Yosemite

 

 October brought the whole Foster clan together in California.  It was Uncle Dave's first trip out to visit us, so we planned a special trip to Yosemite National Park.  He and Grandma flew out on a Thursday, and we left Friday afternoon for Evergreen Lodge right outside the western entrance to Yosemite.  We are about 3 hours west of Yosemite Valley, and although the lodge was not super easy to find - it was definitely worth the trip to get there!  We had a cabin with two bedrooms, living space, bathroom and porch that overlooked the heated pool, hot tub, and club house.  The "lodge" included a bar and dining room with a fairly upscale menu and an extensive selection of wine and beer.   There was also a new recreation center full of kids toys, books, and puppets, as well as pool tables, shuffle puck, board games, etc.  I would highly suggest that others who plan to travel to Yosemite look into staying at the Evergreen Lodge www.evergreenlodge.com !

On Saturday after a delicious breakfast, we headed into Yosemite towards Mariposa Grove to see the Giant Sequoias.  We arrived around noon, bought a couple snacks to hold us over until "lunch" and decided to hike through the grove rather than take the open-air one hour tram tour.  Four hours later, after a 1,000 foot ascent over 2.5 miles and then the subsequent trip back down, we finally got back on the free shuttle to the parking lot. I know, 5 miles may not seem like much to some - but I'm not exactly used to that kind of hike.  But it was worth it.  The grove contains trees that are among the oldest and largest living things on earth - some trees are more than 3,000 years old, almost 300 feet high, and 40 feet in diameter - and they're everywhere you look!

Can you find Uncle Dave?

("Grizzly Giant" above and below - one of the largest trees in the grove and over 1,800 years old)

Taking a break... yes Mike and Dave brought beers on our hike.

Andrew's walking stick

Let's keep moving, slow pokes!

This was the Wawona Tunnel Tree - In 1881, a hole was cut through this tree and millions of visitors came just to drive through it between then and 1969 when it fell due to a record snow.

Look at Uncle Dave on top of the tree!

Look at Uncle Dave crossing the log bridge!  (This picture doesn't show it well., but the log was easily 10 feet off the ground and you didn't NEED to cross via the log).

We stopped at a pull-off on our way back to Yosemite Valley.  Unfortunately, we were stuck in the shadow of the mountain, so the pictures below just don't do it justice, but it was truly gorgeous.  After a very nice dinner at Mountain View Restaurant, we headed back to Evergreen Lodge. On the way out of the park, we drove along the base of El Capitan (the tall mountain to the left of Dave's head in the picture below) and noticed the mountain was glittering with the lights of climbers, hanging on the face of the mountain. Maybe in my next life I'll be an avid climber, because looking up at it that night, I couldn't think of anything more exhilarating and rewarding than being one of those lights on the mountain.

El Capitan and Half Dome

The next morning we headed back into Yosemite Valley to do the Visitor Center and gift shops before picking a hike for the day.  On our way in, I noticed a handful of people out of their cars with cameras pointed all in the same direction... and that can only mean one thing in a National Park in California - A BEAR!!!  We pulled over and jumped out to join the onlookers.  We were thrilled and Andrew showed his excitement by pointing and saying "Ruf" over and over.  Nice shot bud, I can see the confusion... we just had to teach him what a bear says instead and now he growls like a champ when you ask him what a bear says!

Apparently, this was our day to see wildlife - at our next step, the Yosemite Wilderness Center, there were two stags just wandering through the village. 

Our future ranger posing with a real one!

Yosemite Falls.. or, it would be if we were here in May or June. 

After a quick hike to the dry Lower Yosemite Fall, we jumped on the free shuttle towards Vernal Fall - where water was flowing.  We hiked for 0.75 miles at an elevation gain of 400 feet... again, that doesn't seem like much when you see it written here - but trust me - it was STEEP.  Linda and I decided to stay at the foot bridge where we could see the falls and hang out with Andrew while Mike and Dave continued to the top of the falls.  They hiked for another 0.75 miles at an additional 600 feet elevation gain, climbing a steep granite stairway of over 600 steps!  I am so glad I decided to call Uncle - Mike's toes are still bruised from his descent!  After our hike, we did some obligatory "giftshop" shopping before heading home - exhausted but content with our mini vacation... I truly felt as John Muir promised, "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine into trees."

