We did it! We got out of the house on schedule after packing the van full of clothes, cameras, at supplies, books, and snacks. MonkeyBoy was picked up from his Hebrew lesson and of we went. The Dark Lord sat in front with me and acted as an able assistant, manning the iPod and pouring chai from the thermos as necessary.
It's so much easier to travel now that no one needs running around time evey hour or so. We drove to Medford, gassed up and got a bite to eat, and headed south to Redding, with a brief stop for photos near Mt Shasta. It's lovely and warm here and our room at the Super 8, while completely lacking in charm, does have a large TV with thousands of TV channels. After a dinner that was more about size than finesse, we retired to our lodgings so that my TV-less children could watch odd cartoons and bizarre reality shows in which cocky Brits eat maggots in the Amazon, all the while mugging for the camera.
I can't think of the last time my three children and I spent so much time so closely together. There's been mercifully little squabbling and lots of joking and silliness. All that's missing is The Spouse who we hope is enjoying the peace and quiet of our nearly-empty house.
5 comments:
What a great picture! Who is the young man standing next to you who likes like he's about a foot taller than you are ;-)
Sounds like you guys are off to a really good start. Have a great time!
Congrats on a wonderful beginning! Love the photograph and never-mind the tall young man....look at the pose on the Princess!!!
May the peacefulness continue.
Catherine
Woohoo! That's great when you can leave on time for a trip! Actually, I can't really remember that experience.
We've stopped in Redding to shed clothing before continuing on our way....
What a nice picture!
I have one similar from our trip last August. It looks positively beautiful in Northern California righ tnow.
Have fun!
Camping with my kids was possibly the most satisfying part of parenting I ever experienced. We spent weeks on the same mountain in the Berkshires - year after year, trying to get the same site under the same enormous oak tree, paddling about on the same "great pond" (Massachusetts-speak), treading the same paths through blackberry patches (on the lookout for bears), snuggling together in the doubled sleeping bags .... until the boys were just too big ...
How glad I am that you are having such a special time with your special ones.
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