we have not been on-line a whole lot, it's a big effort to find a free wi-fi source and having the whole family in tow, including house and all...
not much longer tomorrow is the big day. joel and the boys will return the rental motor home which we used the past three days. shasta has been sold including lots and lots of trouble but it is gone for good, the plates will be in the mail by the end of today.
dockweiler has become our second home. still, every day we discover new things be it at the beach, where elias and joel spend most of their time, or in the process of cleaning and packing our stuff for me. naomi and amos enjoy tons of time in "driving" the "house" to friends. which sounds something like: "you have to take a right at 5th ave., ok, then you go for two blocks and turn left onto yellow blv., it must be right there, o!! i see our friends. ok, i will help you back up into their drive way...." it is very serious and then of course visiting includes having a snack and gatorade (which has become amos favorite drink).
photos will be up on flicker by next week, it's a bit lame i know, but that's how it is for now.
November 5, 2009
October 22, 2009
the grand sequoias
we are back into civilization...
sequoia national park was wonderful. i felt like walking among angels being set in place by our God a couple thousand years ago. it is a magical place and i would want to go back just me and the stillness of those giants.
there are new pics on flickr
not much more. as for now we are heading to monterey aquarium and down the pacific coast, as well as trying to sell our shasta... (anyone planning a trip out west? this would definitely be a cheap way to travel..)
sequoia national park was wonderful. i felt like walking among angels being set in place by our God a couple thousand years ago. it is a magical place and i would want to go back just me and the stillness of those giants.
there are new pics on flickr
not much more. as for now we are heading to monterey aquarium and down the pacific coast, as well as trying to sell our shasta... (anyone planning a trip out west? this would definitely be a cheap way to travel..)
October 17, 2009
Joshua Tree
It was really nice to be "out there" again after the buzz of Southern California. We must have spent three days clamboring over the otherworldly shaped rocks at Joshua Tree NP. We enjoyed seeing the stars again, even through the 40cm telescope that one of our camp neighbors set up. The desert even treated us to an encounter with a tarantula and a rattlesnake.
Then it was back to LA, because we had promised our guest Franziska a few days of seeing the stars of the Hollywood/Beverly Hills kind. Of course it didn't pan out that easily, but Amos was excited to discover Dr. Seuss' star on the Walk of Fame. Took a tour of the Paramount Studios and immersed ourselves in the crazy scene that is the Venice Boardwalk. Elias, having decided to become a surfer changed his mind upon seeing the skating park there.
Today, we're dropping off Franziska at LAX. She acquired a healthy tan that will remind her of her last summer days of 2009 in the 35F/3C weather of Switzerland. In just three weeks, we will follow her on the same flight. Until then, we have to part with Shasta (aka. "the Shaz"), our hardy home-on-wheels. Anyone interested? A lot of folks seem to live in these things parked at the State Beaches.
(pics to follow)
Then it was back to LA, because we had promised our guest Franziska a few days of seeing the stars of the Hollywood/Beverly Hills kind. Of course it didn't pan out that easily, but Amos was excited to discover Dr. Seuss' star on the Walk of Fame. Took a tour of the Paramount Studios and immersed ourselves in the crazy scene that is the Venice Boardwalk. Elias, having decided to become a surfer changed his mind upon seeing the skating park there.
Today, we're dropping off Franziska at LAX. She acquired a healthy tan that will remind her of her last summer days of 2009 in the 35F/3C weather of Switzerland. In just three weeks, we will follow her on the same flight. Until then, we have to part with Shasta (aka. "the Shaz"), our hardy home-on-wheels. Anyone interested? A lot of folks seem to live in these things parked at the State Beaches.
(pics to follow)
October 9, 2009
October 7, 2009
the pacific!
after a night at "camp switzerland" in the san bernadino mountains, we made it all the way across the nation and arrived at the coast of the pacific!
it was wonderful and very special to see the sandy shores of california, south of los angeles. our first night was at doheny state beach, a wonderful little spot, where wave riding is as big as as it's white crested waves.
it didn't take us long until we owned a boogy board. since then it has been used a lot already. the water is much saltier here as i remember it being in boston. and it is also much warmer, this is good news for me, as swimming in the atlantic in new england was not my thing.
we also picked up franziska, and we enjoy her presence. it has gotten a bit more crowded in our house, but the weather has been great, so the house is really just needed for sleeping.
last sunday night i went for a walk at the beach at san elijo and met an other mom. we both had our babe's bundled up on our backs and realized quickly, that they were just one day apart.one more thing became quickly obvious, we both were home schooling our kids at some point...
they were planning to go to legoland on monday, as home schoolers got a special deal. although we realized, that would we would have had to sign up, we were able to hop along with two families and were able to get in for about a third of the regular prize.(which we would not have payed and skipped that fun). thank you s for the moment's together.
