Impossible Laumeier

These don't require much introduction... Laumeier on Impossible instant film.

Instax Friends and Family

I decided to take some instant photos of the St. Louis family and friends while we were home. I wanted a photo with everyone we saw. Mostly, a success, though we did miss a few people. But I have these little souvenirs of a fantastic time at home with a bunch of my favorite people! :)

Grandma and Prince with me.

Instax Laumeier

The Instax took a trip to Laumeier... a snowy, instant film version of one of my favorite little places.

A Snowy Trip To Laumeier

We made a little trip back to St. Louis in February, just in time for a bit of snow to be waiting on the ground. It was frigid for most of the trip, but the snow made it worth it. Of course, we made a stop or two (or three) at this little park. This park, Laumeier, was such a piece of "home" for us. We have such a wealth of memories from here, it was truly a wonderful little bit of home to visit. We even got to build a little snowman! :)

A Trip Home

Almost one year, to the date, since we moved away from St. Louis, we made the trip back home. There was Dewey's Pizza, Ted Drewes, soon much Imo's, White Castle, Gingham's breakfast, and grandma's cooking. We loved the time with friends and with family. I loved the frigid air and the snow on the ground - Kim didn't appreciate that as much, my warm air loving wife. :) I got to do some fix-up's at grandma's house, including shoveling snow! We saw the Blues win a game on home ice. And we loaded up on Imo's pizza, including two extra large pizza's that we packed up and brought to our freezer in California. It was a great trip. :) We didn't spend a ton of time with our cameras out, instead, just enjoyed our time there. Here are the few snaps I did get, and there will be some instant film in blogs to follow! 

Grandma and Kim, waiting for Prince to piddle. 

Mojave Camping: Day Three

Day three of camping in Mojave started after a rather long night. The temperatures dropped a little lower and the wind blew significantly harder. Our tent at one point was caving in and literally laying on my face. At around 4am, I got up and moved my car into the "yard" to attempt to block the wind. It worked enough that we got another two hours of sleep. This night of sleep seemed significantly colder than the other, probably due to the wind. But, when we did finally decide to emerge from the tent, we were greeted by another lovely sunrise at our front door, and a falling moon in the opposite direction. Beautiful.

Mojave Camping: Day Two

We survived the first night of 30-40 degree temperatures and rather gusty winds. We had a friendly owl hooting all night. No coyotes, no wild animals. I do think a fox was sniffing around outside of our tent at one point, and some other campers saw some foxes that night. It was cold for sleeping. We had lot of layers, hand warmers, and kept the windows closed. I still woke up shivering at least once. There was lots of tossing and turning, but we actually managed to sleep, and in the tent (not the car) so I consider it a success. :)

This sunrise... quite a gorgeous thing to see right outside the tent door!

Mojave Camping: Day One

We decided to take a camping trip. Rather impulsively, this decision was made. But then a great deal of planning and list making happened over just a couple of days. This would be my first camping trip since I was a teenager, and that last trip way back then did not go so well. I was scared the entire time that the sun was not up. So, we weren't too sure how I'd handle this. But, we purchased sleeping bags and a few little camping essentials, loaded up the Subie, and headed to the desert. This was our first trip to the Mojave National Preserve, also. Another gorgeous desert landscape, similar, but so much larger and diverse than Joshua Tree.

Our first day consisted of the several hours of driving to get to Mojave. We filled up the gas tank at the last stop available - there is no gas anywhere near this preserve, so a full tank to start is essential. We pulled off of the big interstate and were immediately on dirt roads with big ruts and potholes. Eventually, we made our way to the campsite at the Hole-In-The-Wall area. We picked out spot and settled our camp! The scenery did not disappoint, nor did the solitude of this little piece of land.

Off-Road In Joshua Tree

We got a new car, so of course, we went to the desert. Joshua Tree has a few roads that need 4x4 to trek, so the Crosstrek fit the bill. The sights to see we just as fantastic as every other time. We were in the middle of the desert and saw a snowy mountain in the distance. We got to the end of one such road and found a few good rocks to climb. We turned around and saw our winding road leading through the desert. Honestly, this desert environment is new to me and I can't seem to get enough of it.