Lesson #16 ~ Whales Out-Perform the Bellagio

Lesson #16 ~ Whales out-perform the Bellagio

It’s time to start mosey-ing our way home.  Thursday we traveled from San Luis Obispo to Los Gatos, California (just south of San Jose).  It’s about a three hour RV drive.  We took a detour.  In September while Travis and I were on our 10-year anniversary trip we had stopped at a National Park called Point Lobos.  It was extremely memorable for us.  This time it was off the beaten path but we decided to add the extra hour of driving to share this place with our kids.  

Point Lobos National Park is a treasure - with huge redwood and cypress trees.  We hiked our way out to Sea Lion Point.  It was like being at Seaworld!  We hadn’t even made our way to the path before both Travis and Taite spotted whales!  The park volunteer at the trailhead encouraged us to keep watch because this was the time of year gray whales migrate from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico.  We didn’t just see one.  We didn’t just see one pod.  We saw multiple pods of whales!  We saw tails, backs, and sprays.  We would see one pod moving south, then within 5 or 10 minutes see another pod.  There must have been about 10 whales in one of the pods.  We saw spray after spray after spray!  Travis said it looked like the water show at the Bellagio.  “The Bellagio has nothing on these whales!” Travis said.  We learned that gray whales will come up for air, usually spray three times, then go under for three to six minutes.  They’ll travel 10,000 to 12,000 miles round trip each year.  Similar to us in the RV. ;-)

We grabbed a pair of binoculars and saw about 100 sea lions out on a rock formation approximately 150 yards from us (the whales were farther out than the sea lions).  We could see them without binoculars, but with the binoculars we could see which ones were making the barking noises.  We could also see the egrets and herons sharing the rocks.

When we looked into the ocean we found the sea otters playing, floating on their backs, and performing flips in the water like my children do in Prior Lake (but the otters were a little more graceful).  Then we looked on some other rock formations located a little closer to us and saw eight harbor seals.  “This trip just keeps getting better!!” Taite and Calla both said.  Ocean mammals are not something we see in Minnesota. ;-)  These experiences sure make us think harder about what God has for us at home, though.  We’ll probably wait until spring, but we are inspired to head to northern Minnesota and see what we can see. ;-)

Just like in Minnesota, we saw a few roadside stands with fresh produce.  They advertise their pricing on avacados and brussel sprouts to catch your attention.  In Minnesota I’ve purchased avacados for as much as $1.99 each.  (Gulp!)  Here, where they grow them and sell them at the farm, they cost me 50 cents each!  For as much guacamole and sliced avacado as our family eats, I made Travis brake for it and loaded up.  

We arrived in Los Gatos around 4:30pm to a very warm welcome from the Howard family.  They could have the nickname “The Positive Family” because they are rarely without smiles.  It was wonderful to see and spend time with Andy, Georgia, Evie, Olive, and baby Grant.

Friday morning was spent doing school while Georgia attended MOPS and Andy logged in a half day of work.  What California experience would be complete without wine?  So after lunch, once Andy and Georgia were home and naps had been taken, we prepared the RV, piled in, and drove to the coolest winery Los Gatos has to offer.  TestaRossa is a new winery in the place of a really old winery.  A Jesuit Seminary opened a winery in the late 1800’s and did not have to close during the prohibition era like all other alcohol-producing businesses - making it the longest consistently run winery in the U.S.  The Catholics here were able to continue producing wine for the rest of the diocese nationwide.  The facility is unlike any of the other wineries we visited on our last trip to wine country.  Inside there are examples of giant oak barrels used in the fermentation process.  Outside there are cork oak trees grown for their bark - used in the bottling process - and a large old fashion winepress - a great visual for our Bible studies.  Nobody drank any wine, but it was a fun place to visit.  

After the winery we went for a short hike then a drive.  Travis carefully maneuvered this monster through the windy single-lane mountain roads.  I started sweating and almost had a heart-attack looking at the terrain out the windshield.  Once again, I’m thoroughly impressed with Travis’ RV driving skills.  He handled the Flyer like he was driving a Ferrari.  

