Lake Alpine Camping Trip

July 22- July 26, 2012

When we left San Jose Thursday morning, it was hot already.  And it didn't get any better as we drove away!
Ironstone Heritage Museum -- our first stop to see this:

This is the largest Gold Leaf specimen in the world!  Read more here.

Vintage Fish Gear -- MD was pretty excited to see these!

 Close up:

 Then we needed another stretch break.  Check out this view!

 She needed to be in the shade.  Yes, it was still HOT!

 Everyone enjoying the view:

Then we finally arrived ( I say finally because Jim's car broke down 15 minutes away from our camp site.  Vince had to rush us to our site to register. Then he went back to stay with Jim and call AAA to have his van towed to a nearby shop.  In the meantime, guess what?  I put up the tent with the help of Corinna, Clare, and the children... without help from Vince for the very first time!  It was hard work, but now I know that it's possible.).
After picthing the tent, we all deserved a nice rest while we waited for the men to return.

 This is our camp site -- nice isn't it?!

Upon their return (the van would have to stay in the shop for a few days...), the men took the children out exploring.  These are pictures from their adventure.  I do not really know what they did in detail.  So here are some pictures!
(Matthew is using his sling for the very first time!)

 They ran into some people who offered them their day's catch since it was their last day camping and perhaps they OD'd on fish?1  I don't know... but the men (and MG) gladly accepted.  I love their make shift fish carrier.  My hubby, such the boy scout. :)

That first night we had pork chops and baked beans for dinner.  I can't seem to find the pictures right now...  Vince stayed up late the night before cooking the meal ahead of time so that we could just warm it up the first night.  It's always a good idea to precook as many meals as possible.  You never know what the cooking situation will be like once you are in the wilderness!

July 23, 2012
The next morning... not too bright and early, everyone was up and breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast was served. YUM!

After breakfast, the men took off to check on the car situation at the car shop.  So Corinna, Clare, and I were free to do what we wanted with the children.  We decided to check out Lake Alpine!

E showing off his sling shot pose!  (heehee)

 MG showing off hers -- aiming for me?  EEEkkkk!!!!  ;)

 MD enjoying some quiet time...

 Hello Auntie Clare and Corinna!  (we brought our chairs hoping to have some quiet time as the children played)...

 But that didn't last long!  They all insisted we learn to use the sling shots too!  So, they gave us all lessons:
Auntie Clare was first!

She must have been hustling us as her pebble shot all the way across the lake on the other side!!!  Very impressive!

 Um... mine, not so impressive!  See the ripple I made?!  Pretty pathetic!  hahaha!

Corinna had a go -- and I think this talent runs in the family!  She her shot ahead of time... and she made it!  She hit a rock across the lake with a pretty cool aim and a very loud thud!

 It was kind of too windy to read so we headed back to camp.  Each child chose a book, sat back, and relaxed.
I love this!

 And this!

 July 24, 2012
The next day -- Adventure time!!!!

I will have to let the following pictures tell the story since I was unable to go along. Vince, Jim, and Corinna took the children on an adventure that included them kayaking across the lake to explore various islands!  :)

here's MD on the shore of Lake Alpine:

 That's the island!

 Always the first to get his feet wet:

 Hello Uncle Jim, MG and E!

 A nice walk along the lake:

 There they are playing by the lake:

 After these photos, Vince took mostly videos while they kayaked. So sorry, there are no kayaking photos!  After this adventure, Uncle Jim and Vince went to pick up Uncle Jim's van!  Yahoo!!!  Everything was all better now...

That evening, the boys helped Uncle Jim chop some fire wood.  Tonight's dinner will require lots of fire!

 Tonight's delicious meal --Salmon (from home) and bass (from the other night's catch -- not ours, but good enough!)  It really was delicious!  We cooked them all over the fire pit using the dutch ovens that Vince invested in.

 Everyone was happy!  The boys really enjoyed the fish -- mostly the bass.  Vince is very proud of that.  :)

 July 25, 2012
After a good night's sleep... a new adventure began!  Today we are headed to Highland lakes and Hiram Peak.
The drive was a bit windy... so we needed to pull over or I was going to lose my breakfast!  This spot was as good as any... to rest, not lose my breakfast.  Hello there explorers!

 Uncle Jim always finds things to "much" on...

 And this little man... err, antelope... found his way over to me! :)

 She's now addicted to Uncle Jim's treats!

 Hello everyone -- who doesn't get car sick!  ;)

 Uncle Jim sharing his loot:

 These are wild goose berries!  They are a bit tart but yummy!

