Coast 'n Stuff

Monday morning we left early and headed for the coast. This is actually in reverse order, so I will start with the events of Monday afternoon. We built a fire, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and the kids threw rocks into the Smith River. OH, and Spencer caught a dead fish right out of the river with his bare hand. That's my manly out-doors-man.

Luke and Aaron searching for some good rocks to fling.Before roasting our lunch/dinner, we stopped at the Simpson-Reed Grove trail at the Jedidiah Smith State park Redwood Forest and walked among the gargantuan Redwood trees. Benny rode in the stroller for about 5 minutes then insisted on pushing it himself.

Spencer read the engraved plaque on the bench at the head of the trail. This kid is quite the reader. He loves it, and I love that he loves it.

Can you believe the size of this mushroom? The entire grove must be on a steady diet of Miracle Grow.

Spencer fit perfectly into the nook of this Redwood tree with a built in seat belt.

And before the stroll through the trees we went to the beach. We enjoyed perfect beach weather. It was slightly warm, sunny, and not a cloud in sight.
We built a sea fort and were chased by the waves up the beach. We always seem to experience a time warp when we are at the beach. We were there for three hours, yet it seemed like only one.

Leslie went hog wild with the photography. I am hoping to post a part two of these events with her, more skilled, and aesthetically pleasing pictures.

Luke goes to work on the sea fort. The men await the attacking waves.

A large gust of wind, blew Spencer off of his feet. He held onto the fort flag pole for dear life. Somehow Spencer was the only one affected by the gust.

Look, a seal corpse. I had never seen a seal in its own environment before. I guess this is the best I am going to get.

Big brother Spence, reaches out to help Benny down to the water.

Ta-DA!

Aaron is a ball of laughs. Leslie worked her head off trying to get some pictures of Aaron looking at the camera but he seems to be smiling in all of his candid shots. He is such a happy kid.

Before the beach we stopped by to see our friends, Paul Bunyon and his companion, Babe. The kids pose on Paul's giant boot. What a nice bunch of boys.Before Paul and Babe's place, we went to Battery Point to view this light house in Crescent City. I don't know anything about photography, but those shadows across the kids' faces aren't ideal.

Benny reaches for Daddy.

So there's Monday at the coast for you. These next two pictures are the "stuff" in the post title.

Little Spence: big kid, helper, friend.

This last picture is quite embarrassing. While Leslie is here she has helped me tackle those projects that I have always wanted to eventually get to, like washing the cushions on our hand-me-down couch. I love the couch. It is long, super comfy, and oh so sturdy, but it has always been on the slightly disgusting and ugly side in appearance. Well, disgusting is no longer a good adjective for my beloved couch, although ugly does still apply. Can you believe the difference between the dirty and the clean? That is sick.