Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Point Bonita Lighthouse

This past Saturday we spent the day in Sausalito, to spend time with my good ol' dad as an early birthday celebration for him. We started the day off with lunch at Fish, a casual, seafood restaurant that I found on trusty Yelp. Not only was the food delicious, but they are eco-conscious and make an effort to only buy and serve sustainable seafood - extra brownie points!

Mason jars for water. Oh, and my chardonnay.
Brentwood corn with sweet chili lime butter - SO good!
I ordered the crab sandwich which is like the West Coast's answer to the East Coast lobster roll. It was to die for! Nothing but crab meat, fresh herbs, the lightest coating of dressing, piled into a soft torpedo roll, accompanied by a pile of shoestring fries. There is not much else you need in life.

Heaven on a plate

After lunch, we made our way over to the Point Bonita Lighthouse. We had never visited before, but recommendations from friends and great pictures online had peaked our interest. You drive through a portion of the Marin Headlands and enjoy spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Even though I've lived here my whole life, and have seen this view from different angles, hundreds of times, it never ceases to take my breath away. I tried to get some good photos with my camera phone, but it was a hazy day and the pictures didn't do it justice.

At the trailhead
My big boy
The cousins
The trail is only about 0.5 miles long (one way) and is an easy walk except for one very steep portion, but the views make it totally worth it.

Not pictured here: lots of harbor seals spotted along the way


A cool feature on the trail is a tunnel carved through a mountain, which you walk through. The kids loved this part!


When you emerge on the other side, you walk a little bit further and then you can see the lighthouse with a suspension bridge leading up to it. The lighthouse is still in active use by the Coast Guard, and for a few hours a day, you can go inside and read all about it's history in the SF Bay.


The strong winds made the bridge sway - exciting!


My baby boy
Sister sister


The girls
Heading back through the tunnel

After exploring the lighthouse, taking lots of pictures and enjoying the gorgeous 360 degree views, we made the return trip back on the trail. Then we spent a couple of hours strolling through downtown Sausalito, browsing in shops and enjoying the warm summer weather. Another great family day well spent!

Kauai pie on a hot summer day - YES!






















Monday, July 21, 2014

Morton's Warm Springs

One of our favorite places to go during summer is Morton's Warm Springs in Sonoma. It's about an hour away for us but the scenery is beautiful and makes for a nice drive as you wind through vineyards. It reminds me so much of my own childhood summers in Calistoga that I wrote about here.

Morton's has 3 mineral pools and lots of grassy areas for picnicking and barbecuing. It's a great place to spend a warm summer day! 

Hitting the road and joined by Uncle Jude
Lucas chillin'

Mr. & Mrs. selfie

Family time

Gigi and the boys

Cruz & Uncle Jude

Having a blast!

The men firing up the grill

Lunch time

Great picnic grounds



Lounging under the trees












Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Independence Day 2014

Our 4th of July holiday was a low-key affair with just the summer essentials: swimming, barbecue and fireworks. Happy birthday America!



















Tuesday, April 8, 2014

March candids

Cruz brought home a stellar report card! His teacher had many nice things to say about him, including that he is kind and hard-working. He is also one of only 3 kids in his class that are reading above grade level and is in the Accelerated Reading program. I'm a proud mama! I told him he could choose a treat for his reward, and he chose McDonalds.


Lucas rocking minion glasses, a party favor from a recent birthday celebration we attended. Hilarious!


One evening, Lucas disappeared from the dinner table. When I went to find him he was secretly eating dried mangoes that he snagged from the cabinet! This kid!


Only thing prettier than a rainbow...


Is two rainbows!


Here's Cruz on "crazy hair day" at school. He didn't want to spray paint it this year, so we just made it spiky and haphazard.


Lucas is often the first and last one at the table. No exception at the birthday party we recently attended!


This is Lucas' idea of coloring. I'm doubtful there was any paper involved.


There is nothing sweeter than this - my two boys often hold hands when we're driving in the car. Lucas usually initiates it and Cruz always obliges. I hope they will always have this love and affection for each other. It melts my heart!