McKayla & Alyssa
Our time in Las Vegas was short, but sweet. Going from the sea to the desert is always difficult for us and we become slaves to air conditioning and fizzy drinks to keep our throats coated but managed to make the transition from wearing layers of clothes to shorts without too many problems.
McKayla's into crafts now, so we spent A LOT of time making things (finger puppets out of toilet paper rolls, pet rocks, a ring toss game, and more) which was a real blast. And Alyssa is running around like crazy wreaking havoc where ever she goes – I think she takes after the Gardiner side of the family (or at least her grandpa).
Sunday night we took a drive over to Summerlin, our old neighbourhood, to see our dear friends from Alaska, Paul and Julia Cossman, who just happened to be into town for a few days. It'd been three years since we were all together and we spent the evening in a frenzy of conversation and excitement catching up and, although I hadn't been officially Cossman'd (left feeling like you'd been trampled by an elephant from drinking copious amounts of alcohol), I felt their presence the following morning. David, being the designated driver, wunharmed. We got together for dinner on Monday and said our good-byes until we're able to meet again which will hopefully be in October when they drive south from Anchorage to Newport, California to finish prepping Sabina for her third South Pacific adventure.
On Tuesday, I met up with Elizabeth Campbell and her son, Daniel, for dinner leaving David at home to spend some quality time with Chris. Elizabeth and I taught at Swainston all those years ago and have managed to keep in touch through the internet and the occasional visit to Las Vegas. As always, it was great to see them again and I was left realizing how much I miss hanging out with Elizabeth in the halls and after school.
By this morning, it was time to pack up the truck and move on to San Diego where David had a surprise waiting for him. – the opportunity to build a deck with his son. Come to find out, John's been wanting to put a deck in his backyard since he moved in and, with time off from work and Dad in town, was ready to start the project.
Paul & Julia Cossman from Anchorage, Alaska and S.V. Sabina.
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