 

Before heading to the waterfall.

Mike's view of the fall near the top.

The Foster Brothers.

September Wrap-Up... Better Late than Never!

Buoyed by our successful trip to Capitola in August, we bookended September with two day trips to the coast.  



We started our first trip of the month with a stop at Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA. This was on recommendation of a friend of mine who knows Mike loves his beer (I'm not sure there's anyone who doesn't know Mike loves beer).  Apparently this brewery has won several World Beer Cup Awards, but is still fairly small and only distributes to four states... so, of course we had to go try some!  The beer was definitely good, but the brew pub was packed (on a Sunday at noon!) and after waiting 30 minutes for a table, we found out that we couldn't get a sampler because it would be another 45 minute wait due to their popularity and limited sampler sets to go around.

After lunch and a beer or two, we took the very scenic route to the coast.  We ended up watching the fog roll in and hide the sun while still looking for a good place to stop.  Since cell service is unreliable in most of the coastal areas, we didn't really know where we were until a sign pointed out we were near Muir Beach.  We had tried to go here on Father's Day, but couldn't find parking due to the crowds... well, today we were in luck... kinda.  Due to the weather, there was parking (although still pretty crowded), but it was really cold and windy.  No worries, we bundled up and enjoyed watching Andrew take in this change of weather and his complete excitement of being back on the beach.

Look Mom!  A seal!

The end of September was still really hot here, but the forecast promised a cool down... so , we headed to the ocean for one last time this year.  Although there were no seal sightings and traffic was very slow in spots due to Pumpkin Patches (our first sign of fall!), we had a nice time picnicking and letting Andrew run and play to his heart's content.

 

Prancing and doing cartwheels for Andrew's entertainment... I hope some day he remembers how crazy and silly I try to be just for his amusement!!

Home is Where the Heart Is

Well, the day finally came... my childhood home is officially For Sale.  When my Mom forwarded the listing to me with the subject "This will make you sad,"  I don't think she expected I'd spend much of the rest of the day in tears... but that's just what I did.  The news wasn't shocking, they've been prepping the house for months, but it really hit home (pardon the pun) as I clicked through the photos of the rooms I grew up in, knowing it may be the last time I got to "walk" through the house. I know, many people would say, "It's just a house."  But, oh, how wrong they would be...


Many happy memories are forever set in the scene of that "house" - We have celebrated over one hundred birthdays, over thirty Thanksgivings and Christmas mornings, hosted numerous slumber parties, spent endless summer afternoons in the pool and countless family dinners at the kitchen table.  In more recent years, the house has seen four graduation parties, one bridal shower, one baby shower, and Andrew's first birthday. 

Many special images are forever imprinted on my brain from that "house" - Girl Scout cookies piled high in the living room, Indian Princesses running through the basement, ballet recitals performed in the den, softball practices in the front yard and prom pictures in the gardens.

Many favorite sensory experiences will forever trigger memories of that "house" - The hum of the attic fan on hot summer nights, car lights passing across my parent's bedroom wall at night, the click of my Mom's heels on the stone front hall in the morning, the heavenly smell of Sunday pot roast in the oven, and the excitement of watching lightning fill the sky from the front porch during a thunderstorm.

So, that "house" was so much more than a house... it is a home filled with wonderful, wonderful memories.  My parents gave Amanda and I the most amazing gift - a home that we never wanted to say goodbye to.  We were so fortunate to have had the kind of home where our roots could be firmly set, thrive and allow us to grow.  Now, it is time to plant seeds of our own and continue to expand the branches of our family tree.  And, as hard as giving up our home will be, I know that our family is more than just the home we lived in... and I am certain we will continue to make wonderful memories together - in new settings - for years to come.

 

 

 

PS - I'll update the pictures as I get better ones... this all happened very fast, and I only had access to my Mom's pictures from the listing and a couple Amanda sent me from her phone! 

