Mark and I celebrated with a long weekend in Northern California visiting my brother Tim, his wife Kim, and their kids. They planned an awesome weekend full of kids, soccer, and fun.
We arrived Saturday. Tim and Kim took us to a pool party at their friend's house where the food was great, but the pool was better, because it gave all the kids something to do. Mark swam himself low twice, but I just kept filling him up on glucose tabs and juice boxes.
I also got to meet a friend of theirs whose son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes this summer. It's always nice to meet someone who speaks the lingo, and understands the challenges, although it's a bittersweet thing to have in common.
On Sunday, we drove to The City -- San Francisco! Mark's never been, and I thought it would be a cool day trip. It was indeed.
We spent our time at Fisherman's Wharf, seeing all the touristy stuff. First we started with a little lunch:
OK, just kidding, we really had chowder, sourdough rolls and calamari, which were goooooood. We wandered from pier to pier, staring at navy ships, submarines, and crazy street performers.
Eventually, we made it to Pier 39, where I remembered seeing a few seals last time I was there. Well, those seals have multiplied, and pretty much taken over Pier 39!
I couldn't believe how many there were. They were cranky, too, jostling for position and climbing over one another. I don't think any of them got a good nap, but we had fun watching them.
Next stop was a place called Chocolate Heaven, which completely lived up to its name. Mark really thought he'd died and gone to heaven; at least, that's what it looked like he was trying to do!
Last stop of the day was the best -- hot fudge sundaes at Ghiradelli Square! Although they were good, they were also big, and neither Kim or I finished ours.
Luckily, we made it home unscathed, though no one wanted dinner until well after dark.
We had dinner back in San Jose. It was good, but the after dinner show was our real treat. Tim and Kim drove us a few streets away, where some owls live in a palm tree. We saw two of them, screeching and screaming from the top of the tree -- no soft hooting from these birds! They were HUGE, and as we unloaded the car, one of them spread its wings and flew away nervously. I couldn't believe the wingspan on the owl -- must've been five feet! Very cool.
Our last day had a biblical theme. First we took the kids, including one of Nicholas' friends, to breakfast at the Heavenly Cafe. Then it was on to the Garden of Eden, deep in the redwood forest. (No, we did not consume any apples!)
We hiked down a path through the redwoods. It was gorgeous, the dappled light pouring through the tall trees. We walked along a railroad track, which Kim said reminded her of the movie Stand by Me. She hurried us along where the path was narrow, warning that trains travel on the track frequently.
The path eventually opened on to a swimming hole. There was a tiny beach filled with families and a group of college kids. The water was beautiful, and the trees surrounding it magnificent. There were two little waterfalls, and a huge rock, which the kids scrambled up and then jumped off.
Nick takes a flying leap
Mark shows off his Karate Kid moves
It was such a blast watching the kids. They swam in the freezing water, and took turns tubing down the little rapids.
Mark cleared the first rapid easily, but then got stuck in the swimming hole. He tried vainly to paddle his way out, but eventually just gave up. When Hannah couldn't stand it any longer, she swam in and rescued him.
Mark headed toward the second and bigger rapid, but didn't heed the "butts up" rule. Instead, he smacked his tailbone on a rock -- ouch! Firsthand lesson of what creates rapids -- rocks in water. I could tell it really hurt.
It was an awesome afternoon. The boys found a spot where they could chuck rocks into the water, so they were very happy. And Hannah found a spot away from them and all their noise, so she was pretty happy, too.
We stayed late into the afternoon, until we finally had to pack up and head to the airport. Mark and I arrived tired and filthy, but completely happy. It was an all-around great weekend. The activities were fun, but sharing it with our family was even better.
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