From Jacin:

Day 69

I was up early to beat the heat and finish oiling the rest of the wood beams. Danielle had 3 people scheduled to work on, so her dad and I moved the crane again, as he wasn’t happy with the safety of the location we started with. It is really quite an ordeal, as it weighs several tons, and isn’t really designed to move on its own. Jamie is a pro at operating it though, and all went well. We also cut up an old pickup for parts for a project, then of to the salvage yard to dispose of parts. As it hit nearly 100 degrees, we decided to call it a day and take the boys to see his land, and then to a small lake to play. As we sat in the parking lot waiting for the boys to walk to the water, a cold front moved in and dropped the temp around 25 degrees. A welcome change for sure. On the way back we checked out the new tractor supply store, and then headed home for dinner.

 

Day 70

Got the kids moving and loaded into the truck after breakfast. Danielle and I thought we would take all the kids and give Sandy and Jamie a quiet day. We headed east over Mingus Mountain to Jerome, Arizona. This is an old mining town, much like Lead, SD. There are a lot of great little shops and galleries, and a restored mansion from the mine owner of the 1800’s. Then down the hill to Tuzigoot National Park, where we were able to hike along restored ancient ruins that are believed to predate most native cultures, and there is still little evidence as to who really built them.

 

Off to a store for lunch supplies, and on to Sedona, the new age capital of the US. This is a really pretty area, much like Moab, Utah, with its flaming red colors. We stopped at the local tourist info booth and were guided to great place called Grasshopper Point for a picninc and swimming. We hiked to the water to find a super quiet swimming hole, where Aaron was the first to brave the frigid waters. After that Dru and I were in, followed by Justice and Nation. Danielle opted to stay warm, which in the desert heat, seemed a bit anticlimactic….  We spent several hours letting the kids play and cool off, and then headed to Flagstaff. We really just drove through to see the downtown, and headed back to Jamie’s for pizza.

   

Day 71       4th of July

Jamie helped me fix lights on the pickup and camper. The previous owner had bypassed a blown fuse, and really left a rats nest of wires. Thankfully, we now actually have decent brake and signal lights. I did some other maintenence items on the camper, and Danielle worked on Sandy again, and then her dad. The grandparents took all the kids to a cowby dance and fireworks while Danielle and I enjoyed a quiet night.

Day 72

I was up early again to take the camper to a dump station at a local RV dealer. I set up appointments for Monday for items I can’t fix without specialty tools. Jaimie and the boys worked to strip the Blazer, that all his family gave him for his 60th birthday.  The boys even got to drive the loader a bit. Danielle worked for a few hours.  We set up a couple of hammocks for the kids to play with, and after dinner made ice cream and decorated cookies.

 

Day 73

The Prescott 4th of July parade was a long one. 150 entries, and most noting the lost firefighters from town. It has been interesting to see the local community remember these men. We had some lunch in town, ran a few errands, then headed back to work on the blog. It is hot, so we are planning a northerly excursion for tommorrow, maybe back to Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona.