Cultural Trip to the Bay Area.

On Saturday, Michael had the opportunity to travel with some other students to Temple Emanu-el in San Francisco as well as the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California in Oakland.  Along the way, they also stopped and at lunch at Marrakech Restaurant, serving authentic Moroccan cuisine.  Here's his report:
The morning started off slow, our bus was late picking us up, but it did arrive and off we went.

Our first stop was Temple Emanu-el in San Francisco.  This is a reform temple first established in the 1850s for the Jews that came to California during the Gold Rush.  One of its founders was future Jean Magnate, Levi Strauss.  The current temple replace the original after the 1904 earthquake.  Most of the structure dates from the 1920s.

The rabbis that we met were very friendly and even allowed me take some pictures with The Crew.
 The Ark on the altar is solid steel and was forged in England.  It was so heavy that it could not be transported overland, but had to be floated down the Thames to be loaded aboard ship.


 The artwork in the Temple was amazing.  Behind the lattice work is a pipe organ with over 10,000 pipes.  The Ark is beautifully decorated and engraved with the symbols of the Twelve Tribes.

We were able to observe parts of two Bat Mitzvahs, a traditional service and a contemporary.  It was very interesting.  It is easy to see the Jewish roots of the Mass.










After this, we went to lunch at Marrakech.  Getting off the bus, I chanced to look up, and there on a balcony in the middle of San Francisco, was a little bit of home, a Texas Aggie flag.

The food at Marrakech was delicious, and so was the tea, slightly sweet and flavored with mint.

After lunch, we boarded the bus for the trip across the Bay to Oakland.  From the bridge, we were able to see the infamous Alcatraz, as well as a foggy glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge.

In Oakland, we visited the Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California.  The ICCNC was founded by Iranian Americans, and is predominantly Shia, though services are attended by Sunni and Sufi Muslims as well.  This is located in a building built by the Scottish Rite Masons. Many of the Masonic symbols have been covered, but are still visible.

All in all, it was an extremely educational day, and I am very glad that I was able to be a part of this experience. 

Madison, Where are you?

Made it to Washington, now just waiting for Madison to join us.  Of course, like all babies, she will join us when SHE is ready.  We are all anxious so the best thing to do is stay busy.  We continue to do the typical "nesting" activities...we have washed all the clothes and bedding...set up rooms and spaces throughout the house for feeding and diapering.  I also helped fill her freezer with over 30 meals that can be taken out and popped in the oven on those rough days when they are tired.  However, there are still times when we feel the anxiety too much as we anticipate little bundle of joy, so we started planning day trips.  Here are some of our adventures:

One of our first activities was to cool off at a swimming pool near the bay.  Christina had a friend who manages a hotel resort and she allowed us to take the dive.  It was nice to be inside as it was cold and misty outside.  It was interesting to be so close to a beach and not walk into the water.  In Texas, this would have been the preferred option by late May.  However, Texas seems to be having cooler weather with severe rain storms right now also.

A couple of days later I made the suggestion that we meet Christina's friend just in case she was needed to watch my children when we raced to the hospital.  We met at an amazing local park.  There is even a 9-11 memorial there that we were able to visit.  We loved it so much that we would return many times!  I am not sure why I worried about the children playing well together.  Everyone acted as if they had been best friends forever.  Lexy and Ana are sweet ladies and I am glad we were able to meet and spend time together.  We would spend many play dates together during the weeks we enjoyed in Washington.

Photo op in various spots around town took place on the first weekend.  Shane and Christina are good models and so much fun to photograph.  They were full of energy and willing to pose as I asked or make up their own fun poses.  After four locations, however, we were all exhausted.  Much to our surprise we almost found ourselves stuck on the wrong side of the beach front as tide came in...so glad we were ready to go home at that time so we could make it back for just one more pre-baby pose before resting that evening!  There is no way to share a lot of these photos as we took over 1000 photos that day.  Here is my favorite and a few more:

Celebrating birthdays for those who were not with us was fun yet sad.  We sure do miss having Michael and Amanda close by to enjoy another year of celebration.  So we ate ramen noodles in honor of Amanda and sent packages to them both.  And of course, talked about the upcoming birthday that we do not know when to expect...anticipation high here at this time.  Where are you, Madison?