so today we have been stranded in san diego. shasta needed some love a knowledgeable hand of a mechanic...
we will be at the san diego zoo tomorrow...
it was wonderful and very special to see the sandy shores of california, south of los angeles. our first night was at doheny state beach, a wonderful little spot, where wave riding is as big as as it's white crested waves.
it didn't take us long until we owned a boogy board. since then it has been used a lot already. the water is much saltier here as i remember it being in boston. and it is also much warmer, this is good news for me, as swimming in the atlantic in new england was not my thing.
we also picked up franziska, and we enjoy her presence. it has gotten a bit more crowded in our house, but the weather has been great, so the house is really just needed for sleeping.
last sunday night i went for a walk at the beach at san elijo and met an other mom. we both had our babe's bundled up on our backs and realized quickly, that they were just one day apart.one more thing became quickly obvious, we both were home schooling our kids at some point...
they were planning to go to legoland on monday, as home schoolers got a special deal. although we realized, that would we would have had to sign up, we were able to hop along with two families and were able to get in for about a third of the regular prize.(which we would not have payed and skipped that fun). thank you s for the moment's together.
so today we have been stranded in san diego. shasta needed some love a knowledgeable hand of a mechanic...
we will be at the san diego zoo tomorrow...
uups
yes and uups, shasta is not fixed yet...
we are kamping in a kabin for one night... that's what the koa people call a little cottage on the camp ground. wow this is huge, we all enjoy a regular size bed! three rooms this is luxurious. joel and franziska are right now shopping for breakfast and diapers (a big shopping was planned for this afternoon, which did not happen). we still plan to go to the zoo, but with the bus. and hopefully by tomorrow night we have the house back.
we are kamping in a kabin for one night... that's what the koa people call a little cottage on the camp ground. wow this is huge, we all enjoy a regular size bed! three rooms this is luxurious. joel and franziska are right now shopping for breakfast and diapers (a big shopping was planned for this afternoon, which did not happen). we still plan to go to the zoo, but with the bus. and hopefully by tomorrow night we have the house back.
September 28, 2009
Sin City, here we come!
After being pampered at the Page RV park (fast WiFi, indoor pool & spa), we were in for a contrast when we camped at Lake Powell's Lone Rock area: Pay ten bucks and park anywhere you like on the beach. Turned out that our spot was preferred by tons of German speakers. At least three neighbors on the left and right were either from Germany or Austria: "Hehe, ve camped in ze German row". Some of them we had met before, others we were about to meet again. Small world. But the beach was nice: Beautiful sand (easy to get an RV stuck in it though) and a straight walk into the water. And sun, of course. Lots of sun.
The next three nights were spent at the Grand Canyon North Rim. After realizing that it was 14 miles and 6000 vertical feet to the bottom, we (E & J) scrapped plans to hike down and overnight there, and opted for a more modest hiking regimen down the North Kaibab Trail, which was very nice.
The next day brought an impromptu stop at the Pipe Springs National Monument. The night was spent at the Sandy Hollow State Park in Utah. This is one of those "recreation areas" which is basically a playground for adult gasoline-junkies: Sand buggies, ATVs, jet skis, power boats and BBQ grills. Not really enjoyable, but we made the best of it. It was really quiet at night and the stars were spectacular. Also, since it is a man-made reservoir, it has nice cliffs where one can jump off boulders into the clear water. I goaded/bullied/teased Elias into jumping off of one that was standing at least 12 feet above the water. Awesome.
On the way back to the highway we drove by a development that had all the streets, trees, parks, even cast-iron benches and old-fashioned street lights, as well as dorky anglo-phile street names such as "Abbey Road", "Canterbury Street", "Windsor Parkway" etc. The only catch? Not a single house was yet built, save for the lonely "model home" on one corner. So we decided to have a little fun and drove through it as if we were visiting someone. We even tried out our fake British accents (which Amos is getting pretty good at) and got lost a little bit. We thought of renaming the neighborhood "The Stock Market Downs" or the "Recession Estates" or putting a $1 bid on a lot.
Anyway, our next target was Las Vegas, but before we got there, we visited the "Lost City" State Museum for yet more Anasazi history and archaeology, and drove through the "Valley Of Fire" State Park. Pretty.
Vegas is Vegas. Ah well. Exciting for an evening or two, and then we want to move to saner territory again. Yesterday we toured the "Circus Circus" complex, stumbled into the Adventure Dome, and each of the kids got to blow a quarter on a mindless game of chance. I hope they got the point. Today we're hounding again for FREE thrills such as the MGM Grand's lion habitat. More on that later. Perhaps with pics, but don't hold your breath. WiFi is atrociously sluggish again.
The next three nights were spent at the Grand Canyon North Rim. After realizing that it was 14 miles and 6000 vertical feet to the bottom, we (E & J) scrapped plans to hike down and overnight there, and opted for a more modest hiking regimen down the North Kaibab Trail, which was very nice.
