It's a beautiful mornin', I think I'll go outside a while, an just smile...

After having enjoyed two days of Santa Cruz, we decided to trade this beautiful beach area for a warmer city.  Amy invited us to her house in Sacramento, and the kids couldn't have been happier. We decided to call Amy's house (being spacious and all) our beach house #2.  The kids ran around non-stop all day.  Gillian was so happy to be with her best friend, Mary; Jefferson and Caleb couldn't stop their conversation about Harry Potter; Zoe was a master in dividing her time between James and Harrison, but kept complaining about the older girls not including her; Charlton and Mckinley played quietly with each other; Joshua...well Joshua, tried to do anything to get attention; and Truman didn't leave his mother's sight for more than two minutes.  Okay, I got tired just counting all of these kids.  You can only imagine this wasn't my kind of vacation.  I told Amy later after receiving a headache from the constant bangs, complaints and whinings that I had been scammed twice, and I needed my money back from my time at the beach house #2.  We couldn't stop laughing after that.  Good thing the adult company was more than acceptable!

The next day, we took the kids out of the house and straight to nearby Lake Folsom.  This was a very fun place to take kids of all ages.  Everybody had a great time swimming, snorkeling, tubing, and unwinding.  My favorite events were Charlton getting dressed in all of his snorkeling gear, waiting for the water to come to him (hilarious), and Joshua's fearless attitude in the water (he reminded me of a Baywatch character!)

After a long day at the lake, we threw all of the younger kids in Amy's commodious shower, fed them dinner, let them repose while watching a movie, with Gillian and Mary trying to excuse themselves so they could have a few last minutes with each other, and us moms trying to take advantage of the almost lack of kids around us and chat.

The goodbyes were endless, but we each finally made our way to our cars.  On the way home, I recounted in my mind all of the events of the past four days.  Everything from the scam to the whining of the kids sounded surreal to me, except for the forge and renewal of our friendships.  That was all worth it... except that I still need a real vacation, preferably to a monastery.  :)  Till then, I'll just smile and sing (or pretend to sing):  It's a beautiful mornin', I think I'll go outside a while, an just smile... (I've been told singing is a fantastic therapy for your nerves.)

Learning about our California history

Last Thursday I accompanied Gillian to her field trip at the State Capitol and Sutter's Fort in Sacramento. The 4th graders have learned a lot about California History this year, and a month ago or so we attended the Oakland Museum of California where the kids learned about the early history of their state. This field trip to Sacramento was focused more on the political activity that happens in our state's government, but also it was to serve as a reminder of the diversity of people and stories found in the state since the early days of its creation.


We started with the Capital. Our tour guide took us around from the first floor to the third. We were able to watch, listen and learn how a bill was passed in both chambers - the Assembly and the Senate. The California Assembly is made out of 80 members and has used an electronic voting system since the 1930's. California's 40 senators still follow the tradition of being called individually and cast a voice vote. I asked Gillian to pay attention to the tour as well as to all of the facts that our tour guide was sharing with us. I promised a visit to the Gift Shop if she passed my test. She didn't need much pushing; all of her friends wanted to participate in the quiz as well, just for fun.

Here are some of the questions I asked them (I had to pay close attention myself because having not lived in California for long I didn't know most of the facts mentioned):

1. What do the colors red and white on the California flag represent? (red for courage and white for purity)
2. What does Eureka mean and where is it found in relation to California history and in the Capitol? (Eureka means I have found it in Greek, and it was used by the Californians referring to the discovery of gold. We saw it on the stained glass State Seal on the second floor.)
3. What's California's insect? (The California Dog-face Butterfly, found nowhere else in the world)
4. What's California's representative mineral? (Gold, of course. Did you know California has produced more gold than any other state in the country? They say there is still more panned from stream beds even today.)
5. What's California's flower? (the Golden Poppy - you saw that coming.)
6. Here is another fun one for you: What is the state fish? (Yes, you are right that it has something to do with gold - the Golden trout found only in the streams of the high Sierra.)
7. In 1906, during the huge San Francisco earthquake, who was the governor and what is an interesting fact about him? (Governor Pardee, the first governor to live in the Governor's Mansion. Beside being a governor, he was also a practicing doctor, both jobs much needed at that time of tribulation.)
8. How many state senators does California have and how long is their term? (40, four-year terms)
9. How many members of the State Assembly are found in California and how long is their term? (80 members; they run for two-year terms.)
10. Who was Minerva and why do you see her face over all the arches to the hallways of the Capitol? (Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom. She was born full-grown, as such resembling California that became a state without first becoming a territory. Gillian kept telling me that the goddess of wisdom was Athena - Minerva's Greek counterpart. I think it's time for Gillian to move on from the Greek mythology to the Roman one.

Nobody got the last question, but they answered most of them correctly. Before heading to the Gift Shop, we went to say hello to the governor, but we got to see only his door. They were all so busy that the hope for a chance encounter with him was dashed by the guard in front of the office. Oh, well, we got to say hi to the ferocious grizzly bear located in front of the governor's office, as if to protect the governor from crowds of curious kids.
My favorite thing of the Capitol was the sculpture in the entrance: a statue of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella of Spain. Initially I didn't understand the connection between California and Columbus, but I learned later that the banker who donated the statue believed California to have fulfilled Columbus's vision of traveling west to find their fortunes more than any other state, visions of "marvelous lands beyond the setting sun."

After the tour, I took Gillian and her friends down to the gift shop located on the first floor, where we were surrounded by some amazing murals telling the story of the early Californians. This was a good way to end our tour of the Capital building.
After eating lunch, we got on the bus again and visited the Sutter's Fort, the first non-Indian settlement founded by a Swiss immigrant named John Sutter. At that time, that part of California belonged to Mexico, so John Sutter bought some land from the Mexican government on a grant. Mr. Sutter was known throughout the valley for his generosity and kindness toward newcomers. His reputation grew when in 1847 he sent aid to the Donner Party. His settlement became an agricultural success with lots of settlers participating in its success as farmers, carpenters, cowboys, bakers, and many more. The kids got to go on a history hunt where they had to find various items located throughout the fort. (You couldn't miss finding most of them, especially the still and barrel.)

I had so much fun going on this field trip and learning a lot about California history. But mostly I loved being with Gillian. We'll have to come back with the family and visit the grounds.

I have to say that visiting the Capital building made me a bit homesick for Washington D.C. Great memories flooded as soon as I saw the stately look of the Greek columns, Roman arches, and the relief on the facade of the building, and then when I entered and saw the beautiful rotunda, the Victorian style of the chambers with the original and ornate walnut desks, the stained glass windows, the pretty mosaics, the portraits of the governors past, and many more. Sutter's Fort reminded me in a very small scale of the crafty shops alongside Williamsburg settlement. I came away from this field trip a bit nostalgic about my favorite place, but also enriched with the knowledge that although the American history isn't as old as the history of many countries in the world, it is still very diverse and it offers a wealth of stories about people coming from all over the world to find a better life. Whether we like it or not, the American history is one that offers hope and the fulfillment of dreams. I hope we can keep it that way.