Muir Woods - a spellbound experience (Part 2)

 

 On the last day before my brother's family had to take off for Albania, we decided to take the kids to the Muir Woods up in Marin County and enjoy the trails of the amazing red woods.  We weren't disappointed.  The weather was warm and the natural beauty that surrounded us was striking.  When we visit this particular park, we usually take the shorter trail, the one that is rather flat and whose wide boardwalks are paved and aided often by rails.  It takes you to the most well-known groves of red woods.  However, my older kids wanted to take the long and steep trail that took us through the forest and all the way up and down its course.  We all had a humbling experience trailing through the thousand year old trees.  The older kids didn't stop for rest ever, but Charlton and I, and Marcel and Aubrie took it easy.  I'm happy to say that although we had to walk slow and often find fun spots to rest, Charlton walked all of the almost 4 steep miles by himself.  We had a good time climbing, looking for various kinds of ferns and mushrooms, listening to the birds and trying to find bats flying around.  The hike down was a bit harder for Charlton, who started complaining about his shoes hurting his toes, which was true enough since he didn't have tennis shoes on but boots.  Nevertheless, we all made it, and when we got to the paved boardwalks, even Charlton was getting to enjoy this enchanted forest.

 

 

Here are some of the resting spots that Charlton and Marcel found  for themselves:

The kids had so much fun being together in the nature and enjoying the magical red wood forest.  They collected all sorts of leaves, rocks and above all unforgettable memories with their cousins.  My favorite part of the hike was when we got to the top and could see all of the forest we had hiked, as well as the luscious rolling hills of Marin County that expanded all the way to the horizon where the sea and the sky made love to each other.  Just breathtaking!

 

“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”-John Muir-

This was a great way to conclude our time together.  Both my brother and sister-in-law are avid campers and love the outdoors.  This was their favorite part of their whole Christmas vacation.  We made a lot of plans for when we would see each other again.  I hope some of those ideas come to fruition.

My sweet brother and his family (Part 1)

As soon as we got off our plane in San Francisco, we headed home with enthusiasm and excitement.  My brother and his family were visiting and had arrived at my home at the same time as our plane's landing.  I hadn't seen my brother for over a year, and although we Skype all the time, it's different when I get to spend time with him and his family.  Furthermore, they hadn't seen my kids since we moved here, and Charlton was just four months old.

My brother and his family have been living abroad for a while.  He is preparing for his PhD theses and has been able to find scholarships and fellowships all over the world.  They lived one year in Italy, came back to the states and then moved back to Europe, one year in Sweden and one year splitting it between Belgium and France.  He was actually getting to enjoy Belgium when he received an email from the Church's Headquarters offering him a job with the Church Education System in Albania.  This came as a surprise to him and his family because the career he was pursuing was that of a political nature, and he hadn't thought to work for the church.  Needless to say, after lots of prayers and consideration, he accepted the job offer and has been working in Albania for a year as an Institute Director working with the mission president and branch presidents to help the youth of the church in Albania receive gospel instruction and guidance, as well as finding friends with the same standards.  So far, according to my mother, he has had an amazing influence on our youth, and has revitalized seminary and institute teaching.

They came to visit Aubrie's family in Utah for Christmas, and since they were so close, I asked if he wouldn't mind driving down here so we could share New Year's with each other.  They have two boys, so all the boys had a grand time playing with each other.  Aubrie made sure Gillian didn't feel left out; they played duets on the piano and Medlir included her in our philosophical discussions.

They visited with us for almost a week.  We slept in, we talked, we went out to eat, we listened to European music, and we went sightseeing to as many places as time permitted.

We started by taking them to Treasure Island so they could have a good view of San Francisco and the two bridges.  The day was beautiful and the view couldn't help but be stunning!

We paused at Fort Point for a better look of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The children had a fabulous time playing with each other, breathing the fresh air, and spotting sea lions, star fish, squids, various kinds of birds such as herons, albatrosses, black birds, and an awesome close up of a pelican. 

We stopped to eat, and then decided to visit the Oakland Temple grounds before heading home.  My brother's kids were so excited that we got to visit the gardens on top of the temple that they didn't want to leave.  We all enjoyed the breathtaking views that the temple has to offer from all sides, and made a pact that maybe next year when the Rome Italy Temple gets dedicated we can all meet there.  Sounds like an awesome idea to me!

The next day we opted out for a relaxing time, so we took the kids to the Zoo and let them have fun.  In the evening, we found a babysitter for all of our kids, and us adults headed out for some delicious Indian food.

The Zoo day had given us time to store some energy, which we needed for our San Francisco fun tour the next day. We started with Pier 39 by taking a picture at the beautiful Christmas tree, enjoying a real magic show, seeing a San Francisco fireboat (about which the kids got very excited), imitating the sea lions' calls, and trying to have the kids taste some cooked crab.

Along our Fisherman's Wharf stroll, we stopped by the Arcade Museum, where the kids tried every single game, and wanted more.  Since I didn't want to be bankrupt by my boys, I diverted their attention to the submarine anchored nearby, the USS Pampanito, and had all the kids go inside.  It doesn't matter how many times I take my kids inside, they will always come out excited.  As for me, I get claustrophobic, so the sooner we are out of there the better.

After walking for a long while, the kids got super excited when they saw the beach, and we told them they could go and do whatever they wanted.  In unison, they each took their shoes and socks off and stuck their feet in the cold January ocean water.  I was getting shivers just looking at them.  Gillian dug holes with Luca and then wrote love notes on the sand, Jefferson enjoyed dipping his feet in the water, James played catch with his uncle, and Charlton and Marcel got hold of the snacks. 

As if the cold water wasn't enough, the kids requested to have some ice cream across the street at Ghirardelli.  I personally got some hot chocolate, but all the kids were in heaven as they chewed their waffle cones crunchily and licked their ice cream before it dripped on their faces.

The day had been a success, and the kids fell asleep on the way home from exhaustion. I like fun sightseeing, delicious food and awesome company all combined in one packaged day.

Two more days with my brother... How times flies.