The next day brought an impromptu stop at the Pipe Springs National Monument. The night was spent at the Sandy Hollow State Park in Utah. This is one of those "recreation areas" which is basically a playground for adult gasoline-junkies: Sand buggies, ATVs, jet skis, power boats and BBQ grills. Not really enjoyable, but we made the best of it. It was really quiet at night and the stars were spectacular. Also, since it is a man-made reservoir, it has nice cliffs where one can jump off boulders into the clear water. I goaded/bullied/teased Elias into jumping off of one that was standing at least 12 feet above the water. Awesome.
On the way back to the highway we drove by a development that had all the streets, trees, parks, even cast-iron benches and old-fashioned street lights, as well as dorky anglo-phile street names such as "Abbey Road", "Canterbury Street", "Windsor Parkway" etc. The only catch? Not a single house was yet built, save for the lonely "model home" on one corner. So we decided to have a little fun and drove through it as if we were visiting someone. We even tried out our fake British accents (which Amos is getting pretty good at) and got lost a little bit. We thought of renaming the neighborhood "The Stock Market Downs" or the "Recession Estates" or putting a $1 bid on a lot.
Anyway, our next target was Las Vegas, but before we got there, we visited the "Lost City" State Museum for yet more Anasazi history and archaeology, and drove through the "Valley Of Fire" State Park. Pretty.
Vegas is Vegas. Ah well. Exciting for an evening or two, and then we want to move to saner territory again. Yesterday we toured the "Circus Circus" complex, stumbled into the Adventure Dome, and each of the kids got to blow a quarter on a mindless game of chance. I hope they got the point. Today we're hounding again for FREE thrills such as the MGM Grand's lion habitat. More on that later. Perhaps with pics, but don't hold your breath. WiFi is atrociously sluggish again.
September 22, 2009
shopping and more
after dinner we decided that the time has come to go shopping for a to parts in regards to our shasta's plumbing. o yes and the fridge and pantry were almost exhausted.
i could not belief it but the time has come for a walmart shopping tour. it was the first time in my life to step into such a store. and o well, we found over one hour of entertainment! walking out with lots of yummie food and one of the needed plumbing parts.
everyone was allowed a treat, naomi picked half a gallon of "shamrock's" chocolate milk, amos a bag of sun chips "great mulitgrain taste", elias was totally certain of his choice being the best, a bag of jelly beans. joel picked some whole grain,good looking granola and i could not resist a bar of dark chocolate...
and o well i also got a monkey tripod, one of those really fun looking once, yeah!
this all after a drive through monument valley, long stretches of nothingness and a visit in shonto at their trading post. the shonto stop was fun as well as strange. it was at the outskirts of the town and had an oasis feel to it. sand all over, parking on a sand dune and the kids stumbling out of the shasta into the playground... of course sand all over, digging, throwing, watching, and to my surprise not that much complaining about sand in the hair, mouth, eyes etc...
anyway, i was able to send off the last five library books... yes no more ties to the JP library. a last good by note was stuffed in the packet with the books. thank you librarians for helping us to learn from books, love books and be a community.
as for today, we will be swimming in lake powell and are not sure yet if we also take a trip into antelope canyon...
right now, the older three kids are swimming in the pool of the rv park, joel reading some more barth and i should be preparing breakfast, thea just tasted a green felt marker, which she found in our "house", of course not just the taste, but also it's colour left "a mark".
i could not belief it but the time has come for a walmart shopping tour. it was the first time in my life to step into such a store. and o well, we found over one hour of entertainment! walking out with lots of yummie food and one of the needed plumbing parts.
everyone was allowed a treat, naomi picked half a gallon of "shamrock's" chocolate milk, amos a bag of sun chips "great mulitgrain taste", elias was totally certain of his choice being the best, a bag of jelly beans. joel picked some whole grain,good looking granola and i could not resist a bar of dark chocolate...
and o well i also got a monkey tripod, one of those really fun looking once, yeah!
this all after a drive through monument valley, long stretches of nothingness and a visit in shonto at their trading post. the shonto stop was fun as well as strange. it was at the outskirts of the town and had an oasis feel to it. sand all over, parking on a sand dune and the kids stumbling out of the shasta into the playground... of course sand all over, digging, throwing, watching, and to my surprise not that much complaining about sand in the hair, mouth, eyes etc...
anyway, i was able to send off the last five library books... yes no more ties to the JP library. a last good by note was stuffed in the packet with the books. thank you librarians for helping us to learn from books, love books and be a community.
as for today, we will be swimming in lake powell and are not sure yet if we also take a trip into antelope canyon...
right now, the older three kids are swimming in the pool of the rv park, joel reading some more barth and i should be preparing breakfast, thea just tasted a green felt marker, which she found in our "house", of course not just the taste, but also it's colour left "a mark".
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