Vacation part one

Over Fourth of July we headed up to San Fran to visit my sister.  We had six glorious days and 

it was a great trip.  

We did the overnight trip again and although I'm still not a fan, joe doesn't seem to mind and it is nice to be there in the morning when we wake up.  

Started our vacay out with a little mini golf

These goofballs

I lost. 

Lisa is fostering some kittens and boy were they cute.  I had no plans of coming home with one but kittens are pretty irresistible and somehow was talked into one of the orange ones.  Lisa will be bringing her to us at the end of the month.  We had to wait until she was spayed.  

Such cuteness!  I really loved the tabby one but it's a boy and joe really wanted a girl.  

Since we wouldn't be with the kids on the actual fourth, we promised them some fireworks. They are completely legal(ahem).  Well, they were, just not in the exact city we shot them off in.  

Fourth of July.  The only holiday where you give your ten year old something flaming and tell them to have at it.  

Some of them were larger than I expected them to be!

My attempt at a patriotic manicure.  

The next day we headed over the bridge and off to our next destination, the Russian River.  

Can you believe I took this from the car window?  I wanted to stop but it was WAY too crowded, it being Fourth of July weekend and all.  

First on the agenda was a canoe trip down the river.  It was advertised as a three hour trip.  We thought oh we can do that.  We'll stop occasionally to rest and to have lunch and it will be fun!

Mandatory life vests.  We ditched those pretty quickly.  Don't worry.  We kept them on the boats with us.  

I think there were 15 of us total.  We had six  canoes and Lisa had a kayak.  

At first it was peaceful, and serene and a really good workout.  Joe and I actually rock a canoe.  We make a great team.  Probably due to the dragon boating.  

BUT although they tell you it's a three hour trip, what they don't tell you is that it's ten miles to the end where you drop off your canoe.  And you have to be back by five.  (We started at 11:00). 

TEN.  FREAKING.  MILES.     For (some) people who have never been in a canoe before!

I did love canoeing but it was much harder on my back than kayaking.  Joe and I paddled for a couple of miles and then Lisa let me kayak for a bit and then it was back into the canoe with joe to try and finish it out.  

We stopped several times for lunch and some refreshments(wink wink).   Well by about 2:30 we weren't even halfway and realized we were going to have to step it up.  

I'll be honest with you, by mile five I wasn't having so much fun anymore.  We had been in the sun for three hours.  It was hot and I was sunburned and just plain exhausted.  That's where my hubby stepped up and told me to lie down in the canoe and relax and that "He's got this".  And he did.  He started paddling and didn't stop until we reached our destination.  Five hours after we started.  Everyone else took another hour to catch up and barely made it in time for the last bus to take us back to our cars.  

Overall it was a fun experience but I wouldn't take that particular tour again.  Next time we will rent the kayaks instead of canoes they have by the hour and paddle as far as we want to and then paddle back.  The big draw was supposed to be that you were  paddling downstream and therefore could float most of the way, and then they picked you up and drove you back.   What they don't tell you is that around three o' clock there is a pretty strong headwind that you are paddling against and there is no floating going on, only paddling.  

Thank goodness for joe.  I'm not sure they offer a pick up service half way for those that can't make it!

After that we were so tired we dropped my sister off at her hotel and headed home(to her house, as we were animal sitting).  Zoo sitting is a more appropriate term.  Two dogs, one cat, six kittens and two baby turtles. 

Lisa was staying at this totally quaint hotel right on the river.  These pictures weren't taken until the day she checked out, thus the vacancy sign.  There isn't an open hotel room to be found in Monte Rio over Fourth of July weekend that's for sure!

So pretty and cute. 

View from their lawn

We headed home to feed the animals and called it a night.  

Next up: one of my (new) favorite places in the whole wide world.