It’s our first day of driving back to Minnesota. It’s been a hard push. We have fewer days to cover the miles this time, and we hope to rendezvous with friends at Rocky Mountain National Park tomorrow night. After nine hours of driving, we finally pulled off for dinner in Wendover, at the Nevada/Utah border. Nestled between the casinos and gas stations was an awesome, old-school playground and picnic area. Not only does it have tons of cool playground equipment, but it has freight rail tracks right next to it. The kids had front row seats to a massive train roaring through. Some local kids were celebrating a piñata birthday party and welcomed Griffin and Maggie, playing with them while we got our food organized and then bringing over some cake to share. A glorious end to a long slog. (Technically, we’re still slogging to Salt Lake City as I tap this out, but the kids are asleep and the 100 degree daytime temperatures are behind us.)
If you find yourself in Wendover with kids in the car, skip the slots and chill out at Scobie Park.
These old merry-go-rounds were a staple of playgrounds when I was a kid, but now they’re nearly extinct. Griffin needed help figuring out how to use it!I have never seen one of these before. It swings. It spins. It teeters. And it has a weird creepy face. Serious fun.Maggie loving life.
Addendum:
Upon our late-night  arrival at an inn, G and M snuggle up for the night.
At the end of our California trip we flew from SF to San Diego to spend a few glorious days with our dear friends, Liz and Kevin, and their son, Gabe. (Plus adorable Buddy.) We hung out at the beach, went on leisurely walks around the neighborhood, spent a day at the zoo, and played with Buddy in the yard. Below are photos from many of these adventures. (The zoo photos were hum-drum, so we’ve left them out. It’s a great zoo though; you should go there.)
Kevin, among many other things, is a brilliant photographer. We always treasure the shots he takes on his camera. All of the photos below that are marked “-KM” are Kevin’s. The rest were taken by Sarah or Andrew.
Remember that you can click on a photo to see the set in a full window slide show — they look best big!
We were fortunate enough to rent a house in Bodega Bay that would accommodate all of the Roy Boys and their families, and at a time when everyone could make it! It was a sweet time to reconnect with Anthony, Gena, Dave, Nancy, and their kids. The cousins were non-stop playing from the moment we arrived until the moment we left! Highlights included trips to the beach, meals together, and a carnival put on by the kids. We have a lot of photos in this set, mostly of the adorable children. I have a feeling our kids will be talking about this trip for a long time to come!
Maggie, with the friendly neighbor kitty, in front of the house.
Cousins! From left to right: Raven, Caleb, Julia, Griffin, Maggie, Max
Take two
Take three
The youngest kiddo, Caleb
Look at those cheeks!
Maggie contemplating
Our first excursion to the beach!
Dave surveys the dunes
Julia, Andrew, Gena, Anthony, and Caleb arrive.
It was chilly, but that didn’t seem to bother the kids!
Max
Griffin
Running Max
The coolest discovery ever: a driftwood fort!
The kids could have stayed here all day
Griffin checks out the construction
Maggie and Andrew arrive at the fort
Maggie enjoys the sea breeze
Ahoy! I think there be pirates!
Maggie, Sarah, and Griffin rock the stripes
Hot tubbing back at the house
A favorite kid activity at the house: running in and out of the doors
Running
Still running
Can we play, too?
Julia!
Julia, take two!
Julia and Maggie
Cracker conversations
Let’s give Caleb a cracker, too!
Caleb
Shall we see if we can break this?
Sweet Maggie
Sweet Raven
Sweet Max, Griffin, and Julia
The Roy Clan
The Roy Clan, take two
The Roy Clan, outtake
Maggie wants to be like her big cousin, Raven
How are those jokes, Maggie?
Beach day two
Maggie wanted to play chase with the waves, first with Daddy…
We made it to our Bucks Lake campsite on Friday and stayed through Sunday. We rendezvoused with a group of friends from the Bay Area. It was so great to catch up with old friends, make new friends, eat gourmet camp meals, and sit around the fire. It was a fitting culmination of the camping portion of our trip. Looking forward to a bed by the Pacific when we head to Bodega Bay next!
One of our new friends was Ella, Noemi and Jen’s dog.Maggie lounging. This shot, as well as the featured image at the top of this post, are by Katie McCall. See her flickr album for more of her beautiful shots from this camping trip.Cool evenings demanded a roaring fire.Noam and Ely about to emerge.
The trip has exceeded our expectations in every way, but lest it appear unrealistically idyllic, I provide this evidence of woe (due, I think, to a stubbed toe):
Maggie’s birthday, just a few days after Griffin’s rescheduled party, was a lower key affair, but fun for all of us. It began with some presents in the morning before Andrew went to school. Then a pancake breakfast with Caroline and Griffin. Then, by Maggie’s request, an expedition to Adventure Peak. After Andrew got home, we all headed over to the Highland Grill for dinner. Finally, a cake perfectly sized for a two-year-old.
Sleepy two-year-old.
I try! I try!
I like it!
Great new books from Caroline — best read together in a box, of course.
Special pancake breakfast with Caroline and Griffin
At French Meadow this morning Sarah asked for some cream with her coffee. When the cream arrived, Maggie turned around and patted her rear, saying, “Butt!” We were confused. She pointed at the cream, and again patted her tush, “On my butt.”