Beach Trip to Santa Cruz and Capitola

One Thursday evening in late August, inspired by a co-worker's story about how he eloped to Vegas,  I announced to Mike that I wanted to hit the beach that weekend.  In usual Mike style, he said, "Great!  Where do you want to go and when are we leaving?"  In a not so typical Melissa style, I decisively said, "Santa Cruz.  Let's leave Saturday, get a hotel and come home Sunday whenever."  I booked our hotel within an hour of that discussion, packed our bags after work the next day, and we were off on Saturday after a quick breakfast.  We headed to Santa Cruz, not knowing at all what to expect other than that there was a boardwalk and a beach.  We were there within 2 hours - perfect amount of time for a nice nap for Andrew - and on the beach shortly thereafter.  Don't forget, this is still Northern California... so when I say we were on the beach, we weren't exactly sun-bathing.  But, there's something about bundling up in the cool, damp ocean breeze with warm fire pits every 50 feet or so (another perk of California beaches). 

After exploring the beach, we decided to head over to the Boardwalk for lunch.  The Boardwalk at Santa Cruz is like Ocean City,  NJ on steroids.  (Neither Mike nor I have been to Wildwood recently enough to compare it, but think something similar with more rides and more food.)

We walked the boardwalk and reminisced about our younger days when we would go on crazy rides, before heading towards the pier to look for lunch. After an "eh" lunch, we followed our ears to the sounds of sea lions barking on the pier.  This was definitely the closest I've ever been to so many wild animals... way closer than you can get at Fisherman's Wharf in San Fran.

After watching the sea lions for awhile and before heading to our hotel, we decided to stop and soak up some of the warm rays that finally broke the clouds.

 

We drove about 10 minutes to the nearby village of Capitola, to check in at the Best Western's Capitola by the Sea.  After unpacking the car and freshening up, we drove the mile and a half into downtown Capitola and immediately fell in love with the quaint surf town.  I immediately pictured us living here, heading to the beach on Sunday mornings with a cup of coffee and a book, watching Andrew surf and paddle board with his younger brother or sister, while Mike walks our dog down the beach... Okay, so obviously my imagination advanced us quite a few years, but some places just do that to you... and Capitola was definitely one of them for me. 

After dinner in the village, we headed back to the hotel to use the pool.  The cool Pacific air was a little much for Andrew in the pool, and although he "warmed up" to the hot tub, he wasn't a big fan of that either.  So, Mommy's much anticipated swim and soak were short lived, but still nice.  Andrew woke up around 12:30 am, not very happy to find himself in his pack'n'play... so, we brought him into bed with us, and after he was satisfied that he woke up the whole hotel, he fell back asleep until 6:00 am.  So, we were up early for the continental breakfast... where Andrew ate more than the Continental Army.  His breakfast included: a quarter of a Belgian waffle, a yogurt, a banana, a small bagel, Cheerios, and of course his bottle of whole milk. Luckily, this seems to have been attributed to a growth spurt, because his appetite has decreased considerably since then (which the doctor warned us would probably happen after we voiced our concern of how much he was eating).  We then headed to the beach in Capitola... a small, warm, white sand beach that was still fairly empty. 

I wanted to stay for the day, but just as the sun broke Mike said he wanted to move on - heading up the coast along Route 101.  I was sure we were going to regret that decision and be stuck in the car during the sunniest part of the day, but I could not have been more wrong.  Within 30 minutes, Mike pulled over for fresh strawberries from a road-side stand - his 2nd best decision of the day (the first being to drive up the coast).  These were the most amazing strawberries I can ever remember eating.  Within 20 minutes of that stop, we decided to pull off at Scott Creek State Beach to have a picnic.  We headed away from the couple people exploring the beach, and towards cliffs that blocked some of the wind.  The sun was out, the picnic was delicious, and the ocean was gorgeous.  It was a perfect setting.  And then, a sea lion emerged from the ocean about 50 yards away... it checked out the beach, turned around and got back into the surf.  Magical. 

 

Post picnic, we packed up the car and headed a little further up the coast before turning inland to head home.