Entries about selma

Flora was, as always, very helpful in our packing process.

This year, we are going to Brian Head, Utah again with more of Catherine's family: her parents, her brother Nick and his wife Crystalynne and their kids, and her Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary's family. Her brother Fr. Michael will also be joining us for part of the trip. It is exciting to be back with a larger group!

We picked up some pastries in Tehachapi at a German bakery, and also got some bierocks to have as our group dinner.

In Las Vegas it was extremely hot and extremely crowded. We tried for some time to find parking, which was difficult. We wanted to go to Cornish Pasty Co., but there was no parking to be found anywhere nearby. Instead, we found a place called Viva Las Arepas, which is Venezuelan food. They had empanadas (which are of course very similar to pasties) and arepas, which seem more like a sandwich. It was very good, and we will probably go back another time when we are on our way through Las Vegas.

By the time we finished dinner it was dark, and we journeyed through Nevada, the northwestern-most tip of Arizona, and southern Utah in the darkness, reaching our destination at 12:30. We had to check in with the security guard, and we were exhausted. We're very excited about the upcoming trip!

We spent Monday night in San Jose, and travelled home on Tuesday, to get home before Daniel has to start the new school year on Thursday. On Tuesday morning, we visited with Daniel's family.

Aubrey trying on her grandma's glasses.

"A spider!" Aubrey kept saying there was a spider there. None of the rest of us could see it. She seemed genuinely scared at first, until we saw what it was: the light shining through the crystal on the window in the door. Once Aubrey understood what it was she stopped being scared and started joking by yelling "Bah! A spider!" and running from it.

After visiting for a while we headed to Fresno. In Boston we had left some of our souvenirs with Catherine's parents, so this gave us the opportunity to recover them. Luckily, they were watching Calista and Cecilia and Gabriel. Throughout our trip we have been buying gum everywhere. We've bought gum in Portugal, Spain, Boston, San Francisco, and Kauai. Calista and Cecilia love gum, and Catherine had told them that we would get them a pack of gum in Portugal. They were surprised and delighted by the large amount of gum that we actually had for them (Gabriel, who isn't old enough to chew gum, got tic-tacs).

Finally home after our long journey. We have one full day to rest before Daniel has to go back to work. We have loved our entire time away, and can't believe that we had such a beautiful opportunity.

Yesterday, Daniel went to Hanford to purchase some baked goods at the Portuguese bakery there. The pastel de nata and the biscoitos were especially delicious, but we can’t wait to try the ones in Portugal!

We finished packing and then got on the road to San Jose. We fly out early in the morning tomorrow for Portugal (by way of Boston). Tonight, we had a delicious dinner with Daniel’s parents and then played a game of 500, our favorite card game. Now we need to get a small amount of sleep before flying out!

Today Daniel had his last day of summer school. Once everything was done and ready, he came home so that we could head to San Jose. We packed, made a few last-minute preparations, and got on the road.

We had a few tomatoes and some basil that were ready, so before we went we had a nice snack of bruschetta.

Off to San Jose! We had dinner with Daniel's parents at Pieology, then back to their house to play 500! Tomorrow, we head to Hawaii

As we packed the car, we encountered the hosts' fearsome dog.

Two packs of Sour Patch gum. Catherine had seen this gum mentioned on Facebook. When we stopped for gas in Redding, the gas station had some!

Some views as we drove from Shasta into the Central Valley. I believe the small mountain range in the distance is the Sutter Buttes.

We stopped at a Greek restaurant in Sacramento. It was very good. Daniel got the dolmades as an appetizer, then we both had chicken pita sandwiches. They put fries in the sandwich, which is interesting.

Back on Orange Avenue.

Our car in the garage again. It looks rather similar to how it looked before, it just has more souvenirs.

The vineyard across the street, with the mountains in the distance.

Our house, a beautiful place to come home to. We joked about what a nice Airbnb it was and how much room we have all to ourselves. It is nice to be back home, but we had an amazing trip. We talked about it, and realized we didn't have a single bad experience with Airbnb, and we didn't go to any city or area that we couldn't happily go to again for a longer amount of time. We would love to take this trip, or similar trips, again.

Some views from the balcony in Redmond.

Inside the room at the timeshare.

View of the mountains during our drive.

The Pumice Desert, which Mt. Mazama covered in volcanic rock during eruptions millennia ago. Nothing has grown well there since.

Our first up-close look at snow during this trip!

Mt. Mazama as it looks today. It is now called Crater Lake. An eruption about eight millennia ago resulted in the entire top of the mountain blowing off. Over time, the caldera that was left behind filled with rain and snow. The water in Crater Lake is incredibly clear and clean, as it is still fed exclusively by rain and snow. No rivers or streams flow out either. The lake holds the world record for clarity, as a person can see a hundred and fifty feet under the water.

Us in front of the lake.

A little creature enjoying the side of the caldera.

The island in Crater Lake is called Wizard Island. Wizard Island is a large volcano in its own right, and emerged after the caldera was already full of water.

The pristine clarity of the lake makes it incredibly blue.

We went to Crater Lake with Catherine's parents, then parted ways afterwards so we could head home and they could go back to Bend. We had a great time. An avalanche/ road work resulted in a lengthy road closure, during which time we had a "car picnic" in their car. The traffic delay gave us almost enough time to eat. Then, the official said it was time to go and the road was open, sending the two of us rushing back to our car so as not to hold up traffic. It was an extremely fun day.

Seen near the rim of the caldera...but it is actually just someone's dog.

Some first views of Mt. Shasta as we enter California. Mt. Shasta is part of the Cascades (not even the southernmost cascade: that is Lassen Peak), and it dominates the sky and the landscape all around the area.

Our studio in Mt. Shasta. It's very cozy and comfortable, and seems to be the perfect stopping off point on our way home.

The interior of our Mt. Shasta studio.

The view from the window of the studio.

Tonight is the last night away on our trip. Tomorrow we will take the longest section of our drive thus far, and go all the way home to Selma. It has been a wonderful trip so far, and tomorrow will surely bring the same fun and adventure that we have had all along.

Stopped for a picnic lunch in Trinidad, CA (just outside Eureka). It was very beautiful and comfortable (the breezy, cool weather is amazing).

Beautiful scenery along 101 and 199.

We know what burls are (knots of wood). We know what live means. But "live burls"??? We didn't stay to find out!

Paul Bunyan probably knows what live burls are (Paul Bunyan statue at the Trees of Mystery, which was closed when we got there). Also, how can trees be closed?

We found a little bit of home here in Oregon!

We're staying the weekend with Daniel's grandma, Aunt Jackie, and Uncle Peter in Jacksonville, Oregon. It looks like it will be a fun weekend!!

All packed up and ready to go!