I promised a review of our summer vacation, so here it goes - presenting the...

Rice Family Rock Tour

Our trip gained it's nickname from the dominant landscape that we encountered as we traveled through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. We usually take a portion of our vacation in the Rockies of Colorado, so these landscapes were an interesting change. I am not the best photographer, and some of these were taken from a moving vehicle, but maybe these will inspire your next road trip!

Stunning views from our hotel in Trinidad, CO. We have made a point to stop in this town for several years - we love the architecture in the downtown area.

Along Highway 12, west of Trinidad. For some reason when I see these rocks, I always think of the Rink-Rinker-Finks in the Dr. Seuss book, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think. And do you see the face?

A gorgeous valley view.

Twins :)

Hard to capture in a picture, but this area really felt like a moonscape. I was sure glad to see other cars on the road, because there was nothing else there!

Almost at Monument Valley.

Chevron rock colorations :)

And the classic Monument Valley picture. We stayed the next few days in Flagstaff, AZ, which gave us easy access to our goal - the Grand Canyon...

Pictures can not adequately capture the enormity of this place - it literally took my breath away! Lots of places you cannot see the bottom from the trails along the edge, and it just goes on for as far as you can see.

The next day we took a little trip to Sedona, AZ...

The best views are from the airport - this is a panoramic shot from there (I wish I would have remembered this feature on my camera when we were at the Grand Canyon!).

Then we took a side trip down the Turquoise Trail from Albuquerque, NM to Santa Fe, NM. I highly recommend this route over taking the interstate highway! And if you are looking for turquoise jewelry, you must stop at the Gypsy Gem in Madrid. She mines some of the turquoise herself, and teaches the skills to kids who live in the area; she knows her stuff! I found some great pieces there. Another must-see (which I did not get a picture of) is Weasel & Fitz: Purveyors of Curious Thangs. Our youngest is very proud of the recycled inner tube wallet that he found there, and I almost came home with a license plate lampshade - very cool stuff!

And then we got to Santa Fe. LOVE this city! The architecture, the atmosphere, the history, all definitely worth the trip. We will be back!

This is a view from a drive up to a ski area. I love the layers of mountains you can see from up there!

These buddies came along for the ride...

And this guy, too - trip-planner and driver extraordinaire :)

Proof that I was there...

And, of course, the boys. They are pretty good travelers (3000 miles and no DVDs needed!), but this was a pretty sweet sight at the end of the day :)

It was a pretty amazing trip - 3000 miles and 5 states in 11 days. And I love that the boys are old enough to enjoy and remember these adventures. Sometimes it feels like a bit of a circus, especially because we bring the dogs, but it is so worth it :)

And the icing on the cake, for me in particular, was our little stop in Abilene on the way home. Camille and I met online awhile back, and quickly discovered we had a lot in common (including both having professor husbands!). She and her family graciously made time for us to come by for a visit in-real-life. Such a sweet time; she is as gracious and welcoming as you would imagine from her blog. If you happen to need a place to stay in Abilene, you must see if their little B&B is available. And if you need a little (or a lot!) of decorating advice, she is your girl - truly lovely style executed in a very down-to-earth, liveable way. Thank-you, Camille!

So, now we are home and I am getting back to slipcovers and getting all my boys ready to go back to school. And dreaming of our next little family adventure...

Sherri

During this vacation, I have been thinking about home. And probably more about the concept of home than the actual place. If you will indulge me, I would like to share a few thoughts and ideas in a series of posts. None of this will be earthshaking or new, it's just what I have been contemplating, and maybe it will stir a few thoughts of your own... I thought I would start by sharing some pictures of some of the places I have lived since leaving my parents house. Not included on this list are: a basement suite, 3 apartments, and the house we currently live in, the latter because, while it is perfectly functional, does not quite represent the style that these favorites have. I would say that these here most closely represent the style that speaks to me, that feeds my sense of "home."

I shared this house with some roommates while we were in university, one of whom, while she is also my second cousin, has become a dear friend. You know, the ones that every time you are together, you just pick up where you left off, even if there has been minimal communication in between (and every time I resolve to change that :/ )? Oh, there are stories from this house...

It's a fairly typical Craftsman bungalow, with a great family room addition on the back. Most of the original moldings were intact when we lived there. There was even a claw foot tub and doors with frosted glass windows and hardwood floors - lovely!

This next house was the first house that the Professor and I bought (and the blue-and-white color scheme was totally coincidental!). We loved this house! It was a little (730 sq. ft on the main floor!) cottage built in 1914 and located across from a lovely green park. The backyard was filled with gorgeous perennial borders put in by the previous owner (thankfully, because I do not have the greenest of thumbs). Unfortunately, it's looking a little worse for wear now, but there are so many memories in this house...

And this last house is the house we left behind when we moved to Texas. And that was a little tough. We came upon it by going to an open house on a whim. We looked at the house, and carried on with our day. But, we kept thinking and talking and realized that it had a lot of what we were looking for in our next house (we realized that 730 sq ft would probably get too small at some point ;) ). And the price was right. So, we had another look, put our house on the market and when it sold in 6 days, we were the proud owners of this beauty!

This house is located a few blocks from downtown, on a lovely tree-lined street filled with similar homes in various stages of renovation. There is a coffee shop and small grocery store around the corner and a park a few blocks away. The river is just another block further.

Built in 1912, the house has 2 1/2 storeys and 1930 sq ft, with 4 bedrooms and a large kitchen addition on the back. It had been a rooming house at one point in it's life, so it had some quirks (including a walk-through closet and sinks in two of the bedrooms). But the hardwood floors were wonderful and it had most of it's original moldings. The Professor quickly claimed one of the third floor bedrooms for his office (it really felt like a tree house!) and I got a pass-through room on the main floor for mine (we both worked from home at that time). We loved to entertain in that house - the large kitchen and open/connected spaces on the main floor meant lots of room for everyone. And we loved that front porch! And I could go on and on...

As you can probably tell, we are drawn to older homes with tons of character. They do require work and being able to live with quirks, but the sense of history is difficult to duplicate in a newer home (imho). Someday we hope to find another old beauty, but for now, we will be thankful for these and continue to work on the one we have.

Are you drawn to a particular style of house?

Sherri

P.S. If you know the location of these homes, please do not reveal the address in your comments - thanks :)

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