The Last Days of Summer

Well I am back from a little, unofficial, unplanned, vacation, of sorts, from blogging. I missed you all and sorry for not keeping up, but I really do have lots more conversation ideas to post so keep with me!

HWY 1

Last year, my family didn't take any summer vacations and it was the longest summer ever. This year we have two planned. Last month we took a car trip up the Hwy 1 for a week. We visited the Danish town of Solvang, meandered through the Hearst "palace," watched the fish swim at Monterrey Aquarium, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, and enjoyed the big redwoods all the while camping every night at a new location.

PACKING IT RIGHT

That is right, we fit everything: four suitcases, four sleeping bags, two foam pads (for sleeping on), a four-person tent, lots of food and snacks, and a very large ice chest in a regular sized car - with no luggage racks. Yes, that was art at its best. We slept somewhere different every night and my husband artfully packed and unpacked everyday. We needed a vacation after our vacation - we were exhausted.

ONE MORE WEEK
But, we are not done vacationing. We have one more week and we are going to YOSEMITE! Yes, we booked our reservations back in March and at that time did a frantic rush of selecting our sites before they were all taken away right before our eyes (craziness online, I tell ya). So, we have to go.

IN NEED OF CAMPING TIPS

Here is the big camping question: How do you wash your dishes at the campground? My husband is all about not leaving waste and has purchased silverware and dishes. Gone are the plastic utensils and paper plates (darn-it). Although very noble of him, very inconvenient for me. If you have any advice, please let me know.

SON ON VACATION WITHOUT US
Now my oldest son gets to go on a vacation - apart from us. Tomorrow, sadly, I will bring my son over to a friend's house and he will be staying at a cabin, hanging out at a lake, swimming endlessly, and speeding along on a raft pulled by a boat all without me! For a week! It will be hard to say goodbye to him, but it will be even more difficult to accept that he is having fun with another family! Well, really, we are so thankful for this family and for them being willing to take him along (I sure hope he takes his plates to the sink and all that we have been "training" him to do over the years. Now is the true test of our parenting!)

So, here is to the last days of summer. When we return, we can talk about AGELESSNESS. Until then ~ Happy Summering!