Dear Maia and Isaac –

It’s only about 3 weeks until my Spring Break road trip!  I go all over the Southwest – with the pups.  I need to start getting stuff together for that.  I need to look at the map to decide my route and get some new highway songs for my ipod.  The other thing I need to do is get use to carrying Maizzy in her new sport sack.

So, today we headed to Delta, CO to a little park called Sweitzer Lake State Park.  The park has a lake, but not much else.  We usually do the First Day hike here on New Year, but this year it had just snowed and it was super cold.  We only do to this park about once a year, so we decided to go today.

The good news is that we have had a lot of rain this spring.  The bad news is that our soil here is like clay when it is wet.  Poor Kachina had so much mud stuck to her feet that she couldn’t lift them until I took the mud off.  Most the hike wasn’t that muddy – but my shoes needed to be washed when we got home.  The dogs got mud baths!

Otherwise, the hike was nice.  It isn’t ae super scenic area, but the mountains are nice and I heard the first thunder of the year!  Spring is here!

I remember when spring break meant seeing you.  My last year to visit then was the year Isaac was a baby.  When I was little, there was a lot of things that were not too healthy going on in my home.  My dad did not treat my mom well.  Sometimes, when I visit, I feel like I am watching my childhood again.  Then, I was too small to say anything.  Now, I fear being sent away if I speak my truth.  It is like being a kid, again.  It is too hard – I don’t believe in what I was doing staying quiet when I wanted to say something.

The next year, I decided to take a road trip instead of visiting you.  It was healthier for me to see new things and do my photography.  It’s my favorite week of the year!  Sometimes, when a door closes, a window opens.  And, it is good not to focus so much on the door that you miss the open window.

I am super jazzed that I will be blogging about my trip each day.  I will be taking you with me on my trip.  I can’t wait to see the big saguaro cactus.  I’ll have my dog pack on.  And, my dog who I named after you will be enjoying the ride.

Love, Grandma Hartt