Once we returned to the Howard homestead we re-parked then walked up the hill to Nanno’s, the pizzeria of the Redwood Estates.  We shared some pizzas and played bocce ball.  

Saturday morning we all had breakfast together.  Calla got some baby Grant time (she LOVES babies!!).  

Then we started driving east.  Our next stop is Reno, Nevada.

Lesson #15 ~ A Four-Hour Timeout Is Sufficient

Lesson #15 ~ A four-hour timeout is sufficient

Tuesday was our last full day in San Diego so we made it a 'clean up day.'  We did the things we missed.  When we were at the zoo last week, the zoo guide at the pandas told us the baby panda would be introduced to the public the following day (of course).  We had to come back to meet the 5-month-old panda!  Plus, we missed other animals last time.  The zoo is deserves more than one day.

Upon arrival we showed our tickets, got our hands stamped, and headed in.  The gal who stamped our hands looked at Lincoln's and said, "That's called a vacation hand!"  There were stamps from every museum, zoo, park, show, and ride.  We are going to have to soak to get all the stamps off. ;-)

We made a beeline for the baby panda since we knew he'd only be out for an hour or two in the morning.  He was sleeping, but he was so fuzzy and cute!  The mom was pretty cute too.  I wanted to jump in and give them both a big hug.  Then the zoo guide told us that pandas live solitary lives, that you'll rarely find more than one adult living in one area, and she told us what pandas do to anything encroaching their territory.  No hugs.

We stopped by the gorillas since we enjoyed them so much at the Safari Park and hadn't seen them at the zoo.  They were just as stinky at the zoo as they were at the Safari Park.  I had no idea gorillas stink so bad.  They have a terrible body odor stench.  Taite and Calla probably could have told me that, though.  All day they were informing us, and inadvertently the people around us, tidbits of animal trivia.  These kids can soak up and regurgitate a lot of details!  We saw a few more animals, took a ride on the tour bus and skyfari (gondola lifts), and headed out to the car for some lunch.

The temperature got up to about 60 degrees and sunny.  Because of the windy weather last week at the Maritime Museum we got a raincheck to take a ride on the Pilot - the 1914 chief pilot craft.  Until 1996 its job was to transport pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships they were piloting.  Tuesday, the Pilot gave our family a private tour of San Diego Bay (private only because nobody else signed up for the ride on a cool San Diego Tuesday afternoon ;-)).  Our tour guide told us about the Navy, the USS 70/Carl Victor, the Navy's 911 buoys, the Coronodo bridge, the town of Coronodo, the del Mar, the Spreckles family, the tuna industry that originally developed San Diego, stories about noticeable buildings, and more.  We also floated under the USS Midway, the naval aircraft carrier used until 1995.

Along the tour Taite suddenly jumps up and yells, "Dolphin!!!  I should have known!  Pelicans always follow dolphins because dolphins follow schools of fish."  Yes, more valuable animal trivia.  (Thank you Taite and Wild Kratts.)  We all saw dolphins swimming through the bay.  First it was a pair of dolphins, then a single dolphin, then more.  It was the highlight of his day.  It is certainly exciting to see wild animals in their habitats.  It's the thrill of the encounter.  How ironic that this was a $3 boat ride as opposed to the $80 Seaworld ticket.  Love it!

At dinner Tuesday night we asked our kids about their favorite parts of the day.  The common answer among all of our children has become "all of it" or something similar.  So Tuesday night we had a lesson on communication.  We talked about why someone might ask "what is your favorite animal?" or "what have you enjoyed most on this trip?"  Then we talked about appropriate answers and ways to engage the other person in further conversation.  The lesson included tips on body language, voice influction, and eye contact.  If Lincoln can get past his shyness, he's a superstar communicator.  Calla is great, too.  Since she was old enough to see Calla has had laser-focused eye contact - staring deep into your soul.  If it's a conversation about football Taite can do really well.  If the conversation is not about football, we have some work to do.  Travis and I sat around the dinner table giving the communication lesson, then we role played.  (I bet there are a lot of people who are really glad they are not our children. ;-))

Thankfully after a full week of learning, walking, and sightseeing the Ooh La La Spa re-opened to offer much needed back and foot massages.  Taite and I were Calla's two best customers and she put us both to sleep.

