So, today hubs went on a field trip with our Homeschool co-op....

I belong to a local (secular - or at least, poly-tolerant ) Homeschool Group here in town- and man! are these ladies on their game! I missed all the planning meetings this summer as I was taking care of some relatives in the place of their primary caretaker, so it has been a pleasant schoolyear so far to find all these awesome things already laid out for me. I really have to reciprocate next semester. Seriously. This mama is a former Girl Scout General (jk- no offense to any current  leaders. I was just really, relleh active...that's all) and therefore can plan a large group activity like no one's business. Anywho- I cannot take credit for any of the following adventure, but I can say that once the dam is open again for the season I can see hubs and the kiddo and myself out here for a mini-vacay...

 He is looking more grown every day, and I love him every minute of it.

 how could you not love that desert sky?

 Almost there- can you see the difference in the landscape?

their mountains are a little smaller, but still very pretty

Today's trip (Hub's very first with our HS co-op) was to Radium Springs, NM, more specifically Leasburg Dam State Park. This very quaint and super quiet town is only about an hour's drive from where we are on our mountain,  but looks like we are considerably farther.  I am gonna be lazy about this and simply give you a couple link-ups to this hidden gem, so you can at least find it if you ever decide to head out there. Quite a bit of history, and lots of nature to explore. I give it a thumbs up myself...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Springs,_New_Mexico
http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/prd/leasburg.htm


The dam itself was closed, which threw our plans a little, but that didn't deter our kids from having a ball. They made the playground theirs, and a the few dads that were able to attend alternated trail guide duties. I love co-op days- as I explain it to my son, they are also mommy's playdates. I get to have adult interaction, and he gets to either learn or play to his heart's content.

Hey there- we're just visitors. Don't bite!

 In the desert clouds like this are rare, and therefore relished.

 ...like that forbidden half-gallon of ice cream

 our plants might seem homely, but all you have to do is look closely

 and in the most unexpected places

 so as a desert rat, you learn to look, or you yearn to leave. it's that simple

 the traditional adobe oven. the southwest desert's history is rich with these.

 the ants can teach us a thing or two about community

 and we can be especially glad that they didnt sting our toes when we stop to admire the flowers

 yep, what makes that barbecue sauce great comes from the desert too...well, if you like mesquite barbecue sauce. which i am allergic to. boo. 

The poor park ranger wasn't expecting us, but put on a decent impromptu presentation about the park. Poor ranger. You could tell all these rowdy city kids were overwhelming him. Us homeschoolers are so weird. 

 I was trying to be sneaky about taking his picture. Can you tell?

 We are all interconnected through our history...

Bye, oh cutest town I have seen in a while!

I didn't add pictures of our co-op friends because, frankly, I didn't ask them if it was OK. Maybe they will let me introduce y'all next time...If I remember to ask...

So tell me, what treasured memories did you make today?