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Thursday, May 25th –
The Wingate had a pancake maker as part of their breakfast spread, which the kids had fun with. At the push of a button, it made two pancakes that came down a conveyor belt and out the side onto the waiting plate. The breakfast area was sunny and airy, opening onto the back patio that overlooked the pool.
After eating breakfast, we headed up north to look at an adobe flat-roofed home for rent. It was set up against a beautiful red rock mountain range, and the air felt so clear in that location. I was hoping it would work, but the air fresheners and mold in multiple locations made it a definite no.
The owner pointed out a hummingbird sitting in her nest in one of their trees. The nest appeared to be no bigger around than a silver dollar, and we were able to get quite close without her flying away.
After lunch at Chipotle and some kid-sized portions of Coldstone ice cream, we set off to find another hotel for the night. I decided to check out the Holiday Inn, the newest hotel in town at just over a year since it opened. I expected it to smell strongly of the “new smell,” and that was pretty strong, but the Febreeze scent was the strongest I’ve ever experienced in a hotel. Mold was very minimal however, and the manager was able to stop the cleaning girls from spraying any chemicals in the last room on their list for the day. They just cleaned it with water, and I used my cleaning supplies to finish the job once they’d turned over the room.
My sister and her fam came over and played with the kids on a walking path near the hotel for a while that evening. Jotham started really perking up that night. He wanted to do everything the older kids were doing, and was very smiley. It had been several months since he’d had so much energy, so I was hopeful it was a sign of the “location effect” we were seeking by coming out this far away.
