To Gualala, a-camping we will go

Last year we found this beach across the street from our redwood river hideaway.

This year we couldn't wait to go back and stay for the entire day.

And it was a GORGEOUS day!

We packed the day with all things beachy...

Sand sculptures...she's a mermaid ;) 

and I snapped this one as she was checking out her 'figure'

....this face is classic: 

The beach is littered with driftwood and quite a few of these were already constructed onsite.

The girls used them as playhouses.

And the boys used the wood to make us a table.

Well, by boys I mean Abe. 

He is quite the engineer.  And he had big plans for that table later on.

Des showed her mad weaving skills and hooked us all up with seagrass bracelets.

They were awesome :)

The weather was perfect and we basically had the beach ALL to ourselves!

People would walk onto the beach and leave almost as quickly.

We kinda had a monopoly going.

The guys lugged shovels out onto the beach and dug hole after hole.

Some were reinforced as huts.

 

And others were used for our meals.

In fact we ate twice down at the beach.

But dinner was EPIC.

Abe had smoked pulled pork and Des chopped up sweet potatoes, squash and mushrooms.

Then it was placed into a sandy pit.

For two hours:

 

Meanwhile, we just hung out.

Climbing cliffs:

Exploring tidal caves...

 And lots and lots of time in the water:

And oooomigoodness....did I mention how much our dog LOVES the ocean??

He was completely in his element.  

He chased wave after wave and followed the kids everywhere they went. 

We capped off the evening with classic smores. 

I've loved reminiscing about this day.

It's been such a happy thought as I shake the sand from all our clothes.

The laundry has been a nightmare but the 

memories are priceless. 

We're already plotting our beach meals for next year.  

Though the BBQ pulled pork will be hard to beat!

Gah isn't camping always about the food? ;)

What a gift to share it with amazing friends!

BFF Baby Shower

Over two decades ago I met a pretty blonde and for some reason we hit it off.  Back in Jr. High that meant sleepovers and parties, football games and comparing lists of boyfriends.  

Flash foward through two weddings, three houses and any number of birthday parties between us, she's still one of my dearest friends.

So it was quite a thrill when she called me to tell me she was expecting her 5th little bundle of joy!  

And if you can't tell by now...I'll do anything for a party! 

Fortunately, I knew exactly who I was planning for:

And with a little boy in mind I bust out the toys and lions and tigers oh, MY!

I used many of the same tricks as I did for my sister's shower...but this time with a retro circus vibe.

There was the candy bar:

...with Snakes and Snails (gummy worms) and puppy dog tails (marshmallow twists)

and 1000 Grands in the College Fund jar.

Another highlight was the sock monkey filled with ....

blessings written by the shower guests. 

And I even tried my hand at some silly silhouette's on the wall, um that one's supposed to be a tiger.  

On the tables was a plethora of goodies.

A tub of peanuts propped up the party masks, which were a fun addition to the day.

 And the party bags were filled with homemade carmel popcorn.   

The cups were adorned with animal noses so that when you held them up,.....well I'd better just show you: 

 Originally, I had wanted to place giant peacock feathers in the centerpieces...but with budget constraints, I opted for peacock napkins.

And spent more on prizes: 

Ang's mom always goes all out for parties.  So I'll just say this affair was catered by SUE ;)

She literally makes over a dozen hordourves that are delicious!

We split dessert duty, where she went traditional:

And I went the cupcake route.  

This was my first time filling the cakes.....

I made two types, Lemon with cheesecake filling and creamcheese frosting: 

And chocolate, chocolate with strawberry jam inside:

I did loosen the reigns a bit and let Ang's daughters add the frosting.

And that's all I'll say about them ;) besides they were delicious.

I had a blast decorating for this shindig...and I'll post more about the actual shower next.

John Muir House Tour

I know, I  know! We JUST get back from Spring Break and off we go on a field trip!

Ah, that's the beauty of homeschooling!

We started off with a quick Youtube biography of John Muir. Check it out for yourself here.

I've always thought of this man as inspiring in the areas of conservation and exploration. 

I did not know he was also a Scottish immigrant and creator inventor.

He traveled around like a tramp for a good deal of his life.  

Going as far as Alaska to find glaciers, like this one which was eventually named after him:

But when he finally meet and married his wife, he decided to
 settle down for 10 years to support his family.

In that one decade he made more than 4 times what most of us will see in our lifetime.

His trade?  Fruit trees.  

Aside from being a wise businessman, he was also an author.  Eventually penning more than a dozen books.

But even as a published author, it was his passion for conserving nature that made him famous.

He started the Sierra Club and even had the privilege of camping
 for a few days with President Theodore Roosevelt. 

At home he lived humbly with his two daughters and his wife.

And he didn't live in this 10,000 sq ft mansion until the very end of his life.  

It was originally his father-in-law's retirement home.

All the touches of elegance were most likely there from his in-laws.   

Factoids aside, we thoroughly enjoyed our docent.

Seriously, we (mommas of the group) offered to pay him to tour other CA parks with our group!

He told engaging stories, but more than that he wasn't the least bit condescending to the kids.

And that is a quality I admire in an adult leader!

We ended the tour up in the attic ringing the bell in the tower.  

And from a photographic standpoint the lighting was amazing!

After our tour we hung out near the Adobe house on site and had lunch.

I couldn't believe what a warm day it was....but the kids ran around this orchard like it was going out of style.  The perfect ending to a fantastic field trip!

Just ask him....

no never mind he was too hot to answer respectfully ;)

Nothing we love more than learning alongside great friends.

Here is just a few of our crew:

And John Muir, we'll be back to hike your trails next time.