Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park

One camping trip that i remember going on has a child was to SNP. Since we have lived in the Central Valley i have wanted to take Christopher but we never find the time. Now that we are leaving the area, it has been on our top things to do. Since Mark and Lynn have never been we decided to take them one day while they were in town staying with us. There was alot of pictures taken during this trip and I'm sorry i can not show they all to you, but here are the ones from each of our stops.

Our first stop on the trip was at the Hume Lake Ranger Station.

Our next stop on the road trip was Kings Canyon Visitors Center @ Grant Grove Village. I'm alittle disappointed that we did not walk out to the General Grant Tree. But we seen alot of beautiful things that day.

Our next stop along the way was at the Redwood Mountain Overlook: redwood mountain grove. Which is the largest grove of Sequoias in the world. It was a pretty cool view. Christopher found some bugs and was pretty happy.

So as we are moving on down the "Generals Hwy" we came to a turn out, and decided to stop at the last minute. Turns out this is the Lost Grove. It was our first group of pretty large trees, it was just awesome to see. The picture right about this where Mark is at: "The 3 Sisters" that is what Mark named those tree behind him. The where all kinda grown together. There was a big tree at the top of the hill that Chris and I climbed up in. He said it was too dark mama, in there, he wanted to leave. Another great thing about the area, was the wildflowers they were so colorful, and they were everywhere.

                                                 

                                     

General Sherman Tree trail: It was cool to see the largest tree in the World, Yes the world. As you can tell from the pictures, we are so tiny compare, with the massive creatures. It is amazing to witness the beautiful world around us.

                                       

Next stop was the Giant Forest Museum: We ate lunch tailgate style. We went through the museum and learned many interesting facts about the area. We got to see the sentinel tree and drove through tunnel log. Other things we seen were auto log. A tree had fallen, and our guess is they used it for a bridge along time ago.

Moro Rock was our last stop inside the park. We climbed 400 steps up to the top of a huge granite dome. We could see the great western divide, a crest of 13,000 foot peaks capped by snow. It is the largest dome in the park. But the 360 degree view is one of the best i have seen. This side of Half Dome that is.

After waiting 45mins in Road work, we headed out of the park, and down into Three River. Jaime wanted to check out Lake Kaweah, which is a Corp lake at the base of the valley in a small town called Lemon Cove.  Our Friend Valerie McKay works there, and we figured this might be our only time to visit her at work. To our surprise we ran on to our Friend Adam who works at Pine Flat, and Skip who is the Senior Ranger at Englebright. It was a great surprise to see them both. So we hassle Skip about Jaime start date, but nothing new.

Wine Tasting with the Ramirez's

Right after 4th of July Mark and Lynn came down to stay for the week. Jaime and I were going to leave for our 10 year anniversary. But we decided to stay in town, and do things that we have not yet been able to do. On Jaime's first day off we took his parents wine tasting and then spent the day in Fresno. Our first stop was at Appellation California. It is a new place wine tasting and visitors Center for the Central Valley, so they have many wines to choose from. One bottle that i got was a pomegranate wine. Called Twin Poms. The host told us it would be great mixed with 7up and Vodka. So of course i wanted a bottle to try out for my birthday in August or just to have. http://www.appellationcalifornia.com/ and http://twinpom.com/

Our second stop was at Ficklin Vineyards. Jaime has fallen in Love with Port. Something he has not liked before. But at Christmas we went on the Madera Wine Stroll and Tractor lighting. Ficklin was there, and ever since Jaime has been hooked. The winery has great history, and it was interesting listen to the guy tell us about the winery.  http://www.ficklin.com/ Mark and Lynn bought us 3 bottle of port for our anniversary.

