Texas

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

We made it to El Paso  and to Frankie and Esmeralda's beautiful 

new house. We meet their new baby Isaiah, and Esmeralda's brothers Juan and Joseph.  

Needless to say, the kids were a little more than ready to hop into Frankie's pool after a long day of traveling.

We really enjoyed our time at Frank and Esmee's home, they made us feel so at home in letting us stay with them.  Esmee planned a party for all of the family in El Paso to meet us.  She is a one of the kind sweetie and I fell in love with the baby.  

New Mexico

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

New Mexico

It just took us a few hours to drive through New Mexico.  However, when we stopped for gas in Deming, we found a great little skatepark and had a session.  I still can't get over the fact these parks are usually free now days.  We had it all to ourselves, I'm not sure if that is because it was such a small town, or because these black metal ramps were hot enough during the noonday desert sun to fry either an egg or you, whichever falls on it first.

Leaving Arizona

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

Angel's mom Yvonne has been with us since California and was a joy to have, but left to go back to California as we left Arizona today.

We also had to say good bye to the family in Arizona, Uncle Ruben and Abigail, Savana, and little Ruben. Thank you for having us!

Land of the Giants

I think the thing that made the biggest impression on me in Arizona were these giant cacti, the Saguaros. My daughter looks like a cabbage patch doll next to these giants, so I had to take a picture with me as well to convince any would be skeptics of the magnificence of these giants.

Fun Facts about the Saguaro Cactus

Scientific Name: Carnegiea gigantea

• They grow up to 50 feet or 600 inches tall, but only at a rate of 1 inch a year
• It takes 50 years for it to grow its first arm (branch). A Saguaro with 5 arms is usually over 200 years old
• While its the state flower of Arizona, and it has always been appreciated by original native American owners of Arizona for the fruit's flesh, seeds, and juice.
• It has over 4000 seeds inside the fruit.
• Inside of these plump Cacti they have a woody structural skeleton.

You can learn more @ http://www.desertusa.com/july96/du_saguaro.html

This was the incredible view as we drove on the Arizona 60 Highway through Superior. These outcropping held many of the splits and gaps that the Native Americans originally discovered Gold in, they however considered it a fairly useless metal and innocently gave it to the Spainards, helping to excite their lust for this land.

Arizona- Geode Hunting

After a great day at the Natural History Museum with the Family, Ruben led us on an expedition in the hills of Superior in search of a cliff full of geodes like the one below. 



In the end we did not find a cliff full of them, but we did find some on the ground, along with veins of vermiculite in open pit mine, and many Apache Tears, which are translucent black little rocks that are named in memory of the Apaches suffering at the hands of  European Americans in their quest for these lands.

Meteorites/Gems- Arizona Natural History Museum

This Museum had the largest and most uniquely composed meteorite that I have ever laid my eyes on. The "Tucson Meteorite" looks like a new penny. Its metallic contents are:

88.3% Iron

9.6% Nickel

0.9% Silicon

0.4% Cobalt

Trace amounts of Chromium, phosphorous, and copper. 

It was discovered in 1880's and used as an anvil by blacksmiths. 

Angel in front of a gorgeous example of Selenite Vatiety Fishtail ( Hydrous Calcium Sulfate) from Mexico

David in front of huge Amethyst Geodes from Brazil

Get the scoop on Poop-Arizona Museum of Natural History

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

               Wow! Everything and more than you every wanted to know about Poop.

David tracking the movement of the food through the digestive system. 

The world's largest Poop over my head, 1o inches wide by over 3 feet long, the blue whales really crank it out. 
On the Wall of a 1001 Uses for Poop.  We each picked out our favorite uses. 

Angel's pick-"NASA is studying how to burn astronaut poop and other waste to power a spaceship."

Joseph's pick-"Termites mix poop with chewed wood to build termite mounds; making  termite mounds the largest structure made of poop."

Alyssa's pick-"Some tropical frogs camouflage themselves as poop."

David's pick-"Bird dropping dropping were used as root canal filler in teeth in the 1800's."

My Pick-"Soldiers used bat guana as gunpowder from the War of 1812 up until WWI."

Joseph caught his first fish.  Eddie showing him how to clean it.