Jason and Joe on the Mountain. Ok, I'm behind on my posts again but I hope you like these. Joe just visited through my Birthday basically staying with us from April 1st to April 7th. This first picture is of Joe and I on the mountain behind my house. Joe got the crazy idea that we should climb it, and because I've wanted to take a long range picture of my home to remember it we all agreed.

Mountain Sunlight. Helen loves pictures of nature and sunlight so this works on both levels.

Just Watched Ice Age 2. Not a good movie but Helen and Joe liked it. Really the whole point of taking this picture was just to catch the clouds playing shadow games on the mountains in the background.

Flowers in Bloom. More nature.

Golfland Miniature Golf. We had trouble thinking of fun things to do while Joe was in town and my idea was to go to Golfland in Mesa. Its like a small amusement park with several golf courses, arcade games, laser tag, go-karts, bumper boats, etc. Like it or not I lost the first game to Joe but beat him on the second. Helen as usual was just there to have fun, and sometimes I wish I wasn't so competitive but can't help it when my brother is around.

Windmill of Doom. Joe was a little scary on some of these courses. He's the Tiger Woods of miniature golf and tried to launch several balls right off the course.

Flowering Tree at Golfland. More nature, more flowers. I like them but they don't tell a story, they are just pretty. What more is there to say.

Jason and Joe Shooting Hoops. Joe thought he would school me shooting hoops but that day definitely wasn't his day.

Jason and Joe Throwing Bricks. Actually we both sucked, I just sucked a little less.

Born to Be Rockstars. This arcade game was a bit insane. Everything on it was in Chinese, we just kept hitting buttons until the game started but it was a lot of fun. Basically it involved playing a guitar with only three cords so it worked a lot like DDR. Basically I stomped Joe because I am one white boy who has rhythm.

Joe's Plane Tranquility. Technically this is Joe's second time on a plane, both my fault. As it turns out he loves it. If you know Joe you know that is very strange.

Helen on the Mountain. Helen hauled her butt up the mountain with the rest of us. Here's a shot of her admiring her accomplishment.

Our Home in Phoenix. This is the reason I climbed the mountain in the first place. Years from now we'll remember our little townhome fondly while looking at this picture.

Downtown Phoenix. Megacity that she is. I liked her but Helen and her just couldn't get along. We'll miss you!

King of the Mountain. These pictures are obviously not in any particular order. Here I am starring in my own personal sim city.

My Domain. Ok its posed and I don't care. Nobody will know I was full of shit years from now, or they will know it but they won't know how much. Thank Joe for the picture because he's on the top of the mountain taking this for me.

Joe the Mountain Goat. Joe can't help but squint into the sun so I obviously didn't set this one up very well. Either way it proves he made it up there and that I guess is the point.

Brothers on the Mountain. How many brothers have pictures standing on a mountain. Even little mountains. Thanks for coming to visit Joe.

I'm a month behind and making up for it with lots of photos. I'll add stories to this post as I consult with Helen because it's been a whirlwind for me and this late night posting is definitely hurting my retention of the details.

Kristie finally came to see us in Phoenix and we had a great time. Our big event for the stay was a trip to Sedona because the rock formations are beautiful and there a quite a few shops with nice but pricey stuff. We went without a real plan just figuring we would find something interesting there and we were right. We found a very nice spot to picnic, Helen found a bracelet she loves, Kristie had a chance to pick up a few gifts for people back home, and Newton got to mark another swatch of this great country of ours.

If you ever pass through this part of the country, head a little north of Sedona to a picnic area called Half Way Point, which you can't find unless you are heading south. Go figure. On the way back, stop at Slide Rock National Park. The picture of Kristie and I near the water is the river at Slide Rock and it is VERY cold.

The last couple of pictures are just of Newton hamming it up in the car. Apparently he likes to ride in the rear window when we are going fast enough because of the way the wind hits him, I suppose he thinks he's flying.