Lake Tahoe

we took a quick stop at lake tahoe before we headed over to nevada. i made christina dip her foot in the lake. i don't think she was to thrilled about that. we hung out on the beach for a little bit. christina found her own rock and claimed it to be her rock. then she pretended to be "king of the rock".

then we headed over to the gas station and picked up some postcards.

over all we had a great time in california, and nevada here we come.

awful pee break

we drove to a rest area that wasn't the first choice of many people. "it was the most disgusting place ever" said christina. but i have to admit it was pretty gross.

Wild Cherries

again i wake christina up early. and we head over to wild cherries for breakfast. we got yummy breakfast sandwiches. "i got bacon egg & cheese." -christina

christina grabbed the coffee news. then we sat down and looked at what we are doing today.

checked our maps, and we have a long way to drive today. better hit the road!

Fireworks! (in christina's point of view)

so...we went to see the fireworks, and we got the perfect spot by the water. i was walking all over the rocks.

i brought my angry birds hat with me to keep my head warm. then when i didn't want it any more i gave it to auntie robin. then she asked if she could wear it. i said ya, and next time i turn around steve is wearing it. :( after that the fireworks started. the CA fireworks were sooo awesome.

i was super tired (and cold) after that and i wouldn't wear my hat (curse steve) again. it felt sooo nice to just flop in bed. ;)

tandem bike

big highlight of the night was riding the tandem bike. we all put on glow sticks on and headed to watch fourth of july fireworks. of course me and christina got the tandem bike. we were wobbling around at first but we got used to it. it wasn't my first choice of bike, but it was pretty fun.

p.s. christina was wearing a "stylish" helmet.

BBQ!

after donner lake we had a BBQ at Tad's house. christina and rachel made veggie and tofu skewers. they were delicious. and steve made black bean and coconut rice. yum! heather made fruit salad. and we had burgers and sausage made by Tad. after all that it was s'more and ice cream time! horray!!!! we all had a fun time.

donner lake

yesterday we went swimming at donner lake. we were excited to go swimming, but when we got there the water was sooo cold. christina went under, but after she came up she started shivering. that made me decide not to go under. maybe next time.

we were excited to see Rachel, Tad, Heather, Bjorn (crusty the clown), Baby Jonah, (2) Steve, Jodie, John and Emily

in-n-out burger

we went to in-n-out burger for lunch, and christina said it was the best burger ever. all though she wasn't fond of the veggies on it. we got a new sticker for our "adventure box" (the rooftop box on my car). plus we got fries to go. yum! 🍟😄

golden gate bridge

we were packed and ready to go and we headed for the golden bridge. it was so foggy that the golden gate bridge wasn't red (it was all gray) until we got really close. plus it was super cold (way to make the day better) there. :( after that it was bye bye San Francisco.

a piece of the pacific

we got a jar and collected some water and sand from the pacific ocean. then we went on a hunt for sand dollars. we found one (full) sand dollar. as we started to head back christina found a big crab shell, so she put it jar. then later when we were in the car we realized christina caught some shrimp.

we will see how long we can keep the shrimp alive! :)

and we're off!!

car loaded, and out the door this morning at 9am. not too bad!

trip stats:
start: July 4, 2012
odometer: 78240
time: 9:04 am

tuckered out

big day for the girl. sleep well sweetheart. ;)

arrived in sf!!!

Christina's plane landed in sf around 11am, and we were officially off on our adventure!!! :)

after calls to mom, dad and grandma... we settled in at auntie robins apartment, and set off to do our grocery shopping first. errands were done in a flicker, and we had the rest of the day for exploring the city.

jumped on the n-train, and first stop was lunch at chow! yum! "it was the most amazing restaurant I have ever tasted!"said Christina.

back on the train, we went downtown to the ferry building, where christina proceeded to run around chasing pigeons and giggling. sure made me giggle too. we enjoyed the gorgeous day, and walked all the way up to fisherman's wharf to join all the tourists.

poked around at the musee mecanique where we blew some quarters in vintage "video games".

the big treat was we picked up a sf giant crab, and brought it home for dinner. yum, but a lot of work! next time, we get crab rolls. ha.

fun, but quick day in sf.... leaves us with lots to explore next time!

cozied up on the couch tonight with ice cream, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. up early, and blowing out of sf. I'm a little bittersweet to be leaving for 2 1/2 months, but so excited for this adventure!

hope y'all enjoy reading along... Send comments, we'd love to hear from you.

postcard count: christina 4 mailed
punch buggies: christina 6; robin 2.

this is christina, auntie got only 1 i already did one of them.

