Zion

 
On the 4th we ventured into Zion National Park.  We took the shuttle to the last stop and found a good spot for a picnic lunch
 
Well, two spots, actually.

 
 
After splashing around we began the scenic hike to The Narrows. 
 
 
It was hot enough that some of the party had to turn back.  Shaydar located the best shady spot.
 

Swimming

We did some swimming after the pancakes (back on Sunday the 2nd), and roulette during naptime.
 
 
In the evening everyone convened for dinner.
  
We got a good number of cousins together in one place.
 
And even a variety of second cousins.
 
Sunday night Laura, Shaydar and I had fun with Penn and Teller.
  
Monday we had another good amount of swimming before taking the party from Las Vegas to St. George, UT.
 
 
 
 

Family reunion

At the end of May we all headed to Las Vegas for a family reunion. 
  
The first night we partook of the enormous Carnival World Buffet in the Rio.  It had been awhile since I had had buffet crab legs.

The next day we explored the Strip.  It was 99 degrees.
 
But at least we got some bags of M&M’s out of it.
 
We quickly headed back to the Worldmark for a nap, but managed to fit in the “Alice” slot machine before piling into the car.
  
That evening the Nickel family graciously adopted Gryphon and Alice while the rest of the minivan checked out Mystère by Cirque du Soleil.
 
The next morning I did a pancake demo with some desert creatures…

…and mustaches.