Road Trip

In  retrospect we should have done the trip in reverse. We would have ended more rested and I wouldn't have missed out on all the lovely peaches, but hind sight is 20/20.

 The trip to see Oma and Honey was quick and relatively uneventful, entirely due to the van we rented. So much space!  We arrived in time for Thatcher's birthday party and dancing at Ellington Hall. I've so missed that!

 HHoney's peaches were ripe for the picking. I had delusions that I'd be able to bring them all home, but they ripen so much quicker than store bought. I think we had a small bag actually make it home, but not the boxes and boxes I was lusting after.

 We are grateful for all the time we were able to spend with the Scirica's since we've missed them so much over the last couple years. The girls enjoyed dress up and Thatcher is Pherson's bestest friend.

Just before we left on the trip the new Pokemon Go came out. We have played it very sparingly, which is huge for our kids who don't ever play video games.  Here is Pherson catching his first pokemon. Cash is the most obsessed, probably due in part to a 25 cent used book he picked up a couple months ago about pokemon. Who knew it would come in handy?

 Clay was bound and determined to get some fishing in on our travels. The kids wanted to try paddle boats since they'd seen them on the lake at Tahoe. So we rented a couple and the "big kids" went fishing while the littles and I tootled around Lake Ralphine, even picking blackberries from the boat on the middle islands.

 We had a picnic on the shores after while the kids fed a goose some chips. He was a little eager and accidentally nipped Tupp. No mark left though. We all headed over to Shuffles for some ice cream and magic ala Uncle JP. Good stuff!

 Pherson had fallend asleep and didn't even wake up through me transferring him to the carrier. He's so huge he can nearly sleep on my shoulder in the ergo. Probably the last time I'll get to do that sort of thing. We got his ice cream to go.

 We visited with David and Cirkl after attending the new ward we would be in if we still lived in Windsor. They meet in Healdsburg now, and I must say it felt like coming home even though I never went to Healdsburg before. We wished we'd gotten to visit with more people- everyone has callings to rush off to and we couldn't stay past sacrament. Man I love those people in that ward.
We left Sonoma County and drove to Monterey to take the kids to the aquarium. It was a lot of driving, a lot to see, but the kids really enjoyed it and continue to talk about the experience, so that makes it all worth it.

 That afternoon we drove up to Merced? The hotel was not my favorite, but it was clean and the stay only ruined by the other customers knocking on our door in the middle of the night until Clay made them go away. In the morning we grabbed some breakfast bagels and hit the road for Yosemite.

 While it was beautiful, I prefer it in spring. It's greener, more water inthe falls and  less crowds. After driving around for parking and the kids getting restless we foudn a spot to grab a quick bite of lunch and then hit the road. We packed it in an hour early and only did one puny little walk, but between the frustration of the park and the kids moods we just had had enough.

That night we stayed on Sonora. I wish we'd gotten there earlier to visit a train park, but we rested, had dinner and then played at a really fun play structure before heading back to the motel for bed. The two hardest parts of the trip was the amount of travel- little kids do not enjoy road trips. And Pherson was going through an "I'm not going to listen to a single word you say" phase that put him in physical danger several times, never mind just the annoyance factor. We stopeed to  play with friends in Eldorado Hills on our way home. iIt's