Wednesday we left San Diego and started up the coast.  It was fun to drive along the Pacific Coast Highway.  You can see the ocean and the mountains.  The sun was shining and glistening off the water.  The 65 degree temperatures encouraged us to open the windows and let the wind cool us.  We drove by llamas, cows, and horses.  We saw strawberry, potato, onion, citrus and grape farms.  We saw some pelicans so we expected to see some dolphins, but we were probably too far away to distinguish them.

The drive went by quickly.  Travis spent his time on the phone working.  Taite, Calla, and I worked on math, spelling, reading, writing/journaling, and Bible verses.  Lincoln and Parker working on coloring...Parker’s leg.  

The story starts with Lincoln in a timeout for whining.  I get on the phone to talk to my dear friend, Michelle.  Lincoln sees his opportunity to sneak out of timeout (he’s no dummy - he knows my attention is elsewhere).  (Criminal behavior...concerned.)  He heads to the back where Parker is sitting on the bed coloring a Crayola magic marker book.  Soon he’s tapping me on the shoulder.  I tell him not to interrupt my conversation.  (Working on manners.)  He whispers in a loud voice, “Parker is coloring on herself.”  I put Michelle on hold for a minute while I check it out.  I find Lincoln’s information to be accurate, Parker has Taite’s red marker in hand with red and orange marker coloring on her legs and feet.  It’s not the first time she’s colored on herself so I take away the markers and tell her she’s in a timeout.  Note - I never moved her.  Her timeout is in the exact place she was sitting to color on herself, just now she has no markers.  The mere fact that she is in a timeout causes her to wail.  I close her door to muffle the noise and return to my conversation with Michelle.  I hear from the back, “Lincoln colored on me too!!!”  ?!?!?!?!  Sadly, I have to end my long overdue and very short conversation with Michelle to investigate.  (The life of a mom.)  I question Lincoln.  He confesses.  Yes, he encouraged Parker to draw on herself, partook in the activity, then tattled on her.  Stinker.  We had a discussion about telling the truth, making good choices, and not tattling.  Then Lincoln got a paddle on the bottom and an all-day timeout.  Lincoln is the first Wilson to ever receive an all-day timeout.  He was allowed out of timeout for lunch, then returned to timeout for another 3 hours.  I realize that 4-hour timeouts are probably not an effective way to discipline or teach a behavior.  This timeout was designed around keeping a peaceful RV for a 5-hour roadtrip and to ensure that Lincoln did not get put out on the shoulder of the highway.

Our destination today was San Luis Obispo where Cal Poly is located.  Another incredible California city!  Travis told me San Luis Obispo (SLO) was the first city to ban smoking twenty years ago.  I became intrigued and started noticing the town was much more than a college town.  The town’s focus over the last 30+ years has shifted away from optimizing the business environment to maximizing quality of life.  As Gallup data shows, it is hard to be happy without your health.  SLO bans smoking indoors and outdoors in parks and in front of office buildings.  They prohibit drive-thru restaurants and minimize signs and advertising.  They have a 1% housing growth limit so the city can keep up with recreation and natural resource needs.  They’ve designed all the roads so there are dedicated spaces for bikers and walkers, encouraging less car traffic, less emissions, and more exercise.  The city also encourages home-based businesses.  Nearly 25% of SLO workers are self employed.  If you aren’t healthy yet, SLO will get you there.  I found www.bluezones.com as a resource for the city.  In the U.S., California, Iowa, and Minnesota all have cities that participate in this Blue Zone culture - creating environments of longevity like SLO.  Our very own Albert Lea, Minnesota, is part of that.  Very interesting! 

We wanted to get out and experience SLO first hand.  We noticed a park on our Google Maps so we found some street parking (ok, a lot of street parking) and walked over.  I brought the kids to what I thought was the playground equipment.  It took me a minute, but eventually I realized it was workout equipment!  I’ve only seen something like this (on a smaller scale) at a park near the Blast in Eagan, Minnesota.  Taite, Calla, and I took some time to workout - like five minutes.  Then we walked over to the real playground on the other side of the park.  There we found Parker making a lovely dinner of leaves and sand.  She had a spot prepared for Taite, Calla, Lincoln, and herself.  The other kids weren’t ready to eat so she prayed for herself and dug in.  Then she and Calla enjoyed the teeter totter, Taite and Travis tossed around the football, and Lincoln just ran in circles (much needed after solitary confinement).  

Recommended by a SLO native as the best restaurant in town, we went to Firestone Grill for an early dinner.  The tri-tip steak sandwich and ABC burger were worth the stop!

Our stop for the night was just north of SLO in Paso Robles.  There we parked the Flyer in the driveway of Corbin and Ann Holland.  Before we arrived we didn’t know the Holland’s.  They are the sister and brother-in-law to Andrew and Georgia Howard - our dear friends who we’ll be visiting Thursday night.  Andrew heard we’d be headed this way, made a couple phone calls, and voila!...here we are.  Corbin and Ann are beautiful people, and their 3 children are adorable.  

It was so fun that we got to stay here, especially since Corbin was homeschooled for some time when he was a kid (part of God’s plan for us on this trip, I’m sure).  His family started homeschooling when he was in 9th grade, mostly because he wasn’t liking high school.  My favorite part of the story was his mom wanted them to learn Spanish so mom, dad, and 4 kids - 9th grade on down - moved to Costa Rica for 8 months and attended a language-focused program there.  He loved his experience and has incredible memories from it.  Get’s me thinking...maybe Costa Rica next year?!?  Looks like Nicoya, Costa Rica, participates in the Blue Zone.  We can learn Spanish and get uber healthy all at the same time.  Sounds like a win, win, win!

It’s fun to imagine the possibilities.  

Lesson #14 ~ San Diego is Delightfully Diverse

Lesson #14 ~ San Diego Is Delightfully Diverse

It seems as though we’ve become full-time sightseers.  Travis is a full-time-sightseer/incognito-business-owner.  While we get ready to go in the mornings, he sits in the van on his conference calls.  While we drive to or from our destination he puts on his headset and makes his calls - my kids have become very good at being quiet in the van while Dad is on the phone.  While we take our bathroom breaks at the parks, museums or zoo he returns calls.  But as you can tell from previous blogs, with pictures to prove it, when Travis is with us he, is with us.  Nobody can turn business on and off quite like Travis.  To the credit of the people he works with, many of them are incredible leaders and are more than capable of handling matters in his absence. 

Saturday, while Travis' team finished one of their best sales weeks ever, we were galavanting around the U.S. Olympic Training Center.  This center, located in Chula Vista, is one of 3 U.S. Olympic Training Centers around the country - the other two in Colorado and New York.  In Chula Vista athletes train for any of ten different sports.  We saw where they practice archery, BMX biking, canoeing/kayaking, cycling, field hockey, rowing, rugby, soccer, track and field, and beach volleyball.  It was picturesque and quiet.  Taite, an obvious athlete, enjoys every sport.  Upon arrival at the track, Travis and Taite raced the quarter mile lap.  Even while we walked around Seaworld he practiced his imaginary archery.  Lincoln is the one, however, we could imagine training at this facility.  I’m quite sure he’ll be a BMX bike olympian.  One must be 16 years old to train for the Olympics.  We’ve got 12 more years to prepare.  We’ll keep you posted.

Chula Vista was the home to Jim and Linda (Travis’ parents) when Jim was stationed there for the Navy.  In 1970 Chula Vista’s population was 68,000.  Today - 40 years later -  268,000 people reside in Chula Vista.  Talk about growth!  After the Olympic Training Center we were looking for a deli to eat lunch.  Our favorite places to eat are the local non-chain eaterys.  Urbanspoon.com recommended Hungry Hank’s Deli.  We give it two thumbs up.  The Wild Turkey sandwich was incredible.

Before heading home we stopped at the mall to buy some tennis shoes for Parker.  Travis and Parker went inside.  The rest of us drove around the busy parking lot looking for a place to park.  Along our drive we saw license plates from Hawaii and Virginia.  Yes, we have been playing the license plate game.  It was one of the many fun games Linda printed from www.momsminivan.com.  We started the game in Oklahoma before Christmas.  We are still playing today, determined to find all 50 states.  Hawaii was a big deal. 

