Getting Ready for the Season...

Years ago, we took the oldest Sellers boy to a couple of Spring Training games when we lived in Florida. Back then, the Indians played in Winter Haven, Florida each March. But around the time we left the Sunshine State, they left as well, moving Spring Training operations to Goodyear, Arizona. We remembered it was a great time going to the games in Florida, because it was a smaller stadium and you got cheaper and closer seats than if you go to a regular season game. So since we wanted to go to the Grand Canyon, which also happens to be in Arizona, we opted to do both at once during our spring break. Goodyear did not disappoint. The weather was fantastic, the stadium was beautiful, and the Indians are poised to make another run at the playoffs this year. This could be their year!!

The day's lineup! These three were waiting on the bench...

Trying to get an autograph from Francisco Lindor... he skipped over Paul though. Maybe next time...

Nolan did get Manager Terry Francona to sign this ball for him though!

And here's a throwback to the last time we made it to an Indians Spring Training game... was back in 2008, but the weather wasn't as nice that time. Go Tribe!

Portraits in the Canyon

It's not often you get a backdrop like the Grand Canyon, so we decided to use the opportunity to try to take some portraits of the boys. We don't get the big camera out as much as we used to, since smart phones have obviously come a long way in photo quality. But we decided to take advantage of the situation and made the boys put on nice shirts to get their photos taken. Unfortunately the sun was not as cooperative as we'd hoped, and Nolan may have eaten one too many chocolate donuts for breakfast. He somehow managed to miss his shirt when he threw up a chocolate stream in the parking lot, but his face does look a little pained in a few of the photos we took. He was a trooper though, not complaining and still trying to fake a smile. Here are some of the shots we got:

The Glorious Gorge

I would imagine when most people in other countries think of America, they think of big guns, Chevy trucks, McDonalds, and Coca-Cola. But I would imagine they also think of Old Faithful at Yellowstone, the Statue of Liberty, the Alamo, and the Golden Gate Bridge. If the tourists who were present in Arizona last week were any indication, they also apparently think of the Grand Canyon. It's the quintessential image of the American west: the wild western landscape, the dramatic cliffs, and the endless open expanse. The place was crowded with visitors from foreign lands, Asia and Europe mostly. I think about the places overseas I'd love to see and I imagine these people thought the same of the Grand Canyon, which is why they probably paid a fortune to fly over to see it.  But for us, it's only ever been a day's drive away, another piece of natural splendor in the vast beauty of America, but one we hadn't made it to see yet. Thankfully, the government - in all the things it seems to try to mess up - has preserved the National Parks for visitors like us. The boys and I had never been to the Grand Canyon before, now we're glad to say we have.  

Cold weather camping for these southern boys...

It almost doesn't look real at times, as if you could reach out and touch the canvas...

Looking around, there were plenty of families with kids like ours, checking out the views, taking the hikes, and waiting in the seemingly endless wait lines for the shuttle buses. I think for the past hundred years or so it's been the thing to do, take the kids to see the Grand Canyon, then tell them when they get older that they were there and show them the pictures to prove it. So we did our part. Here are the photos of when we went to the Grand Canyon, kids. It was incredible!