What we've been up to

We're in Salt Lake City on a road-trip-hiatus.  Our daughter, SIL, and two grand children live in our house while we are on the road, and all six of us live here when we are home in Salt Lake. Jim and my days are filled with doing whatever we want/need, and our evenings are somewhat chaotic (well, more chaotic than we are used to) with two small kids in the house.

We've done a lot since we got back to Salt Lake one month ago today, including meeting up with friends and "field trips" with the grand kids -- like Mia's and my day-long excursion to the brand new Salt Lake Aquarium followed by the 3-D Lego movie.

We've taken our two cars (our tow car plus a car we leave in SLC while on the road) and our rig in for check ups and gotten a lot of work done -- transmissions flushes, brake jobs, etc.  The vehicles should be in good shape mechanically when we get back on the road.  We also ordered a new window blind for our rig, as the one near the dinette finally broke and we're not of the mind or patience to re-string it. And Jim got a Direct TV satellite set up for the rig that he'll be experimenting with very soon.

On Sunday, daughter Ashley, SIL Shad, our two grand children and I marched in the local Pride parade.  Good friend Debbie is manager of the Salt Lake City Library (the most beautiful building in SLC -- get a peek at it here) and asked if we wanted to march in the library's entry.  We said sure! Ash and Shad pushed Mia and Marshall in their stroller as we walked the probably mile-and-a-half parade route.  I hadn't been in a parade since Memorial Day 1969 when I marched from my high school to a cemetery while playing my trombone. 

When we first got back to SLC, we had peacocks in our yard.  The peacocks moved on, but now we have baby grosbeaks just feet away from our back door.

Another event since we've been home was SIL Shad receiving his Master in Public Health. From L to R:  Daughter, Ashley, Marshall and Shad.

Mia on her field trip day with Grandma.

A photo I took while walking in the Salt Lake City Pride parade.  I could not believe how many people were cheering along the sidelines.  Amazing.  I heard there were 150 entries in the parade, but the one bad thing about being in the parade is that you don't see many other entries.

My friend, Debbie, who manages the Salt Lake City Main Library, me, fellow marcher/book group member Sue, and Sue's mom.  

Marshall and Mia with one of the signs Mia and her mom carried at the Pride parade.  Another library sign read "This parade brought to you by the letters L, G, B and T." Music from a library van played "Reading Rainbow."