Where I Left My Heart

Road trip.
Sometimes that is the only way to get from here to there. This last weekend, we packed up our car and headed west to California. It was fall break for the kids so we decided (kind of on the spur of the moment) to go and visit the Tripletts in El Dorado Hills and Dan and Abby in San Jose. We left Wednesday afternoon after I checked the kids out of school. Now any opportunity for them to play with their cousins is good enough but to check them out of school? A bonus. At the request of Rachel and Emma, I checked Caleb out first and then check them out at 11:15. Why you ask? After second period, they have something called flex time. It's when students who are struggling with classes get extra help and students who are doing well are rewarded by extra curricular activities. So the girls wanted to be checked out while they were watching a movie, "so everyone can shout good bye to us on the way out." They're crying out for attention aren't they?
We didn't leave Salt Lake until 2:30 because the tires on my car were in really bad shape and Brad wanted to have them replaced before we drove. When we finally started on the road, Caleb and the girls were more than a little anxious. To top that delay off with another, we ran out of gas three miles outside of Wendover. Brad thought that we could make it with the gas that we had in the tank. Well, he was ALMOST right. While we waited for roadside assistance, there was a little bit of goofing around on the Salt Flats.

After a long drive, we finally arrived at Valerie's house after 11:00 everyone was in bed and they left the door unlocked for us. In the morning, the Triplett kids went to school (with a small amount of protest from Grace) and we set out towards San Fransisco. It was a beautiful, sunny day, with just enough fog to give it some atmosphere.

We had lunch by a farmer's market on the Ferry Pier. I love farmer's markets. I need to frequent them more often.

The boys were really fascinated with the stand alone public toilet. Too bad it was out of order.

How can one go to San Franscisco without seeing the Golden Gate Bridge? You can't. Neither could we.

We drove around Golden Gate Park and stopped for a minute at the American Legion Art Museum. No one else was interested in going in, Emma wouldn't even leave the car. It was a beautiful building though.

We drove along for a while and found a beach that we could walk around for awhile. We stopped at a place called Fort Funston. Apparently, it means "everyone bring five or six dogs each with you to the beach" in another language. I think we were the only humans there without a canine companion. Still, with the sun peeking through the fog and the sea shell hunting, we had a good time.

The fog is good for atmosphere, but not for maintaining any semblance of well-groomed hair.

We all got a little wet but Caleb got very wet. He was uncomfortable and this is how he was in the car during the two hour drive to Dan and Abby's in Mountain View.

We stayed with them for the evening and enjoyed their company. I love talking to Abby and Dan and I would like to keep their kids Lucy and Kate. Lucy, 3, is quite precocious and I find her endlessly amusing. Here was an exchange that she had with Rachel and Emma:

Emma: Do you want to know a secret?

Lu: Yes.

Rach: Are you positive?

Lu: Yes.

Em: Are you sure?

Lu: Yes!

Rach: Are you sure you're positive?

Em: Are you positively sure?

Rach: Are you surely positive?
Lu (with both of her hands held up): Enough with the funny stuff!!

The next morning we drove back up to El Dorado Hills and were happily reunited with the Tripletts. Brad to the scenic route through Steinbeck country. It was beautiful, if a little too long.
We just hung out with them all day and didn't do anything in particular. Saturday Dan and Abby drove up and we swam, watched a lot of football and went out to eat.

On Sunday morning, we said goodbye to and headed for home. But before we headed across the Nevada, desert, we took a detour to gold rush country.

Here's the fam looking for gold in the American River. None was found and it was decided that skipping rocks was more enjoyable.

Sutter's Mill replica.
Me in my comfy driving clothes.

So that is our short trip in a big nutshell. It was short but fun.