Other really fun things this week:
Wednesday for the 4th we had a BBQ and went swimming at one of Michael's classmates that is from Logan. He and his family are renting a place in town that has a nice pool and hot tube and outdoor grill. There were about 10 of us. It started to rain - but that didn't stop my boys from swimming. We spent the afternoon playing games and watching library movies. The favorite was "That Darn Cat". Yep the old one from the library. My boys are watching Herbie movies as I write this. We are discovering the joys of the movies from my childhood.
Thursday was the Ghosttown tour.
Friday we spent all day running around trying to change our ID's - Timon is 10 now and needs an ID; but as we are realizing that with all things military it took way too much work. They had Michael's rank wrong in the computer and I have to come back with his commissioning letter. In the middle of all that we have been working on Timon's Weblos requirements. We worked on the artist ones at the ceramic shop.
Friday night Ty finished his swimming requirements for Weblos. He even "rescued" Duncan. He is very proud about it. Now he's starting to work on his athlete requirements.
Saturday we went the Saguaro Harvest Festival at a nearby state park. Apparently they harvested the fruit a couple of weeks ago - but they were making syrup and had lots of kids activities. From wikipedia: The ruby red fruit ripen in June. Each fruit contains around 2000 seeds plus sweet fleshy connective tissue. The fruits are highly edible and prized by local people. The O'odham tribes have a long and rich history of saguaro fruit use.[3] The Tohono O’odham tribes celebrate the beginning of their summer growing season with a ceremony using a fermented drink made from the bright red fruit to summon rains, vital for the crops.
Here is a guy making arrow heads
we are coloring native american pot pictures
For some reason they have a fun house mirror from the world fair - ???
Making stick calendars
Creating paintbrushes out of Yuka
Grinding meal
Holding a snake
Since we were close to Tucson. We headed over to the Titan Missile Museum. It was really cool. But my kids were pretty spent and made it very difficult to concentrate on what they were saying. I recommend it without kids.
It's hard to see but Ty is standing by the pale green and black door which is wider than he is.
Command Central
Since the kids were done - we just drove by the mission San Xavier on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation, it's the oldest European Building in Arizona. The current church dates from the late 1700's, when Southern Arizona was part of New Spain. In 1783, Franciscan missionary Fr. Juan Bautista Velderrain was able to begin construction on the present structure using money borrowed from a Sonoran rancher. He hired an architect, Ignacio Gaona, and a large workforce of O'odham to create the present church.
Following Mexican independence in 1821, San Xavier became part of Mexico. The last resident Franciscan of the 19th Century departed in 1837. With the Gadsden Purchase of 1854, the Mission joined the United States. In 1859 San Xavier became part of the Diocese of Santa Fe. In 1866 Tucson became an incipient diocese and regular services were held at the Mission once again. Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet opened a school at the Mission in 1872. Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity now teach at the school and reside in the convent.
The Franciscans returned to the Mission in 1913. Recently, Mission San Xavier became a seperate nonprofit entity.
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