We flew back from Tucson on New Year's Eve, so that Anna could get back for her roles in the Nutcracker ballet; she was in the Act I party scene and then was one of the Harlequins during the Mother Ginger scene in the Land of Sweets in Act II. Jack played indoor soccer again; the team did not have a great record, but Jack had fun and improved his defensive skills and positioning. Kate had her seventh birthday party at the indoor mini golf where the entire course is bathed in black light. Jack earned the Arrow of Light from Cub Scouts, which signals his cross-over to Boy Scouts. That meant this was the last year for the Pinewood Derby. Jack and Dad got some help from one of Dad's colleagues to use some wood shop tools for the car, and then they had an incident while assembling the car. After some judicious use of wood glue and clamps, they got the car working, but it just wasn't going to be terrifically fast. Jack still finished in top ten (eighth, we recall), but didn't advance to the district level. Then, for Spring Break, we all took what was an epic trip for us - we went to Spain. We spent a week in Madrid along with Oma and Opa; when Dad had to go back home for his work, the rest of us visited Malaga and Granada. We got to see lots of historical sights, things from the Roman Empire (which we had been studying), some famous works of art in museums, and we got to see the Rock of Gibraltar. Lots of fun and lots of pictures this time.
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| Anna as a Harlequin from the Nutcracker |
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| Jack (30) at indoor soccer |
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| Kate's black-light mini golf birthday party |
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| Jack with Dad at the Arrow of Light ceremony |
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| Jack sets his car on the Pinewood Derby track |
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| looking at the airplane at O'Hare before boarding |
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| in our seats at the back of the A330 |
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| the ladies in the last row (at least Anna has a window) |
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| outside the Madrid apartment |
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| Kate at the bear and strawberry tree statue in Plaza del Sol |
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| kilometro cero |
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| waiting for churros y chocolate |
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outside Museo Reina Sophia
(A replica of Alberto's "The Spanish People Have a Path That Leads to a Star" from the 1937 World's Exhibition in Paris is in the background; we saw Picasso's "Guernica" inside) |
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| inside the Palacio de Cristal at Parque del Buen Retiro |
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| Dad's selfie at Estanque Grande del Retiro |
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| We found the statute of Raton Pérez (the Spanish analog to the tooth fairy) |
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| First sight of the Roman aqueduct at Segovia |
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| Catedral de Segovia |
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| with a solider in the Roman Red Crest at Alcázar de Segovia |
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| tower at Alcázar de Segovia |
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| another selfie of Dad; this one near the top of the aqueduct |
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| walking to the Palacio Real de Madrid |
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| Kate and Jack at Templo de Debod |
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| group selfie at the Templo |
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| in the teleferico |
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| with the invisible man outside Museo del Prado |
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| Madrid skyline from atop the Círculo de Bellas Artes building |
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| outside the Museo Arqueológico Nacional |
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| late afternoon above Plaza del Callao |
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| Anna at Alcazaba de Málaga |
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| Kate and Jack checking for WiFi in Málaga |
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| Gibraltar (does anyone remember the "get a piece of the rock" commercials?) |
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| the Mediterranean Sea |
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| in a garden at Alhambra in Granada |
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| looking over Granada |
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| in Granada |
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| henna art |
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| Kate making giant bubbles at Plaza Nueva, Granada |
