What I Did Over Thanksgiving Break

Over the long weekend we loaded up the family and horses and headed to Yuma, Arizona.  My SIL, Denise, and her hubby, Jeff, have a place on the Colorado River.  On Thanksgiving we had a wonderful traditional meal prepared by Denise; most of us promptly fell into a turkey coma or pretended to watch a football game.  The youngsters had clean up...yes!

We boarded the horses at the Crying Coyote Ranch.  On Friday we took advantage of the round pen and arena at the ranch.  Max was a little freaked out by the new surroundings so it was nice to have the opportunity to work him in a controlled environment.  Even with that he gave Don (my hubby) a wild ride; side stepping and bucking.  Max is a beautiful horse, has a sweet personality but his lack of confidence can make him a challenge to ride. 

Later on Friday we all piled into the 4-wheelers and hit the hills along with several other families.  Noah, my son, was behind the wheel of the Jeep with Don as navigator, and Jeff the Hummer.  This was Noah's first time driving on the Jeep trails; as we are driving along Jeff commented that theses trails were not "Offroading 101".

Here's Noah's reaction. 

Looks like he didn't mind the advanced course.

At the end of the trail we had a bird's eye view of the river.

In my opinion this is one of the best times of the year for enjoying the desert; the other is in the spring when the flowers are in bloom.  Many people like the summer for water sports but I am too klutzy for waterskiing and it is just too hot for me.

Amazing Video of Rescued Baby Hummingbird

This video is a must watch!

Isn't that incredible?  Have you ever raised a wild animal?

First Shipment to Little Dresses for Africa

Today I am mailing 3 dress to Little Dresses for Africa thanks to Irene, Katherine and Britteny of Garden of Beaden and a fourth that I made.  My goal is to double the number of dresses (and add shorts for boys) in our next mailing. 

If you would like to become a part of our effort to assist Little Dress for Africa in bringing hope to the orphans of Africa contact me by leaving a comment here or at dgunn43[at]aol.com or go directly to the Little Dresses for Africa website for more informtaion.  And you don't have to be a seamstress to help you can provide material, supplies or money for shipping.

I can't wait to see the next batch of dresses and shorts!

What are your favorite charities and how do you participate?

Catching Up!

It has been a hectic ten days.  Village Venture has come and gone.  It was a great success.  I sold several pieces of jewelry and a purse, met a lot of nice people and gave out a bunch of business cards.  The day was cool, perfect for an outdoor art faire. 

I took this picture of my booth with my cellphone so the quality is lacking; maybe someday I will move up to an IPhone.

A special thanks to Denise, my sister-in-law, who came from San Diego to help me at Village Venture.  She is a great saleswoman and just plain fun to spend the day with.

The next day I packed the camper and headed to LV to run a well capacity test for one of my water company clients. 

I spent the week...

Running tests.

Camping out.

Taking water level measurements every half hour.

Taking water level measurements every hour.

Taking water level measurements every 4 hours.

Reading.

Playing with wire.

Watching movies (aren't mini-DVD players wonderful).

Getting up at 1 a.m (Yuck, such an ungodly hour).

and

Talking to Jazzy (she thinks I am a great conversationalist).

It was fun to be away and working. 

However, as Dorothy said "There's no place like home."