Greetings all,
As previously mentioned, the San Diego Brandons drove to visit Auntie Joan this past week. It was a wonderful vacation and much needed for all involved. There will be some pics posted on the family section of the website soon.
We're quite proud of the boys, who were very well behaved right up until the last few hours (it's almost as though they knew we were in the L.A. area again, and began the waterworks). We first drove to Sacramento straight up I-5. Being that it's such a long drive from one end of Cali. to the other, we split the trip into two days.
Though Sacramento is our state's capital, it is somewhat like San Jose: small and unassuming, also not all that interesting. I laughed at the huge sign indicating it was a "city of trees". People on the west coast south of the redwoods really have no idea what a forest is. :) But, the hotel was nice. Jeanette did a great job finding places to stay.
Next we took 299 west to Eureka and then north to McKinleyville. 299 was very winding and caused a bit of nausea in the passenger seats, but the scenery was beautiful and the rural setting was, for the most part, very welcome (having Hell's Angels occupy a single gas pump in a forest hamlet was a bit daunting, so we drove to the next town).
When we arrived at Auntie's we were relieved to find her not just ready for us but very excited and full of energy through the whole of our stay. She cooked marvelous meals (a very thick spaghetti, cornish hens, and homegrown salad) and we did what we could to help the process of getting her garden going, as well as Jeanette assisting with the cooking. Teddy and Nicholas became fast friends and Teddy seemed just as happy as Auntie with our company. Nicholas took great pleasure in walking up and down Auntie's rock garden, and even helped Daddy move some bricks to assist with completing Auntie's side door path.
We visited the redwood forest where we had a picnic at a serene public park, and afterward took a beautiful and relaxing hike among the huge conifers that stretch to the sky.Conner slept in his baby bjorn and Nicholas bounded along the path with Daddy and Mommy keeping a close eye on him. The forests are truly a wonder to behold, and another fascinating aspect about them is how quiet they are. You could be next to a road or river and not hear it until you stumbled on it.
Auntie, Nicholas and Daddy walked on the beach the next day. Auntie got a thrilling surprise of over a thousand pelicans who had decided that the coastline of Moonstone Beach would be their restaurant that day. Nicholas also discovered just how much he loves the ocean, and not only was willing to get his feet wet, but get carried across a shallow inlet. Sand was also a great toy for him as he would scoop it up and fling it to the ground, sometimes to have it smack him in the face by the wind. Funny boy. :)
We wrapped up the trip the next day with a fond morning farewell. It is interesting what you learn when you visit family you haven't seen in awhile. I (Daddy) got to discover a great deal about my father's side of the family, and Jeanette learned a lot about starting her own herb garden. A great many thanks to Auntie for her generosity and strength during our visit. We'll have to go again soon!
For the trip's last leg we drove south for a day in San Francisco, and the boys got their first ferry ride around San Francisco Bay. An absolutely beautiful day, but it is best described with Jeanette's pictures. We then ate at the Rainfoest Cafe on Fisherman's Wharf, which is a great family eatery and reminded me of the Pirates' House Rainforest Bar in Savannah. We returned to our hotel in Mill Valley and Nicolas topped it off with some jumping around in the pool, even using a small surfboard for the first time (riding on top of one being held by Daddy, that is).
That day, and in fact the whole vacation couldn't have been better. Back to our daily lives, but if the trip did one thing other than entertain, amuse and relax, it reminded us that these kind of experiences are what we strive for in life, not things that we schedule "when and if we have time". Now if only we could have trips like this with the ENTIRE family....
http://www.replicasok.com/www.replica-corum-28.htmlWe visited the redwood forest where we had a picnic at a serene public park, and afterward took a beautiful and relaxing hike among the huge conifers that stretch to the sky.
Posted by: Joan268 | May 19, 2011 at 11:44 PM