Russian River Trip - aka "The Cottage"

This weekend we took a trip up to Guerneyville, CA to explore the area near the Russian River. The drive took us just over two hours, north through San Francisco and then into the hills. We left Thursday night after dinner and baths. Hazel stayed awake the whole time, too psyched to see our "cottage" I suppose. When we got just outside San Francisco, she thought all the tall buildings were temples. She was thrilled to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge, even though it was dark. Photo courtesy of images.google.com.

We had just put civilization behind us and headed deep into the woods when I realized I must not have used the restroom before we left. When it became an emergency-level situation, Todd pulled off the main road and found a spot for me to take care of business. To my complete horror, thirty seconds later a truck pulled up behind us and shot a photo of me squatting! Who would do that? I asked myself, then realized that College Todd would have. And it might even have been College Angie's idea. So I laughed and forgave them.

The place we stayed at was actually a mobile home. We called it our cottage and we loved it.We had a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms. It was similar in square footage to our apartment we actually live in. Also it had a huge deck. But oh, the yard! That was paradise. Huge (I don't know, an acre or two I'd say) with lots of trees and plenty of open space, a fire pit, hot tub, and two delicious hammocks.Friday we rented a canoe and forged our way through the extremely mild Russian River. As in, it was super easy for one person to paddle our whole family upstream. It was relaxing. Hazel and Todd worked the paddles and I kept Jack happy. The water was a comfortable enough temperature for us to dock the canoe for a bit and let Hazel swim about in the shallow parts and throw handfuls of mud around.Photo courtesy of images.google.com.

I stared dreamily at all the private docks and decided I would love to own a home like that, all private and spaced out from the neighbors, with all its own space and yard and everything and then a little walk down to your own dock, where you've got patio furniture and a kayak or two and pool floaties all sitting there waiting for you to come play. What a dream to bring a book down to the dock and read and sunbathe and watch people float past. What a party to bring the kids down for a swim or go float in your tubes for a while. That's the life. Maybe someday...Photos courtesy of images.google.com.

After the river we took the kids back to the house for naps. And then here's the best part! While the kids were sleeping, instead of being quietly trapped in my living room with nothing to do but laundry, Todd and I took books outside and read while we lounged in the hammocks. Bliss!We spent the entire rest of the day and evening outside. We soaked up every minute of our pretend "we have a yard" life. Hazel ran and ran and ran and ran. She mostly pretended to be Robin Hood. She'd get "tied up" in the hammock by Prince John (Todd - and Jack was Hiss), then sneak out and run to her hideout. I was Maid Mariam, and she kept telling me it wasn't the getting married part yet. She was too busy dodging Prince John to give me a real part to pay, except sometimes she instructed me to call out to her for help so she could come rescue me from Prince John, too. This statue was her hideout. That night we used the fire pit to roast hot dogs and make s'mores. Then after the kids were in bed Todd and I got in the hot tub, only to discover that it was more of a warm tub and the part to heat it up was broken. Bummer, but the stars were amazing and I saw the Big Dipper more clearly than I ever have before in my life.

Saturday morning we hiked through the Armstrong Redwoods State Preserve. We kept our eyes peeled for tree hollows so Hazel could climb in and pretend to be an owl. We found a tree slide that we probably would have walked right past if there hadn't been other kids there sliding on. It was awesome, a long slice of redwood bark that was smooth and just laying at the perfect angle. Hazel slid on it three or four times, then decided to get more adventurous and climb the super steep hill behind it. Todd had to take over spotting duties.

That afternoon the kids napped while we read in the hammocks again. Then we all played in the yard. I wish really bad we had a nice big yard like that. It was so fun. Todd grilled hamburgers and we ate on the deck.By the way, I only did breakfast on the trip, easy stuff like bagels and cream cheese and coffee cake from a mix. Todd packed picnic lunches for us before we left each morning, and he made us great dinners both nights. That was another great part about this trip: relinquishing the kitchen to him.

Saturday night we all four got in the warm tub and played with the kids in it like it was a little swimming pool. Then we put them to bed and Todd and I read together. Todd went searching for a blanket and came back with a Snugli. He didn't even know what it was! I made him pose for a picture, and then we used it and made jokes all night. One final look at the stars before going to bed. Aah, lovely.

Sunday morning we cleaned up and said goodbye to our cottage. Hazel was excited to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge again. We made it home with just enough time to change clothes and hop back in the car to attend afternoon church. Now we're in the throughs of unpacking and otherwise de-tripping.

The best part? Two and a half days together with no cell phone coverage. It was full-on family bonding and we loved it.