Eastward to Arizona

    We left California and headed eastward to Arizona. We got a later start than planned, and then of course had to make a stop at Intellegentsia Coffee in Pasadena so that Erik could fuel up for the long drive ahead. We parked outside of a very cool little travel bookstore, the kind of place that can get even the most settled sort of person dreaming. (Well, I'm not positive on that, as I've never been one of those settled sort of people, but it seemed to me that it could.) I popped in to use their restroom, and as I was leaving, the sales clerk asked if she could help me find anything. I said no, and that I wished I had time to stay and browse, but my family was waiting. Her reply was a snippy "I wish you could stay too, since you used our bathroom." I was pretty surprised at her response! After that the place didn't seem nearly as attractive.

We headed northeast through the Mojave Desert. It was fun to show the kids the land of Joshua Trees and Tumbleweeds, the high desert where I lived during my teen years. It was a long day of driving, and overall the kids did great. I passed out lots (and lots) of snacks. Raphael decided he needed to stop and "go pee" about every thirty minutes, but other than that we didn't have to make a lot of stops. 

We drove as far as we could before making a big stop, and then had a very late lunch at a rest stop not far from the California border. It was bleak desert, the late afternoon sun bright. 

Picnic and pit stop. In my mind rest areas are grassy places; I guess living in the Pacific Northwest all these years has spoiled me!

We spent the next few days with our friends Ryan and Katy and their family in Northern Arizona. They live in a small town on the historic Route 66. 

We enjoyed a few days of winter weather before heading south to warmer climates. Our friends put us up in this little guest house just next door to their home. It was wonderful to reconnect and for our kids to get to play with theirs.

There was a dusting of snow the first night we were there, and even though it wasn't much it was fun to see it. It reminded me of the cold but sunny days that comprised winter where I grew up in Alberta, Canada.

"Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
when you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six."

Keeping the driver safe and well-snacked! We logged close to 2000 miles on this trip, and Erik did a great job.

Stay tuned for the next episode, in which we visit the Grand Canyon...

California Family

    The last several years we have jetted south to sunny Mexico for a few weeks during the winter. As our plans and dreams seem to be leading us further afield, we felt it was important to use our vacation time this year to visit family. We flew to Los Angeles on January 20th and spent a few days in the company of my dad's side of the family. My Aunt Terry was a delightful hostess and the kids had a great time staying at her house full of treasures and stories. It was delightful to reconnect with aunts, an uncle, and especially to see my dear Grams. The last time we saw her was when Peregrine was a baby, so it was very special to introduce her to the rest of the children. We were blessed with a lovely, sunny day visiting with family.

Peregrine and Poppy enjoyed running around at Uncle Gerry's house.

Gerry gave us a tour of the avocado grove and the kids were excited to pick an orange straight from a tree. The avocados are so yummy!

A few of the lovely ladies in my family - my aunts Terry and Katie and Colleen, my dear Grams, and another cousin. 

Our family with Grams.

The kids called this "the camouflage tree".

Stay tuned for the next episode, in which we journey east to Arizona!

In Which the Trip is Part of the Destination

The view I get to enjoy for the next few days, early morning sun rising.

    We've spent the last week-and-a-half visiting family and friends in California and Arizona. I plan to post some pictures from our journey soon. It's been wonderful, but also a bit crazy and very tiring! I've hardly had an extra moment, and I was finally inspired to write last night, after a very long day driving from the Phoenix area to where we're settled for the next few days in Baja, Mexico. 


    My childhood was full of long journeys, of five kids packed in the back of the brown station wagon, of three days driving to get from our home in Alberta to southern California and Baja, where my Dad's family lived. Yesterday reminded me of one of those days, only now I'm in the front seat, the mom's seat, trying to help everyone stay happy, well fed, and sane. (Which is really, really challenging at times.) There was a saying that was often thrown around in my family, something along the lines of "the journey is part of the trip". I couldn't quite remember how it went, but I'd been thinking of it after the 11 hour drive that finally brought us to our destination last night. This morning I picked up a memoir written by my great grandfather, known to us as Poppa Tom. On the front cover is written "That is a pleasant journey in which the trip is part of the destination" (Dr. Henry Van Dyke) I recognized that sentiment as it had been passed on to us, and felt it keenly yesterday, that getting here was part of the experience, and if we're to travel, we must learn to embrace the journey. 


    Here is an account of yesterday's travels, as written down by my very tired self last night: 

    We are safe and sound at Su Casa. I forgot how much I love this place, and can't wait to look out over the ocean in the daylight! It was a long and challenging day- 11 hours after we left Apache Junction we finally arrived here. Our first stop was Phoenix, where Erik tried to sort out the rental/insurance issue and was basically told that the company's insurance underwriter wouldn't cover minivans. But, that we could buy our own insurance from a third party; we just wouldn't have any coverage from them. So we chose to do that. (This after checking and double checking that we would be able to take the van into Mexico, and even being told we could buy the insurance from them!) While Erik went in and talked with the manager of the rental company I fed the kids breakfast in the van. 

