I am convinced after hearing of their travels that my brother-in-law is the master planner. He and his family have seen more of this country than most that live here. I promise you. They first landed in San Francisco where they stayed with another relative for about 10 days. There they drove part of the Pacific Coast Highway, visited Yosemite National Park, toured San Francisco and various other nearby towns and tourist stops. They spent a few days in Los Angeles, CA visiting Disneyland. From LA they headed over to Las Vegas. There they toured the casinos and took a day trip to the Grand Canyon. From Las Vegas, they flew to Colorado to stay with us for 10 days. We took them to Vail, Breckenridge, Glenwood Springs for the Hanging Lake hike, Garden of the Gods in Colo Spgs and to the top of Pikes Peak via cog railway. Of course we couldn't miss the Denver hot spots like the Coors Factory tour, the Celestial Tea Seasonings tour, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Denver Botanic Gardens and the Nature and Science Museum. From here they boarded a plane to Buffalo, NY to see Niagara Falls. From Buffalo, they flew to New York for the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Wall Street, the 9/11 Memorial and of course, Times Square. While in New York, they zipped down to Washington, DC via bus for a day trip which included the Smithsonian and the White House. I *think* they pretty much covered all the highlights here in the US.
I found it fascinating that my brother-in-law and I both share in the fun of memory making through photos. Usually I'm the one getting the evil eye from my kids when they have had enough of the camera pointing their way. It was harder for them to fight off both of us! I keep thinking they will thank me later and that's exactly what came to mind each time I asked the three adult siblings to hop in a photo together during their visit. Here are some of the best shots...
It was a bit like "Sister Wives" around here with 9 people in the house to cook and clean for. Imagine the amount of laundry. Luckily for me, I have the most fantastic sister-in-laws. They are both excellent cooks and jump at every opportunity to help clean around the house. We worked well together planning meals and reminding each other of things we'd planned as our over-40 minds are all getting a little forgetful. It ran like a well-oiled machine while they were around. Look at these lovely ladies...
No doubt we have some great photos of the landmarks, but some of my favorite images from their visit are in a folder which I've labeled "Around The House". These are the times we spent together, not sightseeing but just simply enjoying each other's company. We miss you guys already!
On the day that we went to the top of Pikes Peak, Sanjay drew a caricature drawing of all of us with a mountain and train background. I love the way that he picked out certain features to highlight. Check out his hair! Uncle Sri has a moustache, I have the high ponytail, his girl cousins have glasses and Aunt Aparna is wearing her bindi. He made copies for all the tourists to take home and he didn't charge an arm and a leg for them. A special keepsake of their time in Colorado.
