Although it's been a little more than a month since my last post, it certainly hasn't been because we haven't been busy. In reality, it's just the opposite. We've been so busy that I simply haven't set aside time to write. I've got some catching up to do!
We left Pacific Grove/Monterey on June 15 after a wonderful month. As we drove away, much of the conversation was focused on hopefully returning sometime in the near future. From whales to trails, there is so much to see and do in the area! We can't wait to go back.
We moved just a couple of hours north to Mill Valley. Much of the next six days were spent enjoying time with Sarah, Joey, James and Emma. We also enjoyed walking from our hotel to Sausalito, as well as taking the ferry over to San Francisco for a few hours. We've become very familiar with Sausalito and San Francisco over the years and always enjoy them. This time we explored a couple of small communities, Sebastopol and Guerneville, which are located about an hour's drive north of Mill Valley.
Sebastopol, which has a population of around 8,000 is the larger of the two communities. It was once known primarily as an apple growing region. While apples continue to be common, in recent years many orchards have been replaced by vineyards as the wine producing area of northern California continues to expand. We enjoyed walking around the small downtown, as well as The Barlow, a twelve-acre outdoor market with numerous small shops, restaurants and watering holes.
Guerneville, which is located on the Russian River, is just a short twenty-minute drive northwest of Sebastopol. What it lacks in size (pop. 4,700), it more than makes up for in its diversity and funkiness. Both the river and downtown were hopping with locals and day trippers enjoying a Saturday afternoon in Northern California.
On June 21 we said "see you next week" to Sarah, Joey and Emma. They would be making the cross-country flight to Florida in a week. James flew back to Florida with us. We nicknamed ourselves "The Go Eagles" and declared Camp MiMi-Pop officially in session! It was a long travel day, but James handled it like a pro and shortly before mid-night our coast-to-coast journey was complete.
We spent the first two nights of Camp MiMi/Pop in Tampa and enjoyed visiting Busch Gardens. It was hot, but not overly hot, crowded, but not overcrowded, and we had a great two days. James even talked Beth into riding the Sand Serpent roller coaster once. I was a little more adventurous and rode it four times in a row with him before throwing in the towel (he went one more time by himself).
We made it back to Anna Maria Island after two fun filled days in Tampa. It was almost time for the annual tradition known simply as "Beach House" to begin! James enjoyed spending some time at Beach House a few years ago, but for him that was half a lifetime ago. He was excited to meet and/or become reacquainted with his aunts, uncles and cousins (everyone is an aunt, uncle or cousin).
James loved meeting everyone. He also had a great time playing on the beach, swimming in the crystal-clear gulf and pool, as well as visiting with his great grandmother NaNa. Although they don't see each other too often, they formed a special bond early on when she offered him a handful of fresh blueberries when he was a toddler. If you listen carefully, you can sometimes hear them speaking to each other in their own special language which is a series of grunts, groans and squeals.
We were expecting Sarah, Joey and Emma to join us June 27, but unfortunately American Airlines had different plans. After an EIGHT-hour delay in Austin, at around 1:00 AM they canceled their flight and told them it would be two days before they could rebook them to Tampa. Austin is a fun place to visit, but they had no interest in spending the next two days there. They decided to rent a car, point it towards Florida and make the drive (17+ hours). Close to a day and a half after leaving California, they made it to Tampa where they returned the rental car and were reunited with James. We were grateful for their safe arrival, and they were grateful when America Airlines found their luggage and delivered it two days later!
Ben is now back in Pennsylvania. Sarah, Joey, James and Emma are back in California where they celebrated James's 6th birthday yesterday. Beach House is over for another year. As for me and Beth, we're happily exhausted with wonderful memories of family (and extended family) time that we've had over the past month. We'll be sweltering here in Florida for the next month before pointing the Silver Bullet north to Ben's place in Pennsylvania and then on to the Finger Lakes region of New York. The journey continues!
Below are just a few more photos from Beach House 2022:
