Father's Day Weekend

Cam's first camping trip coincided with Joel's first Father's Day. We took off Friday afternoon and drove up to... Russian River Brewing Company - Joel's favorite place on earth. We caught a quick snack and got to the campsite just in time to get set up and get Cam to sleep. We stayed at Casini Ranch Family Campground. Now, we have a newfound appreciation for the spacious, verdant luxury of California State Campgrounds. At Casini Ranch, we were packed into a square of gravel that was 2 feet from the road and 1 foot from our neighbors tent. It was close quarters to be sure. The plus side of it all was that we had a beautiful view of the Russian River and watched as a great blue heron stood at the confluence of the river and a smaller stream. It was truly beautiful, if exposed and without trees or shrubbery.

Cam did pretty well sleeping in the great outdoors. She was all bundled up and slept in her Pack 'n' Play for the first stint, and then snuggled up with me in my sleeping bag for the rest of the night. What a little pumpkin!

We went for a hike at Armstrong Red

woods, had a nice lunch at Stumptown Brewery, and relaxed on the beach on the Russian River. The day got very hot, naps didn't happen and Ellie almost lost it... but is there ever a problem that ice cream can't solve. We walked up to the cantina, split an ice cream sandwich and played some basketball in the arcade - yes, the campground had an arcade. It was that kind of campground.

On Sunday, the actual Father's Day, we had a nice breakfast in a local diner. Then we packed up the site and hit the road. We hit Russian River Brewing Company and Lagunitas Brewing Company on the way home with a little detour in the cute little town of Petaluma. Lagunitas had a beautiful outdoor seating area with live music that allowed dogs, so we lunched as a foursome. They had great food and Cam really like watching the band play.

We arrived home, stinky and tired, but feeling like we learned how to camp more comfortably and wisely. Cam was excited for a bath and she slept until 7:45 the next morning - a long time for her.

It's a good dry run for us seeing as we'll be camping on Fourth of July weekend up in the Sierras. We now know how to do it more comfortably. We also know that it is going to throw Cam's schedule out the window, but she'll get back into her groove quickly.

We hope all the fathers that we know enjoyed the day and felt appreciated. I don't know if this excursion is a tradition in the making... possibly. Or maybe parts of it will become a yearly event.

Jen arrives tomorrow and today I had my first day of work. It didn't go smoothly per se, but not horribly either. I tried to stay too busy to cry. Cam is pretty much on bottle strike, but Amazing Auntie Amy will see about that. First day of summer school is Thursday, so that will be our official day back to the grind.

Cam had her 6 mo. check up with the doc yesterday, which also meant that she got 5 new vaccinations. That could account for some of her fussiness today too. She has a low grade fever and is no doubt sore in the legs. Poor little babe. She is 14.4 lbs and the doc says we can expect her eyes to stay the color they are, which is hazel on the inside with a gray-blue rim. Beautiful and unique.

I'm back to work now, so posts may come a bit more infrequently. I promise to keep you updated so you can get your Cam fix!