Summer Adventures

This week, the kids and I went on the following adventures:

Monday: Mount Diablo State Park. We packed up lunches and snacks and headed up to explore caves and trails, and to get a 360 degree view of Northern California. The girls are turning into good little hikers. Our first stop was at Rock City, where we picked up the "Trail Through Time." This is a self-guided tour that takes you along the Summit Trail, pointing out evidence of various geological time periods and fault activity. We only followed it through the Indian grinding stones and the wind caves. Next, we traveled to the summit, where we visited the observation station and visitor center. Then, we hiked the Mary Bowerman trail, which leads you around the top of the mountain, full circle. A self-guided tour brochure is available, which we followed. The trail is half paved, half narrow gauge track, and only 0.7 miles. We had fun learning about the different types of rocks and plants growing on Mount Diablo.

Tuesday: We visited Fairyland, meeting friends along the way. We went straight to the pool for swim lessons, and just swimming, stopping at Mulberry's for a cold treat. On the way home, we saw friends running a lemonade stand, so we stopped for a little snack and a visit. Finally, we arrived home, with just enough time to eat, get cleaned up, and find our library books, so we could head over to our local library, which was having a free magic show. Definitely a fun day and we were all worn out at the end of it.

Wednesday - 4th of July!!! We all went to the local parade, which the kids had been looking forward to for weeks. They love this parade, and it's one of the last small-town type parades. Afterward, we had friends with kids over for a BBQ. The older girls stayed up to watch fireworks, tromping up to the top of the hill, to see them in the distance, but they got cold quickly and the fog obscured some of the view.

Thursday:  This was our "quiet" errand day. Elizabeth had a haircut. Everyone went swimming. Helen learned to swim independently today - all on her own!! John had his two-year check up. He's doing great, of course, staying in the top percentiles for height and weight: 35" tall and 28 pounds. I was relieved when the doctor and I had a frank discussion of dirt and the things little ones get into, and it turns out that little kids getting really dirty is good for them. So let you kids get dirty!