So...we got very anxious as we twiddled our thumbs waiting.  SO...I suggested a day trip to Mt. Ranier National Park.  It was only two hours away...an easy trip!  We only questioned our judgment when I realized we would not have phone coverage half way there and none of us thought to tell Shane that we were going anywhere.  We worried a little about him trying to call and thinking she was in labor without him...but then we arrived at the park and saw the beauty and we got distracted by the fun we could have there.  We came at a great time...it was still a little cool and misty but the snow had melted and we were able to see waterfalls and flowers blooming everywhere.  There was also a few piles of snow for the young ones to enjoy.  We were so excited to find that they have bluebonnets and were able to have a picture taken.  I wanted this so much earlier in the year.  We all agreed a second trip with the older boys and Shane was in the future...maybe with Madison too!  We arrived home an hour after Shane but were able to call him so he did not worry too much.  However, we never thought anyone else might try to call us...we had a lot of explaining to do along with tales of our adventures!

Our next day trip would be a little closer to home and with Shane.  We visited an interesting water park.  It is at the gates of the naval shipyard and has spouts that look like the tops of submarines.  Every few minutes to water would build up and send out a large splurge of water high into the air.  I happened to notice Christina was in a great pose for her announcement to the world that labor would begin soon.  We all enjoyed the fun as the passers-by looked at us like we were crazy!

We had tried many ways to bring on labor and allow us to see our little Madison.  What better way than eating lots of various foods!  I made food at home...but the best choice was the spicy food around town.  Christina tried Mexican food and Thai food...tropical fruits and espresso....none seemed to help but it was a lot of fun trying!  I did become quite fond of the frapes from a local coffee shop and will miss them terrible....Thank you Simply Espresso for your amazing drinks!



I did not feel too bad about our long day trip after I found out that Shane was determined to go to a local Renaissance Fair for the day.  The children and I chose to stay home and clean house and cook more freezer meals, while Christina and Shane enjoyed thus adventure.  I am not sure what the monkey has to do with this time period but it was a cute picture from their day.  I am glad they were able to get away and enjoy themselves with friends.

With still no signs of baby Madison arriving...we made one more day trip...we drove to Tacoma to visit their Glass Museum.  We were in for a real treat as there is always a glass blower demonstration each day from local artists.  We loved seeing the molten glass form into a work of art before us.  Then we walked around the art on display.  We also found there were many museums within walking distance.  I think another trip to Tacoma is in our future!

Still no signs of baby when we went to see the midwife.  Christina was getting anxious but I felt the time was close...only time would tell.

Up Through the Mountains

We settled some of our things into the new house but now we are on our way north to the Seattle area to be with Christina. 

Here are the highlights of our adventure north to Bremerton:

May 26

We left early in the morning and made our first stop at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.  Upon arrival, I realized that we might have picked a bad time to visit.  This land is reserved as a wetland...but there was NO water...anywhere!  They do say California is in a drought...I guess this is proof of that...so sad!

We had seen a junior conservationist program on the internet, but the woman at the visitor center knew nothing of this...so we decided to drive around the outskirts of the land to see what we might see.  The only animals we found were jack rabbits...A LOT of jack rabbits!  I hope that we were just there at the wrong time of the year.  The pictures shown on the internet show a variety of animals that would lose their habitat if this is a long term situation.

So...we got back on the road and we did not stop again until we reached Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.  This was after a drive through the valley.  It was amazing to be surrounded by mountains.  However, to us it was already quite mountainous...We are definitely not in Texas anymore!