4th of July 2010

My mom came for a visit for the 4th. It was a nice weekend. Cupcakes, Cookies, Cheesecake. mmmmm
This years Menu had.... Cheddar Turkey Burgers, Red White Blue Potato Salad, Corn on the Cob, a yummy fruit salad. We had a wonderful day. We took a picnic lunch out to Eastman Lake where Jaime works. sandwich, chips, pasta salad, and some fruit. We were lucky enough that Jaime could take us out on the boat for a ride, while he was doing Boat Patrol. He drove us back where the Eagle's have been nesting to see if they were out enjoying the day. Sure enough one was perched on a branch, right on the lake. Christopher got a kick out of seeing it. It was huge. I tried to get a picture of it flying back to the nest, but i was not fast enough. But the wing span was crazy. When we returned from the Lake we hit up the pool, i was hoping Christopher would get a short nap in. Sadly i was wrong. That evening after dinner, him and Jaime both fell asleep about 630pm and didnot get up until the next morning around 630am- 7am. So we missed the fireworks. I watched movies in bed, while they both slept. But we could have not asked for a better all around day.

Things we Enjoyed in June

I know i had several post for June. But i wanted to share some things that did not get posted that we enjoyed. This Month we went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Celebrated Fathers Day, Went to a Corp picnic, enjoyed a day at the water park, Christopher went to the dentist for the first time, and we enjoyed a day of hiking at Bass Lake. But there were things that we also enjoyed that i did not write about.

We spent endless days at the pool. This month Christopher started jumping in the pool alone and going underwater. Everybody, has been so impressed with his skills.

Me and Jaime started wine tasting on the Madera Wine Trail. I just hope that we will get to visit all the wineries before we move

Chris spent many days outdoors and playing in the dirt

I'm sad to say Boston Celtics lost to the LA Lakers. In a great series. We still love you Boston

We took Christopher bowling twice this month. Every time he just loved it. Maybe he will get his father's Red Rhino.

SPK District Picnic: USACE

Elk Grove, Ca

So this year Jaime decided he wanted to go to his district picnic. The had it in Elk Grove at the Rotary Park. Just wanted to share a couple of the pictures from the day. Christopher really loved trying to hula hoop and Frisbee. Angela dressed up like Bobby the Beaver. Alyson dressed up as Bobber the Water Safety Dog. Everyone had a wonderful and sunny day.
PS sorry to make this short but Blogger was giving me trouble with the pictures, so I'm giving up.

Father Day's 2010

Happy Father's Day

We are so grateful to have you in our lives. We work very hard for Christopher & I. Whether you are spending time doing things that Christopher enjoys or working hard to give us those things, your commitment to this family is something that we will never forget. Christopher is the luckiest Son. Thank you for everything.

Love a lucky mom and a much luckier wife.

What is your summer plan?

May has come and gone. With June slipping by, our summer is slowly passing us by... I asked my self what is the plan for summer?
June: Well in June we have already been to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Wild Water Adventures, and on several short day hikes. I cant forget all our days lounging pool side. Also Christopher has already spent a week in Corning with his grandparents. I'm sure he had a full schedule of events. Starting off with SF Zoo, Pier 39, caper acres, company picnic, and even a birthday party. For the rest of the month we have the USACE picnic in Elk Grove, maybe another Baseball game, some more hiking trips, and still possibly a visit from the grandparents. And we cant forget Fathers Day
July: Not sure what Christopher and I will do, but Jaime has to work 4th of July night. "For the 2nd year in a row" :( The 2nd week in July Jaime's mom will come to stay with Chris for our anniversary. July 6th-8th, we will head to Oakland, Ca. We spend a little time all over. Jack London Square, SF, A's vs Yankee's, and who know what else. Christopher will spend another week up in Corning. I will also go to my gf baby shower  in Santa  Rosa. I'm sure me and Jaime will hit up YNP and do some hiking. The Last week of July we will spend at our friends cabin In north Tahoe, and both our families will join us.
August: hopefully by this time we know where we are going to be living. So i can get Chris enrolled in school. I turn 34 this August, and we are planning a Chico trip with our college friends Amanda & Bryan
That is what i got so far. I just like being with our family and friends. Relaxing and enjoying life