Hiking with the Shelden Family

On Saturday the 18th, our family invited some friends to go on a hike with us at El Dorado Lake. We had such a fun time and James was able to join us as well, (much to Krista's delight).

Here is everybody minus Mr. Shelden and I.

There was a dead tree laying across the trail and everybody had to climb it for a picture. We always have so much fun with the Sheldens.

Hiking down the trail.

After the hike we drove over to the dam so that we could hike to the top. It is much bigger then it looks, but the view at the top is worth it. You can see all of El Dorado Lake from up there. This is a pic of Joey going up the never ending hill and Jordan is at the top.

The lovely couple at the top.


Thank you Shelden family for the wonderful fun and fellowship you have given us.

Flag-football

Justin had his first flag-football game last Tuesday. He did really well and had a blast playing some football with a real team. His team lost, but they weren't really keeping score so it didn't matter. The opposing team was more experienced then his team, so they had to play really hard to keep up with them.

Justin's team colors were red and black. Justin is the farthest one to the right.

The coach giving instructions.

Justin made several good plays for the team. Here he is trying to keep the kid in the orange from getting his flags.

Go Justin!

Busy Weekend!

Our Labor Day weekend was big and busy. On Saturday, we celebrated with family. Fun, games, and laughter filled the house that day. Abbie and I had a ton of fun playing with my photo-shop editor while the rest of the family played Rage.

James and Krista were a little distracted (with each other), but enjoyed themselves anyway.

Krista and James, Uncle Jamie and Cousin Alex.

This is a really cute cousin shot...we try to do one every time we get together.
Bottom row...Anna, Abbie, Sara. Top row...Kayla, Chloe, Krista.


On Monday, we had several families over for some water games and volleyball.

This game required the dads to lie on the ground with a jar on their foreheads while the other team members filled it with water that they carried from a bowl in a sock.

Andrea running to squeeze the water filled sock into the jar on Dad's head.

Joel emptying his sock on Jason's head.

Another water game required the team members to pass this paper plate full of water over their heads to the end of the mat. You were sure to get wet if you were lying beside Joey.

Vacation- day 3

On Monday, we traveled to Pecos to go on a tour of where the Pueblo Indians had lived. It was very interesting and we took a lot of pictures.
For some odd reason, as we followed the guide, no one wanted to be right behind her and she was constantly getting ahead of us. I think they were shy. : )

At stop number 1, our guide told us to look up on the far hill, and try to imagine a 5 story adobe house and approximately 1000 people milling around. It was a little hard, but if you have a good imagination, it gave you quite a picture!


This is partway up the hill you saw in the last picture. The wall of rocks was put up, by the Pueblo Indians not so much as a protective wall, but as a 'boundary' line saying, 'This is as far as you go. Don't come past this unless you're invited.' Our guide also told us that back then (the early 1600s) when it was described by the Spanish, they said that there were no trees in sight. Now, this was a little hard for us to imagine, but, our guide told us to try and picture no trees and instead of trees, tepees and fire pits. This 'valley' is were all of the 'plains' Indians came to do their trading with 'mountain' Indians. They would trade things such as buffalo for nuts and other such articles.

About half-way up, we came upon our first 'monument'. It was a ceremonial 'building' called a kiva. It had a ladder going down into a dimly lit, round, dirt/rock.....hole. Basically. : ) It was used for all their ceremonial dances that related to the 'underworld'. Everything was done in a certain way. Even how you enter the kiva had to be done right. When you descend the ladder, you go to your right and circle around till you reach the ladder again and then wait for everyone else to line up after you. When you exit, you start with the person to the left of the ladder and ascend up that way. Directly under the ladder was a firepit and a vent behind it. Across the room from the ladder, was a small hole in the ground. When we asked our guide about what that was for, she told us that it was called a sipapu. (sip-a-poo) It represented how the Indians believed how you come from the underworld and into the upper-world, just like when they came out of the kiva. It was quite interesting, though perhaps the dust made it a bit uncomfortable.


Ruins of the 5 story pueblo.



When the Spanish came to New Mexico, they not only brought the first horses, cows and firearms, but they also brought their religion. This sign shows the Catholic church they built for the Indians. The problem: the Indians didn't want the church. So, they burned it and built their own. On the exact spot. It wasn't as big, but the Indians didn't care. They just didn't want to be bullied by the Spanish and made to go to a church they didn't even build.
The building behind Jordan is the church that the Indians built after they destroyed the church the Spanish had built. Our guide informed us that the original church's foundation, was almost twice as large as the one the Indians built.
These are the classrooms and the bedrooms where the monks slept. There was even a pen where they kept turkeys!


The church.



This shows an artist's version of the description given by Fray Francisco Atanasio Dominguez in 1776. Every year, on the first day of August, they hold a giant mass and they hang up a picture at the far end of the room (pictured in the center of the picture) that was found in the church and that the Pueblo Indians had asked the state to preserve when they left.

Looking towards the stage where the alter was.


Another view of the classrooms and bedrooms.
After lunch, we took a Civil War tour, but it was a van tour and so we could not get many pictures. Not any really worth sharing. : ) But it was very interesting and we would definitely recommend it.

Vacation-day 2

I'm sorry about being so slack in doing another vacation post....but we've been a bit busy over here. So, here's the continuation.
On Monday, we went to Santa Fe for an-all-day shopping. Justin kept us entertained with his faces.

Interpretation- Justin was amazed when he saw how much food mom got.


He soon, however, became extremely sick.


So much so, that his face became contorted with pain....or was it just sour?


I think it did something to his mind....





What do you do if you need an address and you don't have anything hard to write on? You grab a piece of paper and pen and find the nearest empty parking stall and grab a cell phone!