We were packed to the max for this trip. I keep trying to downsize my tiny garage & taking things to California that really belong to the boys. So on this trip, an old Nintendo Gaming system, with all the vintage games like Tetris, duck hunt, etc. were packed as well as Haydens Halloween gifts, his birthday gifts & all the wrapped Christmas gifts for the California familty. The flights are always long but they went super smooth….we had no delays, great weather, & very little turbulence…always a big win during these crazy times.
Hayden is such a fun age & thankfully, the warm up time was minimal. He’s just a perfect little boy! We landed a couple of days before Halloween & so happy to see everyone!
Hayden opening his Halloween gift & Peter in his last minute costume for work (I was so proud!)
That night the three were Star Wars characters with the cutest little Ewok!
This is Hayden's version of "angry Ewok!"
Pete, Leia, Luke & Jordan all went to a concert later Halloween night, & Hayden was in a much better mood ready for bed in his new jammies.
We went hiking one day….love the beauty of Northern California! Leia’s sister, Brenda was in town & she is a blast! Just one of those people its so easy to be around & funny as can be!
a tired little hiker!
The next big big big event was Hayden’s 1st birthday! Leia’s Mom & Stepdad came down, some friends came over & of course Uncle Luke & Aunt Jordan. I don’t think Hayden had ever had so many people in his house before!
Happy Birthday to this adorable little guy! We miss him sooooo much!
Uncle Luke & Hayden have a special relationship!
Hayden listening intently to Aunt Jordan.
Cheers!
Not so “happy” now….
But in a few minutes & all cleaned up, he was back to enjoying the party.
Then it was time to open gifts & start playing!
The trike/stroller Sara’s family gave him was a huge hit! (While there, on the rainy days we’d race around the house…it was fun!)
Loving his new chair!
Pete & Leia documented Hayden’s "months" by the number of slices of pizza & him laying on the box. Some months this went well & some it didn’t. But tonight, was the last time he’d have to lay in a box….
…& now he could dive in!
We got out once or twice: we went to our fave beer bar, Dead Reckoning, out to dinner with Luke & Jordan one night at the Pub, all of us out to lunch one day at the Fieldbrook Market, & Pete & Leia got to go out a couple of times while we watched Hayden. And in between all the events, we played & played & played! He took his first steps while we were there & boy am I addicted to his giggles & laughs! Here’s just lots of Hayden! It was a pretty perfect trip!
..just a boy watching his goats
Danny & I took a tiny trip & rented a car for 3.5 days & drove up part of the Oregon coast…hiking along the way, seeing places I’d been before but not him, but also both of us seeing new sites. We were fortunate to see the King Tides at just the perfect place & they were mind blowing! We tried camping in the car, but kind of hard to do without much camping equipment, but it didn’t spoil the adventure. We ate some good food, drank some yummy cocktails & beer!
On a random note: We stopped for a beer at the Chetco brewery in Brookings. We were just sitting visiting & drinking when behind the bar walked a friend of mine! We both just stared at each other, recognizing each other but we were just both in the wrong place. Angie was a bartender at the Brick in Crested Butte & I got to know her from the gazillion times I had a beer there. Once the Brick closed, she moved out here & is enjoying the change of scenery but still good beer! It was just so fun to see her & I love this type of trip magic!
Luke was working in Crescent City the day we drove through there, so we all had a beer & lunch together. Miss him so much, but so happy he’s a very happy man!
King Tides in Shore Acres State Park…they were incredible!
Saw a Monkey Puzzle tree! The only other one I’ve ever seen was in Portland.
Tried some delicious cider here & took a few bottles back for Pete & Leia who are big cider drinkers.
Danny had never seen a cranberry bog before so we stopped by this family farm called Peters. They had a cute little farmstead that we bought some cranberry jalapeño jam from. The harvest was in September & October & we'd just missed the cranberry festival!
Love the sun rays through the trees
Sunset over the Pacific
Dinner & drinks at Superfly in Brookings, OR
Exploring the Samuel Boardman Scenic Area
The highest bridge in Oregon
going up up up
Harris Beach state park, Brookings OR
The beautiful Smith River & hiking in Jedediah Smith State park.
Fantastic Redwood trees!
More of the Smith!
Amazing roots growing on a downed Redwood….these forests are incredible.
Ended our trip at the Klamath overlook watching the river flow in the Pacific…love this spot!
random pics….
We had a couple of days back at Petes before we flew out, so we packed as much Hayden time in as we could!
We learned to play “Where’s Hayden?”…so much fun!
Every morning, we’d look outside for nature….grass, birds, a neighborhood cat, the goats, trees, clouds….cherish these tiny moments.
I’ve been sending him a book a month, so I really enjoyed reading all of them to him!
Our sweet little happy, smart, adorable Hayden. Walking so much more confidently in just 10 days! Love this little boy soooooo much!
Hugs good bye & a few tears later, Pete dropped us off at their tiny local airport. The fog was heavy & the possibility of not taking off on time was looming. We ended up being delayed for 3 hours with just a water fountain & vending machines. By the time we took off, we’d miss our connection in Denver, which was the last plane out for the night.
We’d be stuck at DIA overnight. There’s currently a stupid government shutdown which is already delaying & cancelling thousands of flights, but so far we were rebooked for an 8am flight. We were probably going to miss our Wednesday pick up of the girls as I’d warned Sara earlier in the day to make a Plan B.
As we approached Denver airport, our pilot told us to look out the window. We were able to see the Northern lights using our phone camera….I have never seen them before & was thrilled to see any way possible. What a treat for this sucky ride home.
We went to New Belgium brewery & shared a burger & had a beer…it had been a long day without much food along the way.
Leia told us about the speakeasy hidden behind a faux bookstore at DIA. On a Tuesday night, there was only one other person there & they were also trying to get back to Florida but on another airline & on the coast. It was a fun distraction while overnighting in the airport.
Denver has a “Rest & Relaxation” area that we tried to sleep in. I managed to grab a couple of hours, but Danny who can usually fall asleep anywhere, only got about half an hour in another spot we ended up at. It was a long night.
The rest of the story is not super fun…we both didn’t feel well before our flight out. I felt awful & took out my sick bag I always carry with me. It was such a long flight, but I managed not to puke, but one of the worst I’ve experienced. The effects of whatever was going on inside me lasted through out the next day.
But our time in California & Oregon had been perfect. I miss my California family so much & when I’m not at home I miss my FL family & then there’s those months when I’m traveling out west by choice & miss everyone!….envious of those families who have ‘compounds” or at least just a couple of miles from their entire family. But I do know my adult children, are better humans for having moved away from where they grew up. They have grown in ways that staying put in their hometown, wouldn’t have allowed. I’m so proud of each of them…but I’d be delighted if we’d all end up somewhere cool together! One can always hope!
Well, that ends my 2025 travels out of state! It’s been another good year & I’m starting to plan for 2026. Some trips will be exploring Florida in the winter & then we’ll both be off (together hopefully or at least close in proximity --just wait & see) in the spring to old & new places to explore in the West!