First off, a very Happy 25th Birthday to a dear young woman who has, through the most tragic of circumstances, become a beloved member of our family. She’s a mother to Colin and a partner to Phil and our love for her grows daily. Life is full of surprises and some of them are truly delightful. Happy Birthday, Brooke! 
 
As I mentioned here yesterday, we have arrived home from the first of two trips south of the border this summer. The next comes late this month when we embark on a long-dreamed-of convertible ride along the California coast. Leaving Canada in summer is hard, but we had some great experiences along the way.
 
Despite too many “Hillary for Prison: 2016” bumper stickers (okay, two, but that’s still two too many) we managed to avoid any political nastiness. Only one place did we pass by Fox “news” on a TV, so we were able to escape the discord that has so gripped our neighbo(u)rs.
 
Rob arrived down in Nevada after two long driving days and I opted to fly in to Las Vegas to meet him there. Luckily, we were able to find something to do for the days we spent there, including an incredible hand dealt on a machine that was playing so nicely I had just bumped up to dimes from my usual nickels.
 
The first hand paid 3055 dimes.
 

 
Watching carefully in case the machine chilled after that generous a deal, I played on. Then, a few hands later, I was awarded another 9000 dimes! Those two plays were the best pay of the trip and more than compensated us for gas and lodgings. What a lovely surprise!
 

 
We got out of Nevada before the video poker machines could take our money back and headed towards Utah, a state I’ve always wanted to see. Ever since first hearing about it as a young Osmonds fan, the landscape and its people captured my imagination. Mountainous like my native Alberta, it is also dotted with some of the most astoundingly beautiful red rocks in the country. We were able to capture some of the stunning landscape as we sped along the highway towards and into the state and I’ll share it with you tomorrow.
 
First, one more from the casino where we “struck it rich.” Luckily, this guy’s faith-family-firearms-freedom T-shirt didn’t get in my way of winning. Sometimes you’re truly better to keep calm and carry on.
 

 
I’ll be back with you here tomorrow. Get set for scenery!