Mammoth Rocks!

On Friday the 1st of August, we left Aunt Alison and Uncle John's house in Alamo, California for the 5 hour drive through Yosemite to Mammoth Lakes, California. If you are reading this, you may already know that Scott's maternal grandmother, Helen Christopher, grew up spending her summers in Mammoth and that her family's cabin is one of our favorite places to be!

On the way there, we met Mims and Gramps (my parents), who were driving to Mammoth from Reno that day, at the Mobile Station's Whoa Nellie Deli on the Eastern edge of Tioga Pass. It never disappoints with it's view of Mono Lake and the fantastic food! This was a great way to begin our time in the Eastern Sierras!

As always, we were thrilled to reach Mammoth and the cool mountain air. Our friends, the Brockettes, were arriving the next day to join us for the first week. So we settled into the cabin and got ready for their visit.

Then Pat, Michele, Allison, Ryan and Carson Brockette arrived Saturday afternoon and we had non-stop fun for the next 6 days enjoying all that Mammoth has to offer. Allison tolerated the 5 boys with grace and patience; the boys were thrilled to have buddies to explore with; and Scott and I thoroughly enjoyed having Pat and Michele to chat with around the fire in the evenings. Some of the highlights include: Trolling Lake George, Fishing the Secret Hole on the Stream, bear sightings, Riding our bikes on Sherwin Street, The Zip Line and the Rock Climbing Wall, June Lake with the Amie Jamie and Kayaks, Mountain Biking, Devil's Postpile Monument, Smores over the fire at the Cabin, the Earthquake Fault, Rock Creek Hike and the Grilled Cheese and Pie afterward, and just playing around the cabins. It was a brilliant week that went by way too fast! It was so hard to say goodbye but we are hoping that even after a full week with the Nicols, the Brockettes will want to see us again soon!

After the Brockettes left, we spent the next week doing more of the same fun stuff, this time with Mims and Gramps. We went to the Skate Park, Fed the Ducks, Fished some more, rode our bikes a lot more and just soaked up the sun and enjoyed all things outdoors.

Mims and Gramps had each Nicol boy for a sleepover by themselves and even all for one night so that Scott and I could have a date night and hike one day. We chose to hike to Lake Dorothy above Lake Convict (we've always wanted to try it) and when we asked at the Ranger Station if it was passable (sometimes the creek is so high you can't follow the trail), they said yes, it was fine but warned that it was strenuous and rocky. With a little too much confidence, and without much thought, we headed out for this 6 1/2 mile (one way) hike to climb the 3000 feet from top to bottom. Well, the altitude and the rocks got the best of us! It was the most challenging hike we've done. Beautiful, Rocky, Strenuous and hot. We made it though, only because we are both stubborn and determined! The lake was gorgeous and the fish were plentiful! It was a wonderful day all things considered!

We celebrated all of our birthdays with Mims and Gramps as Dad's is July 27th and mine is October 7th and everyone else in between. So cake and ice cream it was and we enjoyed that special time together. Our time in Mammoth came to an end before we were ready. We are always sad to leave the Christopher Cabin and the Mammoth scenery, but we had to keep moving as we were winding down our trip and beginning our journey east. Thanks to Mims and Gramps for all that you do and for sharing your time with us in Mammoth! We love you.

Scottish Steps and San Fransisco

Our next stop was at Scott's Uncle John and Aunt Alison's house. They live in Alamo, California on a beautiful sloped lot that John has landscaped into a little boys wonderland! As soon as we drove into their drive, Ethan and Christopher remembered the house and our last visit there. Uncle John had headlamps that he shared with the boys' so they could explore the yard at night. Well, I'm sure you can guess that this was the first thing they wanted to do! So John (being the good sport that he is) took Ethan and Christopher out at 10pm looking for gofers in his yard! And then first thing the next morning, guess where the boys were again? In the yard doing laps around the paths (which John has measured for distance so they were challenged to run a mile) and hunting for gofers! The boys spent so much time in the yard and on the paths that John and Alison named a group of steps on the path the "Scottish Steps!"

John and Alison are so fun to stay with because they have tons of energy and they always have great ideas for outing near their home. They think of everything and this time, our family voted to go to San Fransisco for the day. So off we headed to the city for the day with our very capable and fun tour guides. We rode the cable car, ate chowder on the wharf, visited the seals and sea lions on Pier 39 and enjoyed the street entertainment along the way. We also enjoyed a quick visit to the Golden Gate bridge.

We also ran into our friends the Brockettes from Dallas close to Pier 39! We'd been on the lookout since we knew they were in the city too but I never really thought we'd see them! Small world isn't it!

It was a fantastic way to spend the day! Alison is a terrific cook and she fed us well while we were there. She'd covered every base for the boys in making sure that they'd enjoy their time there and that they had everything they needed! For that, we are forever grateful! We loved our time in Alamo and we especially loved catching up and relaxing with Aunt Alison and Uncle John. Thank you both for all that you did for us! We look forward to our next visit!

Great Grandma Nicol's 90th Birthday

Next we headed further West to meet Scott in California to visit his Grandmother in celebration of her 90th birthday! We had a wonderful day with Great Grandma at her home, having lunch at Mankas Corner and visiting her old ranch. We picked fruit from the ranch and then headed back to her house where Aunt Alison and Uncle John were meeting us for dinner. We also enjoyed catching up with Aunt Mary Marcha and cousin Ariel while we were there!

The quote of the trip may have been that Christopher shouted "well she doesn't look 90!" as Grandma came out to greet us upon arrival! And she certainly doesn't! She's as healthy as can be and we were so grateful to spend that day with her so our boys will know what a special Grandma she is.

Happy Birthday Great Grandma and many, many more!

Cousin Camp

After our time in Dallas in July, we headed West to Arlington, Texas to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa Nicol and all of the boy cousins! What a blast it was to hang out at G & G's house with their pool, lake, canoe, kayak, ping-pong table and games in the yard. It's such a retreat for our family and our boys were so excited to see their grandparents and their 4 boy cousins and Aunt Amie, Uncle Bobby, Aunt Kiki and Uncle Todd.

We utilized/played all of the above over the weekend and spent time sharing meals and catching up. Grandma Jane cooked many wonderful meals (thank you!) and we were busy the whole time. On the Monday morning, Aunt Amie and Aunt Kiki organized and hosted (with the help of Grandma) Cousin Camp '08 in Grandma's backyard. That including swimming in the pool, canoe and kayak racing/paddling, making bead necklaces, obstacle course, tie-dying t-shirts and more! The boys had an absolute blast and it will be a fantastic memory and tradition for them to share as they get older! Thank you Aunt Amie and Aunt Kiki!

Here are a few pics from the weekend and CC '08!