California Wonders

No photos today, so all you dial-up users can breathe a sigh of relief.

We have been in CA for 3 full days now. Days that have been full of naps and food. Days where the Sprouts have had fun and been homesick all at the same time. Days when Mr. Barefoot has been happier than I see him at any other time of the year.

I am loving CA. Yesterday, we went to Columbia. They have a cute little village that is set up like a living museum of the gold rush days. The Sprouts, Mr. Barefoot, and Grandpa D had a blast panning for gold. We wandered around for a while, picking up a few souvenirs and getting ice cream before finding some lunch at a FABULOUS cafe in Sonora and then heading back to the house.

Big Sprout and I went up the mountain today and went walking near one of the reservoirs. It was beautiful and so fun to spend time alone with my big girl. We get so little time together without Little Sprout, and I know she misses it. I had to laugh at her, though, because she wanted to run up the trail - read: mountain - and she got very frustrated when she didn't make it very far before having to rest. Poor thing! She can't understand why, being MN born and bred, she can't run up and down the mountains the same way she runs up and down the hills at home.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing normal, homey things. Big Sprout spent hours with her Gramma J, who she met for the first time when we arrived here in CA. I was shocked and pleased to see how quickly she has warmed up to her new Gramma. I headed into town and picked up groceries, making my Chicken Stir Fry recipe for supper.

Mostly, things are pretty uneventful. Yosemite is planned for Saturday, and tomorrow we are planning to visit more family down in the Bay area.

Stay tuned....