Instead of parking, we decided to slowly drive up and down the rows until Travis and Parker returned.  From the back row I hear, “Mom!  I see a Gamecocks sign in the next row!  Do you know what state that is?!”  I’m sure Taite was testing me to see how well I know my college mascots.  I had no idea.  “It’s South Carolina!  Drive that way!”  Sure enough, South Carolina can now be checked off the list.  We all did our best ‘excited dance’ seated in the van.  Then I hear Taite say, “We don’t like the Gamecocks because they beat us in our bowl game last year.”  If it’s about football, that information goes into the vault.

The rest of the day was dedicated to ping pong, swimming, playing, cleaning the RV (it only takes about 20 minutes to clean the Flyer’s interior ;-)), and one music lesson.  We had to have a lesson on hearing the beat of the music.  We brought our iHome with us and my children love to dance and clap the songs - except they can’t seem to clap to the beat and it’s driving me nuts.  We had our first lesson about the 8-count today.  They are starting to hear it...starting...trying.  (If anyone has tips on how to teach someone to hear the beat, I'll take them.)

Sundays are one of our favorite days.  In Minnesota we attend an incredible church.  It is certainly one of many things we miss.  We are truly a part of the body of Christ.  While we are away we want to remain faithful in gathering to focus on God.  My friend Cheryl sent me a comprehensive list of Bible-based churches in the San Diego area, but we have enjoyed taking our Sunday mornings to be a family together in the Word.  Travis named it the Nautica Flyer Community Church (NFCC).  We turn on our iTunes Christian playlist and sing three or four songs, dancing and trying to clap to the beat.  Then we pray.  This week’s passage was Genesis 1:1-2:4 (the creation story).  I read the passage then Travis broke the passage out by day.  We talked about each day in comparison to all the things we’ve seen on this trip.  After our discussions we always sing a few more songs, pray again, and end our ‘service.’  By the end of the NFCC service there is usually at least two children laying upside down on the couch or doing somersaults on the floor.  For the NFCC, that’s fine.  It’s how we do school, too.  Sometimes our children learn best while doing gymnastics.

After church we headed to San Diego’s famous Balboa Park.  We are members at the Science Museum of Minnesota.  This membership allows us to visit many other museums at no charge.  The Natural History Museum (or the NAT) located in Balboa Park is one of them.  I forgot my membership card at the RV so I had to phone a friend at the SMM.  Soon we were wandering around a great horse exhibit within the NAT.  Like many little girls, both Calla and Parker are huge fans of horses.  This exhibit was a highlight for them.  We also went to Ms. Fizzle’s Magic School Bus lesson about germs.  We left inspired to wash our hands and make sure our white blood cells work right. ;-)

The NAT, lunch, then the San Diego Junior Theater.  There we saw a hilarious play called “The Stinky Cheese Man.”  It was a paradoxical interpretation (Travis’ $10 words) of several children’s nursery rhymes.  “Run, run, run as fast as you can.  You can’t catch  me.  I’m the stinky cheese man!”  We all loved it.  How fun that we got to incorporate theatrical arts into our travels.  We’ll return to the Junior Theater next time we are in San Diego.

Today was Seaworld.  High/low is a ‘game’ we play regularly.  Each person gets to share a highlight from the day and the worst part of their day.  Taite’s high was the Shamu show, no low today.  Calla’s high was the dolphin show.  Her low was leaving the park.  Lincoln’s high was petting the bat rays (in the stingray family).  His low was also coming home.  Parker concurs with Taite - the whale show was best.  She concurs with Calla and Lincoln for her low.  My favorite part was the sea lion show.  It was supposed to be like SNL (Saturday Night Live), but was SLL (Sea Lions Live).  They used four popular TV series to show off the sea lion skills.  I laughed out loud often.  Travis’ high was watching the walrus eat its dinner, regurgitate it, then eat it again.  Not my highlight, but to each his own.

The walrus is an animal comprised of lots of blubber.  Because I’m starting to feel a bit like a walrus I’ve managed to commit to a form of exercise here - walking.  I get up before the fam and walk along the sidewalks in view of the ocean.  The locals say they are having an extreme cold spell right now.  We wake up in the mornings to 40 degrees.  It’s colder than I had hoped, but it’s still warmer than Minnesota.  It’s the kind of weather I’d go walking in if I was at home.  The views along my morning walks are fabulous.  I’ll miss these when we leave.

Tomorrow is our last full day in San Diego.  I’ll be sad to go but we'll get to visit more friends once we leave.  I hope we do this type of trip again next year - and maybe spend more time in southern California.  Besides missing our family and friends, we feel right at home here.

Lesson #13 ~ God Made Us to Reign Over the Animals

Back in 2008 when our family started drinking MonaVie - a.k.a juice, elixor, snake oil - I was surprised to see my back, knee, and ankle pain go away.  Then I noticed Travis sleeping better.  Then I noticed Calla stopped getting ear infections.  That was when it dawned on me - great nutrition equals great health.  Since then we've been on a health journey.  It will soon be five years since we've started this journey.  While we've added juice we've also changed how we exercise, get sunshine, eat, and so many other things.  We make more adjustments as we find more credible information.  One piece of information we've gotten lately is how important an alkaline diet is over having an acidic diet.  An alkaline diet is more likely to fight off chronic diseases like cancer where an acidic diet will not - in fact it might encourage chronic diseases.  Water has also been a big topic of conversation lately.  What is the best kind of water to drink and why?  Well, on this trip we are drinking water from gallon jugs.  We've taken these jugs and refilled them at filling stations at Wal-Marts or Whole Foods (it is more cost effective and reduces the amount of waste).  Thursday we found an Alkaline water filling station in the middle of no where!  It sits in the front yard of a small, cute building along the PCH in Carlsbad.  California seems to be ahead of the game when it comes to stuff like this! ;-)

This water place was along our drive toward downtown San Diego.  We were headed toward the Maritime Museum - a place in the harbor where we could get on and explore seven different kinds of boats.  I wasn't sure how well it would go over with the kids.  If this would have been a trip with just me and the kids I'm confident this would not have gone over well.  Thankfully Travis, Mr. Jack-of-all-trades, was with us.  He knew just enough about everything we experienced to help us all enjoy the day and learn something.  He knew about submarines and periscopes.  He knew about block and tackle, he worked with the kids tying knots, and he showed them walrus tusks.  He knew all the verbiage for a boat's stern, bow, hull, galley, foremast, mainmast, mizzenmast, and more.  He knew  about America's Cup being the sailing yacht racing trophy.  I was impressed.

Then we got onto another submarine.  All the writings on this boat looked Greek to me...and I told Travis so.  He said, "They're not Greek.  They're Russian.  See?"  Then he pointed to the letters CCCP on one of the torpedoes.  "Um, why does that mean Russian?" I asked.  "Kate, weren't you listening in History class?"  No.  No I wasn't.  History was my least favorite subject in high school.  All we ever did was read looooong chapters about stuff that I didn't think affected me when I was in high school.  Maybe if I had been on an actual Soviet submarine with torpedoes on it, things would have been different!  (I'm sure my sister - the history major - is rolling her eyes at me right now. ;-))  But check this out...we were on the submarine.  It was compact and I felt claustrophobic.  There were gadgets and thing-a-ma-bobs everywhere!  Living on this boat did not look fun.

While Travis teaches me, Taite, and Calla, Lincoln gives Parker a lesson on the submarine's controls.

Taite's favorite was the USS Dolphin - an American submarine.  Calla's was the Surprise - a replica of an 18th century Royal Navy ship that looked like a pirate ship.  Lincoln's was the pirate ship (the same one as Calla's but I'm sure any pirate ship would do.)  When I asked Parker, her favorite was the Berkley, but apparently she had changed her mind several times when the question had been posed to her previously.