 Now... back on the road... a dirt road!

 Are we there yet????  (that's me asking, not the children!)

 That string is holding our kayak in place... (well, there are other bigger straps too!):

 Now if you look closely, you will notices that the road is very uneven...

 Um, is that a ditch?!

 Are we going to get stuck?!

Well, we didn't get stuck, we made it through... and the last up hill climb made me very nervous!  But look at this view!!!

 Daddy's girl: (that is Hiram's Peak in the background)

This is where Clare and I sat once we finished lunch.  Everyone else went on a walk around Highlands Lake.

 Yes, I brought my iPad!  (all my ebooks are int here!)

 These are pictures Vince took while on their walk:

 I am so in love with the wild flowers!

 That lake is beautiful!

 Ooohhhh... look what they found!

 One last look at the lake before heading back to camp for dinner!

 Tacos!!!!

 Clare sure knows how to pack a mean taco!

 July 26, 2012 -- Homeward Bound... and a visit to Gold country!
This is Columbia -- well know as a gold rush town:

 These are the original buildings!

 We had lunch here:

 Check out this display behind the bar!

 Those are snake skins!  (don't look too close, Mom!  Eeeeeeeek!!!)

 They tried sassafras for the first time!  (it's like root beer)

 And Vince ordered this monster size nacho platter!

After lunch, the children led us here... to the candy store!

 And they looked around... and made a few choices:

 Uncle Jim bought E some gummy frogs (my favorite!  I remember buying these for the first time while in high school from Pier 1 Imports.)

 MD chose thin mints chocolate.  MG chose a variety of gummy candy (some regular and some sour).

 It was a HOT day...

I love this building!

MG had just learned about the pioneer days in 3rd grade (and about to learn about gold rush in 4th grade) so visiting this museum seemed a good idea. :)

Isn't she cute?!

 So is he!

 I love how each of them chose their own props!  They were so cute!!!

 MD stayed in character for awhile. :)

 This blacksmith shop was really neat!

 Check out his work!

 MG and the stage coach (that stayed long enough for a photo!).  They were giving real rides around town in it too.

 Uncle Jim showing the children how to pan for gold -- no luck!

This was another amazing camping trip with Uncle Jim, Auntie Clare, and Corinna.  

Always the big guy

from day one! Even at one you were the one to get into everything.  You were always curious and would find ways to figure out how things worked.  It was never a dull moment with you around!  And what fun we had!  :)

 7 years later, I have to admit, not much has changed!  You still have a goofy smile... the one that says you are up to something.  :)

But big guy, we love that about you.  We love that you are curious and want to know how things work and what can be done to make it work a different way.  You sort of try that on us too!  If you got in trouble for doing one thing, you want to know what would have happened if you did it differently.  Inquiring minds!  You are also a stickler when it comes to follow rules (especially when playing a game).  You need to do things a certain way and will argue about it until you are blue in the face.  (i'm sure you get that from me!)
Thus far, you have decided that you will be a scientist when you grow up.  Getting you that small science kit sure paid off!  You enjoy mixing chemicals and never worry about creating a mess -- that is your job!  (not the best thing for me to clean up, but you are starting to be more responsible in helping me now).  You don't "love" to read like your sister, but once you are deep in reading a book, it's hard for you to put it down.  I think that's great that you read to learn something new.  (Your Kindergarten teacher loved telling me how much you enjoyed reading science books during free choice time -- how many boys would do that during "free choice" time?!)  I know that you would rather play on the Wii or on your DSi and look forward to weekends when you can play on it without having to ask.  It makes you excited for the weekends and no one has to wake you up!  (and you don't wake us up to help with anything!)
You are definitely an adventure seeker (daring me to go on roller coasters with you at Great America or on the Banana Boat ride at Gilroy Gardens).  You normally do first and think later -- which when we are outdoors camping, I think it's fine... but when we are home, it's just not so much fun for me!  Going into the lake to see how cold the water is at Lake Alpine (fully clothed) is fine... but do you have to plug up the hose with your fingers to see how much pressure it takes before the hose sprays you all over while watering the lawn with me???!  Honey, you are truly your father's son!  :0
Camping is your true calling and I am so glad we do it often!  You love to climb boulders, skip rocks at the lake, look for tadpoles and polliwogs, kayak with your dad, start a campfire using materials around you, roast your perfect marshmallows (for you, it's an "Uncle Jim style " -- French roast!) , and learn how to use a sling shot.  All of these things describe you so well.