Whiskeytown was once a boom town but it was later covered when the lake was formed for the recreation area.  There are still some sites still preserved.  One of these spots is the cemetery...quite unique as the family members are allowed to "decorate" the grave sites.  Most of the graves show signs of the interests of the deceased.  If someone liked to drink Coke...their grave site would have this on their marker or decorating their site.  A lot of wind chimes and other objects fill the space.

We did not stay at this location long because we were determined to make our way to the hotel before dark.  It seemed like a slow day of traveling but we had driven over 400 miles.  We were setting ourselves up for the next day's arrival in Bremerton.  Of course, there would be more stops along the way.

May 27

We were up early for a second day...we wanted to see the deepest lake in the United States found at Crater Lake National Park.  We started out so early that the visitor center would not open for over an hour after our arrival.  We were able to hike some trails and see glimpses of the lake.  Once we were able to find a park ranger we were ready to see the amazing sites of the lake.

Now...this is the end of May when we were here...snow was still on the ground and up the mountain.  BUT...there were ENORMOUS mosquitoes!  The biggest I have ever seen and they were attacking us...even when we were inside the van...coming at the windows!  It was crazy!

SO...after the sun came up we spent little time outside of the van in this park.  I know that sounds crazy but it is true.  I am so glad we were able to see the trails and the lake before the park was officially open.  We found a short path that was a mile loop.  It would take us to the "Lady of the Woods."  This was a carving done by a fellow park visitor back in 1917.  He was a doctor who had never tried sculpting before but was inspired by the rock he found.

We would not know until later that this sculpture is only viewed at this time of the year after the snow melt.  I do not think they would let us try our luck at artistry with one of their boulders today.

We did take a chance with our lives for a better view of the lake.  We were even able to see the Phantom Ship (an rock formation that is not always visible depending on the level of the lake but on a foggy morning looks like a ship) and Wizard's Island (a volcano inside a volcano).  Edward was ready to climb up the mountain so he could slide in the snow...I told him the mosquitoes would surely pick him up and take him away if we stayed out any longer!  We enjoyed the views as we drove on to our next stop.

Now...I have to say that many people think Edward is hyper...cannot concentrate for long...but he is also very smart.  The night before I had asked the clerk at the front desk which way would be the better path out of the park.  She told me what to do and I thought I understood her directions.  When we were leaving the park the next day we came to the "fork in the road" and I hesitated in which way to go...Edward insisted he knew which way to go...but I did not think he was right...we went the opposite direction.  I should have listened...we ended up on a very windy mountain road that was also riddled with detours and construction!


Our next stop was supposed to be Fort Vancouver National Park on the northern edge of Oregon and Washington.  Because of my wrong turn, we would not arrive until almost four in the afternoon (two hours later than planned!).

We arrived at what we thought was the visitor center and found out it was actually a separate museum dedicated to the history of flight.  We would have loved to have visited the museum (Pierson Air Museum) but the national park was our main goal.  It was a block down...and actual fort walls were still there to view with original buildings.  The ranger was so kind...he told us that he was closing the fort gates in an hour.  He encouraged us to go back to the air museum and look around and then come back.  I felt like I had run a marathon...we went back to see airplanes and other memorabilia.  A great open room full of things to view.  We tried our best to see everything in thirty minutes.

Then the race was on to return to the fort.  We arrived as the rangers were closing the buildings.  We were told to go one step ahead of the rangers so we could see as much as possible.  We found out at the end of our tour...if we had arrived earlier in the day the rangers were dressed in character and demonstrated how the fort worked when it was an active establishment.  One of the rangers (Ranger Gay) walked us out of the park sharing as much information as he could.  He was so kind and said he would have stayed longer if he did not have plans for the evening.  I hope we will be able to return to the park on another trip withe entire family.

Our last destination...Bremerton!  We would not arrive until after eight in the evening.  We were greeted with open arms and more importantly a late evening meal.  We had raced around all day and had little time for food.  I guess 500 miles of mountain roads was a little too much for one day.  But we made it!