Lay of the land

Hey there! Moving is crazy! Now that we have unpacked, lets get out of the house.

This is Susie Qs, a great drive up diner. Just know that "Pork Tenderloin" is flattened, fried meat.

In Arkansas I look about 5 years old and like I have an earring. Sometimes. As if I'd get bling AFTER leaving Richmond.

There are all kinds of fun things to see here. Like wheels!

If I can just make Pops upload these posts...

The Drive - get me to Arkansas!

If you are lucky, you will get to hang with some cool Taylors near Denver - Truman, Johnny and Crosby (and Crosby's leaf)

Eastern Colorado is pretty boring, but if you take I-70 you will see this sweet sign

In front of a great diner. Mmmm.

Sunflower type things grow all over

Kansas is not as flat as expected, but there are many more Jesus billboards than anticipated.

Also, there is hay.

As you near Arkansas, get ready for the eastern tip of the Ozarks, and the weird rocks that come with that.

And they made it!

The Drive - CA to WY

Pops and the Old Man (that's Grandpa Famini) drove from California to Arkansas in late July with Tank in the back of the car. Here is what it will look like when you drive out to visit us:

Nevada is pretty boring, but Tank doesn't mind the view out of his crate.

That Salt Lake is no joke

Clouds are cool - its a trowel!

Tank really liked getting out of the car. The hotel in cute little Coalville, UT about 20 miles past Park City had a great backyard.

Morning clouds in Utah

Wyoming must be windy

I missed out on this looong train right next to the car. Dang.

Who is ready for some posts?

I am sitting here stressing about the Giants, may as well work on this backblog.

Cali goodbyes

First of all, the Mooneys were gracious enough to have a wedding mid-July, allowing my parents to see all of their good friends. Thanks guys, you are awesome!

Then I got to go to a family party and see the cool kids. Big cousin Will gave me some travel tips.

Gianna tested out my travel readiness, making sure I wasn't afraid of heights.

Mom and Sparrow had some quality cheese time.

And then I played Boys II Men's "Its So Hard to Say Goodbye" on our way out. Miss you all!

More Cousin fun

All the cousins liked having morning book club meetings

But that didn't mean calm was the norm. Sibling take downs are probably normal, though Lucas was pretty entranced.

But cousin take downs happened too. Yay for a great family vacay!

Yummy

Sparrow powered through her ice cream, but would have been just as content with broccoli

Sequoia like the ice cream, but wasn't overly excited about it

Lucas, on the other hand, was a fan

Sliding Tutorial

Why would I be wandering through concrete tubes? To get to the park of course!

My cousin Sequoia was so excited that she almost ran out of the frame!

Now, before you slide you have to get amped up. I chose to pretend I was a pirate captain - "Smiley Face". Arrrrgh.

First get on the top of the slide, like this roller version. Be sure to spread those legs for optimal fun.

Maintain concentration and that leg angle should stay at a good 75+ degrees.

Thats how you slide, Richmond style. Booooooyah!

Aquarium Battle: Sparrow

So I was just hanging with Pops at the Aquarium looking at some sweet swimmers...

When cuz Sparrow decided to get in on the action. Alright, lady, its on!

I mounted my pink seahorse and prepared for battle.

Unfortunately she had a sea-steed of her own! Maybe battling is the wrong idea.

Hugs!

Cannery Row

There was some cool stuff on Cannery Row - a real pirate!

An actual shark face! I want that!

But the coolest part was the wildlife...

Look at all of those seals!

I could stare all day. Yay for real seals!

Faminis vs Sanchinis

Something I learned on vacay - Faminis and Sanchinis approach pictures differently. We Faminis like to blow you away with the pearly whites.

Even Pops tries.

While Auntie Steph like to show her great smile, you have to work hard to get Uncle Dan to say cheese. But the Sanchini girls, whew! They go all Blue Steel on you!

Or else they cant be bothered - "Really, Uncle Chris?"

Or frankly, they just let it all go!

Chicks are crazy.