You are our explorer and we are so proud of you!
We love you to infinite and beyond!
Happy 7th Birthday, Big Guy!!!!

No longer our little girl

Once you were smaller than the teddy bear that Auntie Karen bought you....

And now... under all those leis... your birthday shirt says, "9!"  I can hardly believe it!

You have made us so proud of being your parents.

You are a hard worker, a confident young girl, and very enthusiastic to learn everything.  You are a great big sister to your younger brothers (almost a second mother... so they don't always appreciate your motherly ways!). You are an avid reader -- reading comes second nature to you (which makes me so proud, as I was the same way!).  You love to eat dessert and slow...ly enjoy every bite (rather than devouring it all in one gulp -- okay, maybe not as much like me as I thought!).  Your all time favorite food are mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, tacos, chips and salsa, and rice with soy sauce!  (Weren't those the same things I listed last year?!  Like your momma, you are a person of habit! ;) 

 This summer you have accomplished quite a lot: you've read more books than  we can keep up with (but not to worry, you have listed all the books and pages for us since we said we would pay you a penny a page!  This summer, you have made me broke!), you have learned to sew your first quilt (and hope to be done by winter time), you have almost perfected your cursive (almost exceeding my penmanship! Yikes!), you ride your bike with such ease, it makes me want to hop on a bike and ride with you (soon, soon!), and you are quite the swimmer (it makes me proud!).  You are also enjoying the piano so much more now.  I am of no help to you so you play on your own and it makes me smile when you enthusiastically hop on the bench in the mornings and play the songs you've memorized (thanks to Auntie Clare and her hard work!).

Don't grow up too quickly princess, I'm not sure I am ready...  

We love you very much!

Happy 9th Birthday Baby Girl!

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Not sure why... but this never got published!  Here it is... MONTHS later!

For Father's Day he wanted to do this.  He even woke up early, packed the car, and put the kayak on top of the car!  I know, pretty amazing.  :)

The children played for a LONG time.... They actually created a kingdom, but I forgot to take pictures.  

He went kayaking for a bit with the boys (and friends).  Then the children were hungry (and I was famished!)  So he started the grill...

And the children were happy!

On the menu: squab!  We also had a variety of sausages.

 I was happiest with the squab.  :)  Thanks Hunny.

These two girls had a good time together. 

 Christian and his son caught this when they went out on the kayak.

 We later grilled it... 

 And Christian enjoyed his first really fresh crab - cooked over his own BBQ grill!

 It was a great day!

 We couldn't ask for a better day....  well, maybe if it wasn't so overcast!

But I'm not complaining -- it was a great day with friends!  :)

Dear Little One...

This was you... 5 years ago! (The little one that would not be outdone by his siblings -- no way you were greeting the world on July... you waited until 1:30 am on the 1st of August so you could also be an August baby! )

And now, look at you!

In just a year you have grown so much.  You now are very out spoken.  You always want a piece of the action - and will nudge your way into any and all conversations taking place.  You are not as tolerant of your siblings as you used to be... so you always make yourself heard whenever possible.  I admire that about you... but I just wish you would use an indoor voice to voice your opinions in the house! :)

You still love to eat noodles, all fruit (even durian! Daddy is very proud!), chocolate (you will pass up dinner if you can get to it faster!), and root beer (you just discovered root beer floats this year - score!)!  You love to scooter - and you are quite good at it too!  You gave up riding the balance bike... so we have upgraded you to a bike without training wheels.  You and dad will have to work that out! :)  You love to play basketball with your brother -- perhaps the classes you took at the community center helped peak that interest?  You enjoy having light saber and sword fights with your brother -- and even getting him a few times!  Your latest interests has been building Legos, playing with your new breakable erasers, making up songs with your sister, playing with your newly adopted pet hamster (thanks to our dear friends, the Proell family who moved back to Austria!), running around the fields at the park, and camping with Auntie Clare and Uncle Jim.

Dearest Ethan, you keep our days interesting.  You make us laugh, smile, and sometimes frustrated with your antics... but you mean well and we know it.  I especially enjoy your constant hugs and kisses.  I know sometimes it's a bit overwhelming for me when you interrupt a phone conversation or an activity I am in the middle of doing to hug me and I am not always eager to return your hugs... But please know that I appreciate each one.  You never go through a day without telling me that you love me... and I really love that about you.  I hope you know how much I love you too...

Happy 5th Birthday, Ethan!

(birthday picture coming soon...)