A little Q-and-Me photo set we did last night for fun, in Q's favorite spot in my studio (she calls it her "house"). Stitched-paper headdress, some glitter gel, and the rest is all Q.

 

 

 Moab, and the hike to Delicate Arch...

 

 Moab: Arches National Park

 A stunning, summer-ish day in the arches...

 Balancing rock.

 Does it look like a John Ford film? Well, for good reason.

 Q taking a break mid-hike on the way to Delicate Arch.

 Rehydration, with a little help from daddy.

 

Mike and Q, heading skyward. 

 A delicious climb...

Nearly there...

 Going on in the studio right now...

Critters!!!!

Available in my Club Oceanus shop now.

Always before, in Moab, for all those early, childless years, I (and then we, my husband and I) have camped. We have stayed in designated campgrounds occasionally when the weather is cold, but mostly, we have camped in the wilderness - of trails and dirt roads and byways that we know so well after years of roadtripping to the desert. 

This time, on the occasion of Q's first trip to Moab with us, it being late October and the weather wild and unpredictable, we chose to stay at the beautiful Pack Creek Ranch, just under the snowy La Salle peaks.

 

 We stayed in the Gate House cabin...highly recommended, if you are ever going to Moab with a yen to sleep indoors!

 The livingroom of the Gatehouse Cabin, complete with tumbleweed on the mantle.

 I haven't seen inside all the cabins, but I feel pretty confident that we stayed in the best one! Those are the La Salles behind the (winter-closed) pool that you can see in the upper righthand image. By the next day, they were capped in snow!

The cabins are equipped for all seasons, and were extremely cozy, even when the weather turned cold. On this, our first day, the weather was (obviously) superb!

Q dozing on her day bed after the 6-hour drive from Denver to the desert.

 After a brief nap, we took her on her first drive through the redrock canyons, where climbers park where they can to frequent the many breathtaking climbing routes along the river.

 

 Near sunset.

An exhausted little one at the end of her first day in the Moab desert. She is so beautiful when she sleeps.