Trip to Arcata, California July 19-21

When we accepted the transfer to California, we decided that we needed to spend our time here wisely. For us that meant seeing as much of California as we could in whatever time we ended up having here. We took a day trip to Point Reyes a couple weeks ago but took zero photos! I guess that means we'll just have to repeat that trip...which is fine with me because I still want to see the light house. 

We spent three days in the Arcata area earlier this week and I'm happy to report that we took lots and lots of photos. So let's get started. 

This first photo was taken in Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park and was our first view of the redwoods. We were mesmerized from the very first. The photo doesn't do the forest justice at all. We really felt like we were in a different world and that we'd never seen anything like it. This particular stand of redwoods in only about a square mile and it's one of the furthest inland grove of redwoods there is. We felt as though the road was just built around the trees; fit in and around and winding through the trees where ever it would fit. 

  

These next three pictures were taken the evening we arrived in Arcata at Mad River County Park. It was a lovely beach...quite a lot like the only other beaches the kids have ever been to which were in Oregon. It was not hot, and there was a bit of a breeze, but Sarah, Dayton and Maggie had a real blast. I think they could have stayed and played in the surf all night if we would have let them. We found tons of broken sand dollars and we were hopeful to find a whole one, but no luck.

Many redwoods are hollowed out in the middle and sometimes completely split in half so you can walk right through!

A hollowed out stump of a fallen redwood.

The three billy goats looking for a troll under the bridge.

Dayton climbs everything (just like Davis). Usually his sisters follow him right up, but they couldn't get up this particular tree which was growing out of the stump of another tree.

This next series of pictures was taken Monday morning in Arcata Community Forest. We were right behind Humboldt State University, still pretty much right in the city. It was a really lovely area with a bunch of nice trails and views. One of the kid's favorite things in this area were several hollowed out redwood stumps. Unfortunately, the first such stump they found was occupied by a homeless person! They were a little freaked out and approached the rest of the trees with a little more caution. This was a gorgeous little area, but was definitely not cared for as well as the other two forests we visited. It was right in town and there were a LOT of homeless people who were obviously making the hollowed trees their home and there was also quite a bit of trash and a little bit of vandalism.

Dayton kept talking about how George Lucas filmed part of Star Wars in the Redwoods, so we made the kids pose in the ferns so they would look like Ewoks!

This last group of photographs was taken on a hike at the "Avenue of the Giants" which is a route just off the 101. This was our favorite part of the trip for sure! We have never seen anything so full of beauty. Not just a pretty view around each bend of the hiking trail....every square inch of this place is incredible! I wish I were better with words and I'm glad I took lots of pictures because I never want the kids to forget this place!

Oregon Crusaders Audition Camp 2013

 Check out how many teenagers my minivan, Claire, will hold! Thank goodness they are such good (really, really good) teenagers. Three of them were offered contracts to be Oregon Crusaders for the 2014 season! The other three received call backs which I'm sure will be followed by contracts as well. (*Edit-Sorry, my bad. Four of these talented young people were offered contracts!)

 By the way, it is a 7+ hour drive from Kuna to Aurora, Oregon where the auditions were held.

 I hate to be negative but I'm gonna be anyway...Chance and I spent an awful lot of money flying Davis back and forth to Portland last year for camps. So, I thought if I could drive him instead (and get his pals to pitch in some gas money) and volunteer to cook so I could stay at the school for free, it'd be a lot cheaper. And it was, it was nearly free! But man, did I work hard! You may or may not be aware that I really don't like hard work. At all. Hate it.

Also, I got very little sleep. You may or may not know that I sleep a minimum of 8 hours a night. And I nap every afternoon. Every. Afternoon. I sleep a lot. Except this past weekend when I slept very, very little.

So the combination of hard work and little sleep was a crappy combination for this mama. But I love my kid and like my father-in-law used to say, "I can sleep when I'm dead."

Black Friday 2012

Dayton is all snug in his bunk at the River Cabin. His tummy is full of warm soup that Papa Dale had ready for us and perhaps he is dreaming of the dogs he and Nama Jane saw on the dog show.

Sarah and Maggie are sleeping over with cousins at the Log Cabin and Davis is staying up late watching tv.

Daddy is home trying to recover from Black Friday...just in time to do it again tomorrow.

I wish we were all together, but I'm content knowing we are all safe and happy.

Giving Thanks 2012

The Hodgson's celebrated our first Thanksgiving without our beloved patriarch, Kent, this year. I think he would have been proud of us. We made too much food and ate ourselves silly. We laughed a lot and cried a little. And we carried on his tradition of pictures of the table and people eating!

Maggie showed up just long enough to surprise Chance with his favorite dessert. I haven't seen him smile like that in weeks. Thank goodness for sisters.

July 28, 2011

July 27, 2011

July 26, 2011

July 25, 2011

July 24, 2011