Hiking to Stewart Falls

Today we went on a family outing to Stewart Falls that is just above Sundance, UT. We enjoyed the two-mile walk to the falls.

Once we arrived the kids thought that it would be fun to run under the falls. Here is a brief clip. Remember that the water comes directly from glaciers above. Burrrr!!!

One of the wonderful things about the hike is all of the plants and flowers that can be seen along the path. Here are some of the many discoveries that we made.

Rockhounding near Eureka UT

On Saturday, June 28, we went to an area near Eureka, UT to do some rockhounding. Ethan had been begging for sometime that we go out and look for some iron pyrite. The area has its own beauty and intrigue.  We found a number of "tailings" where refuse from mining activity had been dumped.  In these mounds we found bits and pieces of pyrite.  The kids also had a time running up and down the piles. Here are some photos from our adventure.

Our Last Few Days in Spain

During the last couple of weeks in Spain we went to Madrid and visited with some of our friends.

On Tuesday (June 10) we went to the Parque del Buen Retiro. The object of our visit was to rent boats and go rowing in the Estanque. Our goal was successful, but true-to-form it began to rain. But undaunted we remained to row until it stopped.

Afterwards we visited the Casa de la Vaca where there was an interesting exhibit of Romantic British Painters whose subjects were Spain and its people. Our biggest surprise was the statue out front. Due to the explicit nature of the statue, we felt compelled to censure it for a general audience. 

We then wandered around the park and visited one of Jannette's favorite spots, the Rose Garden.

The park is so beautiful, especially on a rainy day!!

Later that afternoon we visited with Fe, our dear friend who for years arranged housing for our program when it was in Madrid. We had  a wonderful visit with her.

On Wednesday we visited the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The museum holds one of the most amazing collections of art ranging from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century. The kids had a chance to see works by Renoir, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Picasso and Kadinsky.  It was a great morning. Afterwards we had lunch with our friends Jorge and Pizca.

On our way home we stopped at the Madrid Temple.

It was wonderful because it promoted family unity and love. Isn't Jeremy just loved so much!!!

The only problem was when Seth tried to break into the Temple. Good thing that it was closed for cleaning!!!

On Thursday we returned to the Museo del Prado and spent a couple of hours there. We took the opportunity to revisit the special exhibit on Renaissance Portraits, which is absolutely fantastic. After visiting some of our "old friends" in the permanent collection (including works by Murillo, Ribalta, Ribera, and Goya), we had lunch with Antonio. He treated us and the kids to a Burger King extravaganza. It was wonderful!!! After lunch we wandered downtown to the Palacio Real and to buy some souvenirs before returning back to Alcalá.

While making our souvenir rounds, the kids got a little crazy!!!

Today (Friday) we cleaned, visited with the Rosenbergs, and cleaned more. We are now packed and ready for our return home.

Graduation and PARTY!

On Tuesday (June 17) the students received their diplomas from Alcalingua. It was a nice occasion when Jesús (their teacher) and I could congratulate them on a job well-done. I must say that I am proud of every one of them. They worked hard and learned a lot. Here are some pictures:

AFTERWARDS, the students came over to our home and we had a big celebration. At that time I gave out some awards to students: Rhett Wimmer and Jillian Christensen received awards recognizing their overall excitement for what we were doing. Both have a great sense of humor that really added to the program. Chris Meldrum received the Cervantes Award for his enthusiasm for the culture. Throughout the program his catch-phrase became, "Perdone profe, pero tengo una pregunta" (Excuse profe, but I have a question.) He also became the unofficial, official group tour guide. The El Cid Award for Excelling in the Language went to Kevin Hunter. He was very dedicated to speaking and learning the language and set a good example for everyone. Lauren Eberly (with help from the entire group) prepared a very touching thank you for Jannette and me. We are so grateful to this group for all that they did, all that they didn't do, and for making our time in Spain easy. They never complained (at least to my face), they endured our children, and were just good sports when it seemed that the rain would never end.

After we finished with our awards, we ate (until we burst) and then the students organized a "dance party." Here are some highlights: