Sarah and Jeff and Abe and Josie

It was a busy but relaxing Father’s Day for us. We headed for breakfast at Denny’s, where we experienced “pancake puppies”. Picture deep fried balls of pancake batter, then coated in cinnamon and sugar, then when eaten dipped in maple syrup. Needless to say, Jeff liked them.
After breakfast we headed to Walnut Canyon National Monument, where Jeff did not get a break from parenting….

As our time in Flagstaff comes to a close, we are savoring the cloudless skies, in-your-face geology, and everyday things found in northern Arizona.

Abe is constantly amusing and amazing us with his expressions.

In approximately one month we will be leaving Arizona and heading east for our next adventure. I accepted a NEPA Coordinator position with the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. We’ve been in Flagstaff for almost eight years, and while we are sad to leave so many friends behind, we are excited to explore a new region, have a garden with abundant precipitation, and be closer to family.

Below is a picture of the Greenbrier River, which runs right along (and I hear frequently floods) our new town of Marlinton, WV.

It’s been a chilly spring in Flagstaff and we seized that opportunity to dress Abe as a cow before it warms up (and he grows out of his hoodie!).

We’ve made it to the Flagstaff Farmer’s Market for the past couple of Sundays, picking up some garlic, taters, kale, and more. Our garden is coming along. We’ve had a cooler/moister than usual spring and we’re waiting somewhat patiently to harvest the garlic. We’ve harvested spinach and been thinning the turnip greens thus far.

It was warm enough on Sunday that we spent some time relaxing in the shade.

Kevin and Melissa were married over Memorial Day weekend. It was fun to be back in Cherokee and see so many people, even if for such a short time. Abe got to meet lots of family and friends. He spent the whole weekend being passed from one person to the next, and we’d have to hunt him down when we wanted him back.

Here are Uncle Kevin and Auntie M meeting the little man for the first time.

Dad finally got to hold him, too. We set Dad up with a computer, his first, while we were home, so now he can check in on Abe via video chat whenever he wants.

And Mom got her Abe fix, too.

It was a small ceremony and we had a lot of fun. Weddings shouldn’t be high stress.

It was a busy weekend, but we found some time to relax out at the Grainery.

Abe did his best to inspire fatherhood in at least one newlywed.

He is a pretty inspirational figure.