Nash Bash 2011, Pt. 2 -- Pirates, Slip N Slides, and Golf

Hello again...it's me, with a few more memories from our Colorado family reunion a few weeks back...

Specifically, a few PIRATE memories!! Perhaps the fates had aligned...or perhaps one particularly vocal family member was in a "pirate-y" mood. Whatever the case, Grandma Nash decided to throw a pirate-themed party for all the grand-kids. What fun!

We set the tone by sitting down as a family and watching "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (a.k.a, "The One That's Actually Good")...

...and then it was time to don our pirate garb, seize our cutlass, and shiver some timbers!

There was also a pirate "booty" treasure hunt in the backyard, and games indoors designed by cousins Abby & Elaine. The kids had a blast--and the adults enjoyed it too!

In other "pirate" news, the Denver Museum of Science & Nature had a pirate exhibit featured while we were in town, and we were strongly tempted to take a look, to complete our pirate-themed adventure. While we decided against visiting that particular exhibit (too darned expensive to take so many kids along!), we did pay a visit to the rest of the museum. Sadly, I forgot my camera, but I've blogged about this museum before. We have a great time every time we visit!

Other shenanigans that took place in the grandparent's backyard included Slip-N-Slide shenanigans: something my children have never had the privilege to experience, on account of us living in houses with all-rock backyards. Here are some of the photo highlights:

My kids, however, tired of the Slip N Slide relatively soon because the water was too cold. Apparently, they're too used to swimming in the hot hot AZ sun, which heats all water to nice 'n toasty...


A few other family outings included a bowling trip (for which I had no camera...it's okay though, since we were all too busy rockin' the lanes to take photos anyway), and later, a trip to the mini golf course:

The Barrett extended family is really into golf. In fact, that's all that some of them do in their spare time (I'm looking at you, Grandma & Grandpa Barrett). As for Nathan and I, that may be a hobby for another time in our lives. For now, we are content with the "less celebrated" art of mini golf, and with educating our kids in such an art.

This was Celeste's first time playing mini golf, and she was very proud of her club, and her putting skills. Aurora enjoyed the outing too, but wasn't quite familiar with the nuances of the game...

...nuances like, "Leave Mommy's ball where she hit it, and let her putt it into the hole." Aurora took it upon herself to help me out. And when that game got boring...

...she took to wandering all over the course, climbing all the decorations, exploring the water traps, and generally having a fine old time.

I can't wait to do this again!

By the time we hit the putt-putt course, my sister & brother and their families had both left town. Just a day later, it would be our turn. Luckily, we were able to go home the same way by which we arrived. Our plans had been a little uncertain, following the news that huge wildfires had closed down I-10 in northern New Mexico (Raton Pass, our usual route). Luckily it reopened a couple of days before our scheduled departure, so we were able to drive through the now-smoking mountains:

Not the greatest picture, but I assure you...half the trees were burned to a crisp, many were still smoking, and the whole air was hazy. The haze got worse as we drove through north New Mexico; at one point, the sun turned red and the sky literally darkened, so it felt hours later than it actually was. Creepy. We were far from all the actual fires, but seeing their powerful impact on the area left us humbled and concerned for the locals.

Thankfully, we arrived safely home on Sunday the 19th--Happy Father's Day! Although we didn't really celebrate Father's Day this year due to being on the road, Nate's "present" came the following day, June 20th--he was offered a new job that he's been hoping for! On July 20, he will start work as a Senior Transportation Planner for the Pima Association of Governments. We're all very proud of him, and excited for this big career step.

We had lots of fun with my family in Colorado! Although I miss them, I was really grateful to have that time with all of us together. Those times are all too few these days. We managed to pose for a group photo before we all went our separate ways (I will add it as soon as I get a copy!):

The photo will be out of date in just a few months, though...Jocelyn is expecting a baby girl in September, and Ray & Ade are trying for their second kid as well! Heck...maybe Nate & I will jump on that bandwagon, too...who knows? I just hope we will see everyone again soon.