MIA - Where Have We Been??!

Spoiler Alert: we're writing this from our backyard in Berkeley, California. The legs on the right are Mark's, the legs on the left are Lizzie's. It's lovely to be here.

I've spent the afternoon breathing life back into my raisin challah recipe, which hasn't seen an oven for quite some time. It's shabbat, and I have these ready to bake - one for us, one for our niece Becca & fiance Colin, one for Jacob & Rachel, and...er...none for the vegans (Lizzie & Dylan). That'll be a project for next week (send me recipes!).

Wanna know more about Berkeley? If I put it all here, you won't read about the rest of our trip. So LEMME TELL YOU ABOUT NEW MEXICO....Here's a shortened version of the post that got deleted (which is why I got mad at the blog and had to ignore it for a few days):

SANTE FE was definitely a cute town, albeit VERY touristy. The museums are well-thought-out and the galleries are cool, but at times I felt like I was strolling through Riverside Square Mall, but with everything fashioned from adobe.

The State House was SUPER cool -- for example, the one on the left is Trenton, a typical State House; the one on the right is Santa Fe, consistent with the architecture of the whole city, which reflects its indigenous heritage:

The entire city has that feel, and it makes Santa Fe special. We could have spent more time there, for sure, but I think I need to come back with some female companions.

HIGHLIGHT: We encountered the most amazing rainbow we've ever seen. These really are the colors and it really was this big. Imagine living in a place where you're putting your groceries in the car, and you look up and see this. It has to make you a happier, more humble person.

Then on to ALBUQUERQUE, where Mark finally found a place to shop!!!

And YES they offer "Breaking Bad" RV tours, but they are booked until October!!!

Next Stop: THE GRAND CANYON, which is located in Arizona. We visited the Southern Rim.

And stayed for the sunset...

We then parked at the SKETCHIEST campground of the trip. SO sketchy we were too scared to get out of our van to take a photo. Couldn't wait for 5 a.m. so we could pull out and head to Mather Point for the sunrise.

A few young men were on a ledge near us laying tefillin. We could see why...

Walked back to our van, where we made breakfast and coffee in the parking lot, still in our jammies.

WAIT! The Berkeley challahs are ready for delivery, so we're ending this post. Watch for upcoming visits to Scottsdale, AZ, San Diego, and L.A. The trip's not over yet!