las Vegas, the Fosters, came up to visit us and we all spent a day hiking and picnicking at Zion NP. It was a nice escape from the heat of our respective home cities.

Emerald Pools Hike

The Fosters --- and 2/3 of The Porters

BFFs

The Wiggles

Mitchell gets the wiggles when he watches "The Wiggles":





He dances to any music, any beat!

Camping...With Girls

A few weeks ago, I went to girls' camp. For a few hours on the first day, Preston and Mitch accompanied me. Just look what it did to them!

(They are sleeping in our truck tent.)

The day before, Mitchell came with me to help load up. He was pretty good at backing the trailer up to the shed at the church.

Roos 'N' More...Definitely More

At the end of May, we took a little trip to a place called Roos 'N' More. As the name would suggest, they had kangaroos and...MORE!

G'day mate!

Day 12: Sandringham Estate

Sandringham, the Queen's winter cottage

Mitchell is just enjoying the ducks

This is how the queen rolls.

The queen uses that door...by herself!

Beautiful Sandringham!

Day 11: Another Bath

Roman Baths

These stacked tiles were under the floor, and they would push hot air through, thereby producing "in-floor heating"

Another bath

These steps are all that remain of the Temple of Minerva Sulis

This is the pool where brave little bathers would take a cold dip after

spending time in the steam room

The Roundys were fun to Bath with

Here's where the steamy spring water comes out

Jane Austen lived at this address while in Bath

Here's proof that Mitchell toured the Jane Austen Centre

(He'll appreciate it when he's a teenager.)

The Royal Crescent

Day 10: Stone Henge & Bath

It's Stone Henge!

Stone Henge --- It's more famous than Angela Lansbury, Justin Bieber, and Bill Clinton...combined! It was way rad!

I shared my gelato with Mitch by dipping his "suckifier" in it, and every time he wanted more, he would pop it out and hold it up to my cone to reload.

Cute little house boats on the Avon River

The Abbey in Bath, known as Bath Abbey

That's one of the entrances to the Roman Baths in...Bath

My Birthday! Day 9: London (third day)

This is my calm face.

Suzanne threw a raging party for me. There were streamers, balloons, easter eggs, fresh tulips, chicken enchiladas, and more!

Then she made this cake! It's a good thing those numbers are backwards so you can't tell how old I am.

I got some lovely gifts from some lovely girls.

I had a wicked awesome birthday!

We also shopped at Harrod's & H&M and ate at a delicioso Italian restaurant, but we were lazy about taking pictures, so you have to use your imagination.

Day 8: London (second day)

Tower of London

I think Preston is standing next to what was once a lion's den. I don't know what my clue was, but it just feels like it would have been one.

Traitor's Gate

(This is the gate by which traitors arrived.)

The Ravens

A legend developed that England would not fall to a foreign invader so long as there were ravens at the Tower of London

The Rack

Beefeater or Yeomen Warder of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London or Member of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary

The Tower Bridge

(I know, I already posted a picture of this.)

Westminster Abbey, at the very place the Duchess of Cambridge made her grand entrance

The only place in Westminster Abbey where pictures were allowed to be taken