...the plans are coming together!

what started as a two week trip to new England this summer for a couple of weddings, has turned into a 2 1/2 month summer adventure on the road.

I decided back in feb that it would be fun to drive cross-country, instead of flying in and out. in the last couple of years, I have spent a lot of my vacations traveling outside the USA to put some distance between myself and work. I've been craving more time to explore this country, and this summer it is falling into place. :)

on Tuesday (July 3), my 9 1/2 year old niece, christina, is flying from Boston to sf (on her own!), and she will be my companion for the next 12 days driving from sf to our cousin dani's wedding in state college, pa. it is such an amazing opportunity for us to spend this time together, and I can't wait to share the adventure with her. for the west-east crossing, I am planning a northern route up into Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, south Dakota, Chicago, il... and stops at many national parks and landmarks.

after the west-east crossing, i plan to spend close to three weeks in new england with my family and friends. looking forward to a little east coast summer! then, in the first week of August, my best friend from high school, Kate, is going to join me for the trip back west. unlike my trip east, we have not made any substantial plans, and I can't wait to just explore our way back west for a few weeks.

and, as if that wasn't enough of a summer adventure, I am going to drop Kate off in Vegas, then head to flagstaff Arizona, where I will be joining a rafting trip through the grand canyon for 2 more weeks.

when all is said and done, I should be rolling back into sf mid-September with a crispy brown tan, and a basket of stories to share. :)

it's good to be 38 so far...

my birthday weekend with friends kicked my 38th year off to a fine start. feeling good. got my feet back on the ground this year. a little clarity about what i do well, and making choices about how I want to live. cleaned out the cobwebs, cleared a lot of clutter, and opened up a lot of questions about who I am and where I want to go. don't have many answers to the questions, but I am on the right journey. ;)

and oh boy, I have quite a summer packed with journeys and adventure planned.....

meat!

no one went hungry, and significant amounts of meat was grilled!

adult refreshment stop...

on the way home, Geordie, Arvind and I made a visit to our beer Mecca... the Russian river brewery in santa rosa. home of my beloved (and by far, one of the best beers on the market right now) pliny the elder.

the three if us shared the 18-beer sampler. so delicious! standouts were "happy hops" and "supplication".

and no birthday weekend would be complete without a new hoodie! thanks again Arvind and Mala for such a fantastic gift! :)

playing about in boats

our big adventure for the weekend was loading up all the families into the boats, and crossing the river for an afternoon on the beach on the other side. it was hilarious that it took us hours to coordinate getting everyone over there.... but everyone enjoyed a low-key afternoon.

river queen crew & sunset birthday celebration!

on Saturday evening the girls put together a birthday toast on the upper hot tub deck... complete with customized beer mugs for me, wine glasses for shannan (her 40th is in July), decks of cards for mani, and a variety of party favors for Otis & olive (celebrating 4 years old on may 31st).

it was an awesome festive evening. girl couldn't ask for more on her b-day! xo.

the "river queen" mansion on the Russian river

for the long memorial day weekend this year, Mala and I rented a mansion on the banks of the Russian river, and herded 18 of our beloved friends, and their 10 children to join us for some fun and relaxation. it was quite a full house!...

first off, the house itself was amazing! 7 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, 2 kitchens, and about 18 porches! the game room (a.k.a. "man town") had a pool table, fusball, & ping pong, and giant tv, and games galore! of course, poker was played. outside, there was a huge hot tub on the deck overlooking the river, as well as a boat ramp stocked with a variety of canoes and kayaks.

it was a whirlwind at times with all the families around, but we never had a chance to get bored. some went wine tasting, I never left the property.

http://www.vrbo.com/286986