After she ate her grits, we walked around a bit, and then went back to the room. Sam and David were trying to sleep, so Sam moved into the bedroom with us and the two little ones watched TV in the living room.
Eventually we realized that none of us could sleep anyway. So we got up and went down to breakfast together. It was a very full breakfast - omletts to order, plus all the regular breakfast bar stuff.
After breakfast, David and the kids went for a swim while I worked out (the fitness room was right off the pool. It felt good to work out. I also enjoy the machiens with the built in TVs! At the gym at home, I can’t see the TV in the ceiling, so I end up listening to my iPod and reading on my Nook (which is probably better for me anyway). But this was a nice change of pace.
We all went back and showered and dressed and finished packing up. Got out of the hotel around 10:45, and headed to Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods. The fog was still pretty thick, and it was a little rainy. We really wanted to go to Muir Woods, but when we got there, the first parking lot was full. The second parking lot was full. The third parking lot was full. And side-of-the-road parking was full for the first two miles!
Skip that. We drove up toward the top of the mountain instead (although not all the way up). Very very curvy roads. I got a week bit nauseous whenever I looked out the window. We stopped at a rest area and took a short hike and lots of photos.
Then drove back down to Sausolito.
It was COLD in Sausolito. Still foggy (just after noon). We had dressed for hot weather, so the boys all complained a lot about being cold, although at least I had thought ahead and made the sweaters easily accessible. We walked around Sausolito a bit and then had lunch in a nice little place on the main drag. Then walked some more. I got a treat: a bracelet to match my beautiful Firefly necklace. Yeah! Then coffee, and back to the car.
(Yes, we used the wheelchair!)
Then we headed back to Novato, and met Bruce & Madlyn at the warehouse where they and some friends store their collectible cars. (Must be nice to have a good job and no kids!). The most impressive car was the Rolls Royce, which apparently Gueen Elizabeth once rode in. But I think my favorite for driveability was the lavender VW Bug. Only a few belong to Bruce and Madlyn.
So now (4:30pm) we are back in the car, and headed up to Napa. Just passing the Dragster races - lots of people, lots of camper vans! We’re going to stay with our friends Adam and Agnes in Angwin for the weekend. Should be lovely.
The kids are doing ok. Micah gets bouncy and ultra-talkative, which gets on everyone’s nerves. Sofia can be stubborn, and has been testing the limits fairly often. Sam alternates between sullen and fine. The boys LOVED seeing the old cars. All three kids have cameras to use, so that keeps them occupied out of the car. The long rides can be tough, but they are hanging in so far.
And kids, especially Sofia, are a great ice breaker for talking to people. David and I are both people-junkies - we just like meeting new people. So we had several lovely conversations with complete strangers over the course of the day.
Ok, we are already in wine country (I’m typing while David drives). Gorgeous, but so big and vast. Coming from the condensed Northeast, it’s just veyr foreign looking. Like “that ranch over there is the size of Rhode Island”!
--- 10:20 pm ---
We had a lovely evening with Adam and Agnes. The kids explored the back yard, and I had a blast taking pictures. They have all sorts of things growing back there: olives, figs, grapes, pears, various veggies, flowers. Gorgeous. And a neighbor's cat who insists on staying on their porch, despite Sofia's best efforts to torment...
(Cute belly)
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