    We drove southwest from Phoenix, through barren looking deserts, fields of what appeared to be cotton, and lots of stinky feedlots full of cattle. We crossed the border into California and set our clocks back an hour. Raphael seems to need to stop and pee about every thirty minutes; I'm sure it's a boredom tactic, but we indulge him. I mean, what boy doesn't love to pee on the side of the road! Our kids are learning good life skills like how to squat and "go" in the absence of a toilet. Stuff you just can't get from a textbook. Our next big stop was Calexico, just north of the border adjacent to Mexicali. There we found a park and let the kids play and ate our lunch. The sun felt hot and everyone enjoyed being out of the van for a while! Just a few blocks farther we stopped to purchase our infamous Mexican insurance. That done, we were free to cross the border. We went back and forth about whether to cross there or further west, but decided there was no good reason to wait. We fueled up- gas, and popsicles for the road. I was happy to be greeted by the cashier with a friendly "Buenos Tardes" and he spoke nothing but Spanish to me during our transaction. Ah, yes, Mexico was near! 

Looking back from the top of the pass, Northern Baja.

    We crossed the border and were thankful for our GPS and Google Maps which navigated us successfully through the Mexicali. Inevitably, we got turned around a bit but it was pretty easy to get  back on track. Heading west, we drove up into the most beautiful rocky, desert mountains. I can't even describe them, except that each mountain looked as if it were made of lots of smaller rocks piled upon each other, almost like globs of frosting. There were beautiful vistas and we enjoyed the drive. Coming to the top of the pass we expected to wind our way down but instead came upon what seemed to be a high plateau. We continued on to Tecate and then turned south toward Ensenada. By this time the light was fading; our morning delays regarding insurance had put us on the road a lot later than we'd planned. 

    The 60 miles of remaining road took us back down through mountain roads.There are a lot of vineyards in that area now, but the light was gone and we weren't able to see them. We were slowed down by some road construction but mostly the drive was smooth. The kids had had enough by this point, and there was a lot of fussing, fighting, and general falling apart. We finally came out at El Sauzal, where we made the quick drive north to San Miguel. We got a little turned around but finally arrived at our beloved Su Casa around 7PM, or 8PM Arizona time. The kids ran around like crazy monkeys on the patio, just the way my brother and sister used to when we'd arrive after a long drive. Erik unpacked the van, and I warmed up some food and tried to settle in. We've finally gotten the kids settled down and enjoyed a bowl of soup in the quietness of this special place. While I nursed Pearl I read the story written by my Great, Great Grandfather, C.E. Utt, about how he stocked the streams of San Pedro Martir with trout a hundred years ago. I looked at the photos of Su Casa being built, a gift of love from my Grams and Gramps to their family. I love to be in this place, where so many special souls have been before me. There's magic in the air. 

    I am hoping for a good night's sleep, and looking forward to sitting on the patio tomorrow, looking out over the blue Pacific at Dragon Island (or Abraham Lincoln Island, or Todos Santos, or whatever you want to call it.) I'm looking forward to reconnecting with my cousins, of visiting the home my great grandparents built, the place I ran around as a child so many years ago. 

    And so we continue on this pleasant journey. Yesterday's trip is over, and we are enjoying our destination more because of the challenges that brought us here. Buenos Noches! 

Snow

    We had a dusting of snow this week, a rare treat here in the Pacific Northwest. My kids get so excited and love to go play in it. They say things like "Mom, I think we're snowed in!" and "Have you ever seen so much snow?" I grew up on the prairies of Alberta, so yes, I have seen "so much snow". And then some. I like to tell them stories of how we used to get drifts taller than they are, deep enough to dig caves in. They can hardly imagine it! Someday I will take them to play in some real snow, but until that they'll have to be happy with this. 

Poppy makes a snow angel.

Happy girl!

Raphael rode his balance bike in the snow. In pajama pants. In Crocs.

And Peregrine ran around shoveling driveways. (Lest the 1/4 inch of snow prevent some poor soul from getting out of the house.) Also in pajama pants. With leans underneath.

Our house in it's snowy glory.

And the littlest snow princess, Pearl. She loved it and raced around happily with the kids.

An Evening In

On Thursday Erik and I celebrated ten years of marriage. God painted the sky in lovely colors in honor of the occasion!

We had a lovely Evening In. I made a nice dinner, set a special table for two, and the kids acted as our servers. Peregrine decided a pirate theme was appropriate for our romantic dinner so he decorated with pictures of ships and sea captains! He also named the "restaurant" Red Rackham's: Fine Scurvy Dining fit for a Sea Captain. Aaaarhg, Matey!

There were some interesting characters underfoot, literally. Here they are under the table in the fire's light.

Our dessert, appropriately named Red Rackham's Ship.

And here we are; our table for two at various times seated three, or four, or five or six. But that is a good picture of our life together; we started out as two and God has blessed us with four more! It was a very special evening in with our little family, reminiscing about the past, enjoying the present, and dreaming of our future. (And last night we got to go out, just the two of us, and enjoy some uninterrupted conversation.) Here's to many more years together!