August 1, 2012
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Our camping trip was awesome! We drove up to and hiked Bassi Falls again, this time with our friends … Marissa’s family and her friend, plus Melissa’s family. Given that it was so late in the summer, the impressive waterfall from a few weeks ago was now just a trickle. BUT, that meant lots of pools and creeks for the kids to play around in. We ate a picnic lunch in the shade, and let the kids explore for a couple of hours.
Then Melissa and my family headed further north ~30 minutes to Gerle Creek campgrounds. Our campsites were right up front, but since the entire campground was situated so far from the highway, there was no traffic. We had a big site with fire pit, grill, and big picnic table. Tents were pitched quickly, while the kids played with water guns. Then it was off to explore some more. The shallow reservoir was cold, but didn’t deter the kids one bit. Had I not cut my toe (I was worried about it getting infected), I would have jumped in with them and tried swimming to the big rock island!
As the area did not allow motor boats, it was very serene. We took a small shady hike (Harvest trail, 0.5 miles each way) through lots of big trees, and ended up in a small clearing where we skipped rocks. Then we all hiked back to our campsite by dusk for a simple dinner of salad, fruit, and hotdogs/sausages. Sam brought a big cooler of food, and I also had 2 bags. When we first arrived, we commented on how we way over packed. By the time dinner was done, we wondered if we had enough to make it to the next day.
Of course no camping trip would be complete without a campfire, S’mores, and ghost stories. The campsite next to us provided the guitar and singing, but we “got them back” with our hysterical gales of laughter. Every time I started a story, someone (yes, even Calie and Nicole) would guess that it was the ‘Caps for Sale’ book and start quoting lines from it. You had to be there. I still laugh when I think about how frustrated I was.
We slept okay – much better than last camping trip, but obviously not as good as on a bed. Breakfast by the morning campfire was instant coffee/tea, scrambled eggs, terrible pancakes (should’ve brought a non-stick pan), and leftovers from dinner. We were now down to a few snacks, mere hours of sustenance. The kids continued to play well on their own, jumping over and climbing big rocks, logs, and tree stumps. Just as we finished packing up, Nicole misstepped and cut her leg. Since she couldn’t’ walk, Melissa’s family decided to just head back home. My family went on another nearby hike … Gerle Creek trail (0.8mi each way). It was a nice hike, and included a bridge over a bubbling brook, but unfortunately there wasn’t as much shade as I would have liked. It would have been a better hike for the evening rather than mid-day. We drove home ~2 hrs after the hike.
Overall, a great trip! The kids didn’t ask for anything electronic and played amongst themselves the whole time. They were entertained with climbing big rocks, playing in the lake, hiking, and just general exploring. I was impressed with how they came up with their own games and challenges - we really need to get out and into nature more often! I have to admit, I like climate control and flushable toilets,… but when your kids are that happy, it makes it worth it. Plus, I admit it was a nice change of scenery – the fresh air and clear night skies were pretty amazing. That said, there was a lot of overhead in packing, driving, and setting up for just 1 night. Calie was very disappointed that we only stayed one night and suggested next time we stay for 10. I’m thinking 2-3 at most.
Back to work on Monday, and the following Thursday, I took my team out for a celebration dinner – our Win8 OEM commit dates were very challenging (and at high risk for months), but we pulled through. Cheers to the best team EVER!
Friday evening, Kathy, Sam, and Karen’s family came over for dinner and the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics. I served buffalo chicken wraps, which Sam deemed a “$10.99 value”. The kids made red/white/blue necklaces to cheer on team USA, while we watched the show. (And Zach has also been making some fuse bead Pokemon – it’s been scorching here, over 90 degrees, so I’ve been steering our kids towards indoor activities)
On Saturday, James took the kids to a jet skiing event organized by one of his coworkers. Kathy and I went to Le Cordon Bleu for a Thai cooking class. We put together 7 dishes in 3 hours! It wasn’t as hard as I thought – the key is having the right ingredients on hand. I’ve often cooked with curry paste and coconut milk, but adding tamarind, Thai chili, fish sauce, palm sugar, lemongrass, lime juice/eaves, and cilantro really kicks it up to the next level. I’m, going to have to pick up some of these ingredients next time I hit the Asian supermarket. The best part of the class (besides hanging out with Kathy of course), was taking home enough food for a couple of meals!
After cooking class, I took Calie to Abigail’s birthday party at a gymnastics place. Happy 4th Birthday Abigail! And then we headed to Sam’s house for a barbecue dinner play date. The boys played Pokemon cards, while the girls tested each other on writing and reading (they are just learning this in school, and I love their enthusiasm!) Of course, we also watched some Olympics. Melissa wasn’t there, as she and Sandy were at a dance competition in San Francisco … Melissa was awarded 2nd in scholarship, and Sandy placed 2nd in multi. Congratulations!!!
Sunday, we spent the day at the state fair. I purchased a Fun Pack at work with 4 admission, 4 rides, and 1 parking ticket for $10. The kids also received 2 ride tickets each for as part of the state fair reading incentive. We started the hot day with rides.
We walked through a bird exhibit, and the kids spent a lot of time at the Wizard (science) exhibit. I won 3rd place in a magic themed crossword puzzle – disappointing given my impression of the average state fair attendee, but not to surprising given my lack of pop culture knowledge. I picked a disappearing ball kit as my prize.
(I didn’t even hang on for 20 seconds – need to work on that upper body strength … or alternatively, lose some weight!)
We had lunch at The Promenade, while watching a belly dancing troupe. My co-worker Alicia rocked the stage – hard to believe she’s a mom of a teenager, a 3-year-old and a full time program manager in a high tech company. Awesomeness! As it was the last day, food sample sizes were generous, and we took home 2 books, pencils, and handful of raisin boxes from the Sun-Maid exhibit. We intentionally skipped the farm animals, and ended the day in the toy exhibit. I could be biased, but toys from the 80s were the best! They don’t make My Little Ponies like they used to!
