Still catching up on the back-blog of stuff to write about. Here's a few shots of our other activities during our Southern California mini-vacation. The best part of the trip for me was getting a weekend of California spring weather--warm. The week after we returned, Seth's preschool teacher told me that Seth had announced to his class that "My mom says that in our country spring is COLD!" (I'd told the boys that despite the calendar saying "spring," they could not wear t-shirts and shorts yet because spring in Utah is cold. They had reveled in their shorts and t-shirts at Grandma's house.
Carden celebrated his 7th birthday, and Grandma decorated the kitchen for our family party the day before the big Disneyland trip. Carden was thrilled to get a bag full of interesting books, some new games and toys and a new outfit or two--not as exciting, but still fun to open.
That afternoon I took the kids to Hart park to see the small petting zoo, which turned out to be closed for renovations. So we opted for a short hike instead up to the Hart mansion on the top of the hill. William S. Hart, the local celebrity, was a cowboy film star from the silent-movie days, and the namesake of the high school I went to, yet I'd never toured his house. I gave Carden the camera during the tour, and he went crazy, shooting photos of the floor tiles, the light fixtures, every piece of statuary and furniture, telling the other people on the tour, "excuse me, I've got to get this shot!" while he wiggled around them. Eighty-four shots, to be exact. This sitting room was his favorite part because of the bearskin rug. Afterward we drove back to Rite-Aid to see if they'd kept the ice cream counter from when it was Thrifty's Drugstore. Success! Ice cream cones for a dollar--doesn't get any better, although I remember they only cost 59 cents when I was a kid.
We squeezed in an afternoon at the beach, where despite cold and wind, salt water still smells like salt water, a fragrance we just haven't found here in Utah. Angus even came along, although after face-planting into a large sand dune (tough when your tongue is constantly out of your mouth) and getting stung by a bee, he was more than happy to climb back in his crate in the van.
It's funny how satisfying it is for me to be at the beach with my kids. I agree, in a detached sort of way, that the mountains of Utah are lovely, but nothing stirs my heart like the scrubby brown hills of Southern California, the golden-grass hills of Northern California, and the coastline between. I guess it's the magic associations of childhood and family, but it makes me wonder if my kids will grow up believing there is no scenery more beautiful than the Wasatch Range with it's near year-round dusting of snow. Probably not since we never actually get up into those mountains to do anything!
We left at 6:00 the next morning to start the drive home, hoping to arrive in time for Carden's Cat in the Hat program at school that night. After speeding through the minimum number of rest stops, Tyler dropped Carden and me off in the school parking lot with two minutes to spare. We yanked his pjs (the evening's costume) out of a suitcase, changed in the doorway of the van and ran to find a seat. I bet the only thing he remembers about the night is how we walked home and a cat followed us all the way, and then sat in the front yard for two days until I got fed up, stuffed it in a cardboard box and drove it back to the house it had come from. Carden was disappointed I hadn't learned to love it during those two days, but I say it got off easy, considering my reputation with neighborhood felines and the local Animal Control department.
Carden celebrated his 7th birthday, and Grandma decorated the kitchen for our family party the day before the big Disneyland trip. Carden was thrilled to get a bag full of interesting books, some new games and toys and a new outfit or two--not as exciting, but still fun to open.
That afternoon I took the kids to Hart park to see the small petting zoo, which turned out to be closed for renovations. So we opted for a short hike instead up to the Hart mansion on the top of the hill. William S. Hart, the local celebrity, was a cowboy film star from the silent-movie days, and the namesake of the high school I went to, yet I'd never toured his house. I gave Carden the camera during the tour, and he went crazy, shooting photos of the floor tiles, the light fixtures, every piece of statuary and furniture, telling the other people on the tour, "excuse me, I've got to get this shot!" while he wiggled around them. Eighty-four shots, to be exact. This sitting room was his favorite part because of the bearskin rug. Afterward we drove back to Rite-Aid to see if they'd kept the ice cream counter from when it was Thrifty's Drugstore. Success! Ice cream cones for a dollar--doesn't get any better, although I remember they only cost 59 cents when I was a kid.
We squeezed in an afternoon at the beach, where despite cold and wind, salt water still smells like salt water, a fragrance we just haven't found here in Utah. Angus even came along, although after face-planting into a large sand dune (tough when your tongue is constantly out of your mouth) and getting stung by a bee, he was more than happy to climb back in his crate in the van.
It's funny how satisfying it is for me to be at the beach with my kids. I agree, in a detached sort of way, that the mountains of Utah are lovely, but nothing stirs my heart like the scrubby brown hills of Southern California, the golden-grass hills of Northern California, and the coastline between. I guess it's the magic associations of childhood and family, but it makes me wonder if my kids will grow up believing there is no scenery more beautiful than the Wasatch Range with it's near year-round dusting of snow. Probably not since we never actually get up into those mountains to do anything! 
We left at 6:00 the next morning to start the drive home, hoping to arrive in time for Carden's Cat in the Hat program at school that night. After speeding through the minimum number of rest stops, Tyler dropped Carden and me off in the school parking lot with two minutes to spare. We yanked his pjs (the evening's costume) out of a suitcase, changed in the doorway of the van and ran to find a seat. I bet the only thing he remembers about the night is how we walked home and a cat followed us all the way, and then sat in the front yard for two days until I got fed up, stuffed it in a cardboard box and drove it back to the house it had come from. Carden was disappointed I hadn't learned to love it during those two days, but I say it got off easy, considering my reputation with neighborhood felines and the local Animal Control department.
4 comments:
Holly Abigail and I are sitting here looking at the post. I LOVE the picture with tyler, Carden and angus walking on the beach--you should get that one blown up! Holly was happy that Carden is slightly younger than her, and Abby loved the CAT IN THE HAT picture. Great post!
You are not old enough to make comments such as "I remember when they were only 59 cents. That is for when all the kids are out of the house...
That is hilarious that Carden took so many pictures at Hart's house and the Cat in the Hat picture is classic! Seth is such a cutie. I used to love it when I was teaching and my students would impart bits of mom-wisdom, such as his spring comment!
Also, I blame my mother for my ice cream addiction. She used to get me Thrifty ice cream cones from the ripe old age of one, when we lived in Cali. You should take the kids to Macey's sometime. The ice cream cones there are still under a buck! (I miss them greatly.)
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