rachel's continued ramblings

cali trip 2011–day 5

and it was BACK to the bay area for us!

we met grandpa dick at the oakland zoo, where he volunteers, and had a great time wandering around and seeing all the animals.

layla and micah w/ the tortoises. they were HUGE! checking out the siamangs. I’m always a fan of trains. even smaller zoo trains. we didn’t have time to ride it this time though. flamingos playing in the sprinkler. our family and grandpa dick by the elephants. layla, kissing the pig for gramma laurie. micah, kissing a pig butt… because he’s micah. hopping lily pads in the children’s zoo. micah, showing that he’s part frog. our family. we had a really nice family picture that we took here 2 years ago, and I wanted to update it. this one didn’t turn out as good. oh well. layla, the spider. layla and shane on a caterpillar.

after the zoo, we made a brief stop to see nana: where we played with toys… and ate cheetoh’s…

then laurie dropped dave and I off with nolan to head to the giants game. selfie at the game. it was SO cold!!! the hot chocolate vender was my best friend!

but it was a good game. the giants won and we got to see brian wilson pitch. I kinda wish I’d had his beard. I probably would have been warmer!

cali trip 2011–day 4

to san francisco we go!

as we were driving, there was some sort of stench. layla put masking tape over her nose so she couldn’t smell it.

first stop was pier 39 and lunch. matt’s lunch of beer. he also had a loaf of sourdough. this sign was on a post by one of the restaurants. LOL! I happen to think that’s a very good idea!

alcatraz.

layla was really excited to see the sea lions. our family, with the bay and alcatraz in the background.

next stop: cable car ride! while waiting to buy tickets, micah (followed by layla and madeline) discovered some ants! layla and her daddy, taking in scenery while waiting for our turn on the cable car. almost our turn. on board! we were packed in like sardines! shane, josh, gary, matt, and laurie, all rode standing on the side. next time, I want to do that!

we got off in chinatown and walked back, taking in some sights on the way. shane, madeline, josh, and layla taking a little rest on the corner.

the famous lombard street! when dave, shane and I were there 7 years ago, we actually drove down it. pretty cool.

don’t see that every day…

then we crossed the golden gate bridge. another thing I’d never done! bridges both fascinate and freak me out at the same time. it was very impressive to cross, but I was happy when we got to the other side. driving on. the kids and the bridge. there is a big rest stop on the other side with great vantage points. me and the bridge (and layla). dave and i… and the bridge. our family… and the bridge. laurie and gary… and the bridge… with christie and I creepin’ in on the shot. all of us… and the bridge!

after we finished taking ALL of our pictures with the bridge, we drove back across and headed to the beach. the fog was just rolling in when we got there, AND it was very windy. so we didn’t stay too long. dave, lauren, layla, and micah building a sand castle… or, lacking any buckets or molds, a pile surrounded by a moat. running away from the waves. they all wound up a little wet. micah was IN LOVE with the sand. he probably could have stayed there all day. layla and lauren, doing their own digging… layla, with her feet. selfie at the beach.

after the beach, we took a little tour through san mateo (where gary and laurie used to live) and saw their old house, the house where gary grew up, the jack in the box where several of them worked, etc. then we had pizza at aldo’s. laurie, christie, and melissa at the ‘adult table’. the ‘kids table’.