California Trip July 2012: Part 2 Sites and Ocean Beach

Food Market in San Mateo

View from Twin Peaks in San Francisco

   We stayed actually with my brother, brother-in-law, and my brother-in-law's family in San Mateo, California. Just a short drive from San Francisco. We arrive around lunch time. We were all hungry, and needed to stretch our legs. My brother was at work in San Francisco so my brother-in-law took us to an El Salvadorian restaurant to eat at in San Mateo. Oh, boy was it good. It was also by a food market store. There was so much fresh fruits and veggies. Joel was amazed with all that they had there. Of course many of the things were written in Spanish, and my brother-in-law had to translate for us. 
   After we got done we headed back to the house where we were staying. My dad wanted to sleep for a while. My mom and Joel played outside. I went with my brother-in-law shopping and to get Mani and pedi's. That night we had Guatemalan food from a restaurant. That night my brother took our mom and me into San Francisco to to Twin Peaks to over look San Francisco. It was so neat to see. It was also very cold. Not even two minutes after I took this picture the fog rolled in. I was so lucky to get this wonderful picture.

Ocean Beach, San Francisco California

  The next day while my brother was gone to work my brother-in-law took us to the Pacific Ocean. We went to Ocean Beach in San Francisco. It would be my second time to an ocean, and Joel's first time ever. The water was freezing, but got to it after so long. Joel was so excited to see a cargo boat in the background. He loved touching the sand as well as the water. At first he did not know what to think about the waves. He took in a couple of gulps of the salty water.
While my dad looked for shells and rocks on the beach, and my mom resting on the towels watching our stuff; my brother-in-law, Joel, and I enjoyed the water of the Pacific Ocean. We got sand dollars from under the water, laughed as Joel enjoyed he waves hitting us, and just enjoying the California sun. Even though Gabriel (my brother in law) and I had a hold of Joel we had his life vest on him. Some of the waves were quite forceful, specially with Joel being so young. 

Downtown Market Street San Francisco, California

  After we got done at Ocean Beach it was time to go pick up my brother in Downtown San Francisco. My brother works at Lens Crafters on Market Street. It is different downtown San Francisco, California than back home in Iowa in our State Capital of Des Moines, Iowa. Lot more congested that is for sure. Downtown San Francisco on Market Street has pedestrians walking to and from (some not caring others have right away), bikers, homeless sitting on the sidewalks, homeless pushing grocery carts, there is people driving personal vehicles, public busses, Trolleys, and Trams. Joel was in awe of all that was going on. He was like, "Mommy look, Mommy look."  He was pointing at everything from the trams to the birds, to the high buildings. It is amazing thing to see, and be a part of.

San Francisco Bay in San Mateo, CA

  The next day Gabriel's mom, his sister, my mom, and I went out for the day to do some shopping and get mani's and pedi's. The guys and Joel hung out for the day doing different things. Joel loved it because he got to spend quality man time with the guys. 
  After we got back we rested for a little while. Then Angel (my brother-in-law's brother) wanted to let Joel go enjoy a park in San Mateo. So, Angel, Joel, and I went to a really neat park that sits right off the San Francisco Bay in San Mateo. Joel had fun playing on the awesome equipment. Really wished we had playground equipment in Iowa like they do there. We enjoyed the bay, and seeing San Francisco and Oakland California on the other side. Joel and I just loved taking in the sights of California together. Who knew that the walk we did with Angel to the park would spark so much. I guess that is when Angel fell in love with me, but didn't know until later after I would leave California. I just thought he loved hanging with me because of Joel. Joel and Angel became really good buddies.

California Trip July 2012: Part 1 The Drives

  July we also spent time going to California for my brother's wedding in San Francisco. Boy was it a blast, but it was a long long trip there and back. My biological dad, my biological mom, Joel, and I went together. I was so proud of my parents for getting along on the trip and while we were there, because they are divorced, but they agreed to put differences aside for a week, and put up with one another for my brother as well as for my son, and me. We traveled through several states: Iowa (of course we live here), Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and into California. 

  We met up with a friend of mine and her children in Stuart, Iowa as we traveled most of the way together, because she was going almost the same way as us in California. We thought it would be better for her and her children to travel with us in a group instead of by herself. That way we felt she was safe, and if she needed any help we could help her. All the children did surprisingly well. Joel had a good time because their was other children to play with when we stopped. I think our favorite time we stop was in right after we crossed into Wyoming in a little rest area. The kids were able to play on a little playground and run some steam out. That is where we got the good picture of all four of them together that is above.

You really never knew who was going to be in the backseat with my son. Most of the time my mom rode back there. I got back there off and on. My dad did some of the driving. Driving out to California I drove a lot through the night unless we went through a major city like Salt Lake, Utah when I let my dad drive. Crazy us drove straight through to California. My dad ended up getting sick early the second morning of driving. Thank God my mom was there to help my friend with driving off and on. We were all getting tired. The kids did all the sleeping for us. I think each of us adults had only one to two hours each of rest. I think I had the least sleep. Joel had a hard time resting starting about 4am the second morning which was good because he talked to me as I drove.

Mountains in Wyoming

Ames Monuent

Some of the scenes we saw on the way was so beautiful while others were left to be desired. It was so neat to watch as we went from flat land to little bit of mountains off and on. We even made a few stops to see some things on the way out there if we had time. Our first stop we decided to really check out was this roadside monuments that looked like a pyramid with  plaque of Lincoln called Ames Monument. When they talked about it they said that it was right off of I-80. Well, needless to say it was right off my rear end. We had to take this bad red gravel road that was rough on the car. Needless to say it was something that I will only see once. We really didn't not see Utah at all. Little bit of Nevada on the way out California. We saw more of them on our way home.

Mountains in California

San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge

 One of my favorite pictures I took of the mountain country was in California. The yellow of the land the few trees just was wonderful. Every once in a while you could see the bay mixed as we got closer to San Francisco.  When we got closer to San Francisco we saw the sign for it. Joel only 4 yrs old at the time looked up and said, "Mommy we are almost to Uncle Matthew's I see the words." Joel knows that San Francisco has two words with the first part beginning with S. I knew I was in San Francisco when I was able to see bits of the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

July Fun: 4th of July and Star WarsNight

  July 2012 was such a busy month for Joel and I, but we started if off with a bang. July 4th we spent the morning  hanging out just the two of us. In the afternoon we went over to Joel's godparents for some fun and food. That night we all four went to Raccoon River Park in Des Moines, IA to watch fireworks. It was so hot and muggy. Plus there were a lot of people there. Joel enjoyed running back and forth on the path. Next time we got to remember to take snacks and drinks for little man. Finally the fireworks began. They were not only beautiful in the sky but the reflection of them over the water was so beautiful.

At the end of the month Joel, his Grandma M., his godparents, and I got to watch Joel get to meet his favorite Characters come to life. Joel just loves and adores Star Wars. So one night they had a Star Wars night at Valley West Mall in Des Moines, Iowa. It was neat to watch Joel has he went around meeting both bad and good guys. I think his godfather had just as much fun as Joel. As he loves Star Wars as well. It was a good bonding time for Joel and his godfather. It was neat watch my son's dream of meeting Star War characters in person come to life.