Staheli Farm 2010

So, off we went this morning, to Washington, Utah, at the grand old hour of 7:30 am. You know it's got to be a great field trip if I'm willing to get going that early! We went to Staheli Farm, and had a blast!  We hadn't been in 2 years, but we've been many times in the past.  


Here's Sebastian on the hay ride to go get pumpkins.

As George explained to us, pumpkins come from flowers that get pollinated

The flowers then turn into melons!

They start off green, and as the weather cools, they become orange.

This is called a Cinderella pumpkin....yes, like the coach!  I thought it was particularly beautiful.

Running through the pumpkin patch

Then it was time to visit the animals.  We saw turkeys, and goats, and cows....and Mules.  And George asked the kids, "Who do you know that's famous that rode a mule?"  (Mary, and Jesus).  He asked us to notice the line down the center of the mule's back, and that it makes a cross design.  Very cool!

Look at this re-purposed pony ride, with tire horses!

Sebastian stayed on forever!!!

Some of the moms had fun playing too!

The ever famous Corn Slide....due to the rain the corn was covered  (that works well for us, as my kids always seem to inhale the corn and corn dust and choke!)

Who doesn't want to swing from bale to bale over mattresses?

Raingutter duckie races!

This is a very high stack of hay!

The part we waited for all day....the Cow Train!!

This has to be the coolest toy...it's called a Berg Lody...you literally balance on it, and use it as a front end loader.  The kids couldn't get enough of it!

This place always reminds me how much I miss living where kids can play outside and get dirty and use their imaginations all day.  It is truly fabulous!  Thanks Staheli Farm, we had a blast!!

Vineman, CA Part 5

Ok, Vineman Recap! This is the real reason we came to Northern CA!


The early morning was COLD! Although the water was 72.5 the air was 54!! BRRR.  On Chris's way down for his wave, he saw his all time favorite (um....I'm at a loss for what this guy does or his name.....Chris can spot famous athletes from 2 miles away! I don't know who they are!)...athlete, Chris someone or another.  So he asked for  a photo op which the guy gladly gave.

Here's Chris ready for his swim wave. These goggles suck his face so much I tease that's he's Chinese not Mexican!

Here's Chris swim wave. This is in the Russian River, which seems to be at an all time low. Chris said there were spots he had to walk because it was so shallow.

Here's Chris coming out of the water.  his swim time was pretty good (for him!) , at 40 minutes.

And here he is off on his bike portion.....

Little Lovelies waiting for a sight of Dad,,,,,,

And here he comes, off the bike portion. He finished that in a respectable 2:50:48

And there he goes (in the red shirt, opposite lane) off on his running portion.

And here's what kept the boys occupied during those couple of hours!

Lo and behold, here he comes!  His run was a bit off. He thinks he didnt drink enough on the bike part, to be well hydrated for the run. He had some intense cramping during the run, which set his time back further than he would have liked.  He finished the run in 2:34:24

He finished the half Ironman in 6:18:47.  We knew he'd finish, even if it killed him, cause he's stubborn that way!

Civil War Days and Seals, CA Part 4

Saturday was the day I was most looking forward to, in our CA Adventure. They had Civil War Days,  a Civil War reenactment.  I've never been to one and wasn't altogether sure what to expect.  It was fabulous! There was a vendor section with great Civil War reproduction pieces, everything!  From clothing, to buttons, to patches, to candles, to books, to ammunition.....it was fabulous!

Then the recreation was wonderful! So realistic! And so loud!

Little lovely with ear protection

Drum and Fife Corps

Florence Nightingale (maybe?)

Some fell....

After this wonderful event, we went up the coast again and found this great spot where we could park and walk to within throwing distance of Seals!   It's called Goat Rock State Park.  Truly wonderful!

Here's the view from above....this is where the Russian River meets the Ocean

This is a "seal nursery". The Harbor Seals nurse their babies in this area. We were so lucky to see them!

How do they get on these rocks?

This is after we parked and walked....we are about 200 feet from them!

Very very awesome!

Armstrong Redwood State Park, CA Part 3

Friday we went to Amstrong Redwood State Park in Guerneville. It was totally awesome!

Then we went exploring and our RENTAL car broke down. Note to all of you, when your VAN breaks down, you're pretty much up a creek.....No tow-truck can handle as many passengers (kids) as we have! This is the 2nd time in my life I've had a van break down. It's ugly!!!!


It all ended well though, and we finally got a new van delivered to us. It was an AOK day!