Deseret, Cactus, & Texas: December 2019

2019 Christmas Visit from Gordon's Family

Gordon and Alison and John and Tommy came to visit via Amtrack. Well, it just so happened that the City of Tucson decided to have a Christmas Fair on the Saturday they were arriving. The parking lot that was already inadequate was made worse by the fair locking acces to some lots and by visitors coming to see the crafts and Santa.

Train Station Parking areas blocked for craft fair

Then a freight train was blocking the Amtrack train from arriving.

Freight Train in the way of Passenger Train

Santa at the Train

If you weren't tired of riding the train already, there was this

Finally they arrived.

Gordon, Alison, and Haley went to Star Wars ...

...while we took the boys to the park.

We enjoyed our Christmas Sacrament Meeting.

Later that evening we visited Winterhaven per our tradition in Tucson.

Thanksgiving in Pensacola - Part 2

We arrived back from the Naval Air Museum and the Lighthouse and decided to go check out the resort restaurant and pool area. It was pretty cool.

This was the view from our room at sunrise.

We went for sunrise walk on the beach.

This herron was very interested in what the fisherman was doing.

We were able to go on a dolphin watching cruise included in our stay.

Here is Eric an Krystal Arriving at the pier

Our Resort Tower

Captain Jack of Portofino 1

We had to pass under the bridge to get to the deep water where the dolphins were.

Pelicans hang out on the posts

We finally found the pod

I failed to get a picture of the closest encounter.

We then went out on the beach for sunset

Portofino Island Resort

Thanksgiving in Pensacola - part 1

Eric and Krystal had moved to Clinton, Mississippi (outside Jackson) earlier this year and we wanted to have Thanksgiving with them. They suggested that Clinton would not be very interesting and suggested we all get together in Pensacola, FL. The price of tickets was less to get there than Jackson and there was a surprisingly affordable resort to stay at. We solidified plans. They would drive down to Pensacola and Felicia, Haley, and I would fly and meet them.

The most affordable flights were from Phoenix early in the morning on Thanksgiving Day. We arranged to stay at a motel the night before that also allowed for affordable parking.

We stopped by the LightTheWorld Giving Machine in Gilbert and then had ice cream at the Creamistry before checking in.

Preparing the mix

Freezing the Mint Ice Cream with Liquid Nitrogen

Finished Mint Ice Cream Sandwich...Good

We checked in to the SureStay Motel in a sketchy area near PHX.

Room before Flight

We were up early for the shuttle. The flight went fine. We met Krystal and Eric at a Denny's in Pensacola for our Thanksgiving Feast. Well, it wasn't great but it was food.

We checked into the Portofino Island resort in the dark. The view the next morning was stunning.

From our 6th floor Condo

The kids enjoying the room

That Friday morning we went to the Naval Air Museum at the Pensacola Naval Air Station.

The original planes flown by the Blue Angels

B-25 used in the Doolittle Raid (left), Japenese Zero (above)

The only plane on display anywhere that actually took part in the battle of Midway

Grumman F6F Hellcat - Highest Kill Ratio of all USN WWII aircraft

First plane to land and successfully takeoff again from Antarctica. Skis froze to the ground after landing. Had to attach rockets to break it free from the ice.