My favorite was the beautiful 1863 sailing ship, the Star of India.  It was our last boat of the day.  On it Calla said, "Mom, I'm getting dizzy!"  (Sea sick.)  Me too!  It was certainly a windy day, making big waves.  Travis told me about a friend of his who is getting ready to move onto a yacht and sail around the world.  How fun...for them!  I'll plan to just read their blog!  We weren't even at sea for 3 hours and I needed a Dramamine.  Keep me on land.

After the museum we drove our way down to Coronado - over the Coronado Bridge - to see the Naval base.  Travis' dad, Jim, was stationed there for some time.  The kids had lots of questions for us about Papa Jim and the Navy.  We were wishing Jim was with us at this stop.  We could see Mexico from where we were - we all thought that was pretty cool, too.

From there we drove 45 minutes to get home.  Thankfully the kids do a great job of entertaining themselves.  Taite and Calla were in the back of the van having one conversation.  I could only hear Lincoln and Parker's conversation.

Lincoln:  Let's play 'I'm thinking of an aminal'
Parker:  Ok.  I'm thinking of an aminal that's blue
L:  A blue jay!
P:  No
L:  What?!  It has to be!  The blue jay is the only blue aminal in the world!
P:  No!  It's a lion!

Travis and I cracked up!  Next was Lincoln's turn and he chose an animal that was pink.  Parker was intent on the fact that it was a pig.  Eventually Lincoln told her it was a flamingo, but Parker told him it was not a flamingo, it was a pig.  Ok...;-)  Then it was Parker's turn and she picked another color, and guess what...her animal was again a lion!  After awhile Lincoln decided that he didn't want to play anymore so he started singing his songs.

Suddenly, out of no where, I hear, "Who wants to smell my feet?!"  I'll let you guess who.  He waits for a response.  Nothing.  He asks again, "Who wants to smell my feet?!"  Pause.  "Oh, fine, nobody is listening."
"Um, no Lincoln.  I think nobody wants to smell your feet," I say.  Maybe my next book should be about funny Lincoln sayings.

We got home and made a nice dinner.  When dinner was over Lincoln asked his typical question, "Can I have dessert?!"
"No," was my response.  "Not until all the dishes are done."
Lincoln walks over to Taite sitting on the couch. "Taite!  You better get to doin' the dishes!"
Typical.

Today, (Friday) was set aside for San Diego Zoo's Safari Park.  What a great place!  It is the Zoo's dedicated animal conservation and breeding program facility.  It was located in Escondido, California, about 35 miles northeast of the zoo in the San Pasqual Valley (an agricultural preserve).  It was beautiful.  They house a wide array of endangered animals.  Once again, California is ahead of the game - working to increase the population of endangered animal and plant species around the world.  The Safari Park is considered a third generation park because they have large open areas where they allow multiple species to roam together just like they would in the wild.  They, of course, don't put predators in with they prey - that would defeat the purpose of the park.  But we saw giraffes with wildebeests with gazelles with oryx with rhinos with a variety of birds and more.

There were two run-away favorites from the park.  The first was the gorillas.  It was fun to watch the five gorillas - ranging in age from one and a half to 55 years.  We waited around long enough to see feeding time.  We watched as the gorilla trainer stood at the top of the rocks and threw food at each of the gorillas.  The gorillas are trained to sit in specific spots to eat, allowing each of them to eat their portion of food in peace.  The Silverback likes to eat leeks and previously would walk around taking all the leeks from the other gorillas.  A baby, a mom, a dad, a surrogate grandma, and another female interacting together.  It was unlike anything we'd ever seen.

The other favorite was the cheetah run.  We got to witness cheetah speed first hand.  And we thought Taite was fast!  We learned how athletes emulate cheetahs in multiple ways to increase their speed.  Today the Park raced their fastest cheetah, Johari.  She ran two 100 meter races.  Her first race she ran in 5.06 seconds.  Her second was 4.96 seconds, breaking her record and the Safari Park's record.  Travis called Johari the Usain Bolt of cheetahs! 

It was really eye-opening to see the conservation efforts and to hear the staggering numbers of animal species becoming endangered or extinct most often because of humans poaching, destroying habitats, or polluting.  The staff at the park learned last month that the western black rhino is now extinct.  There are only 8 northern white rhino left on earth - being poached for their horn.  Their horns sell for minimum of $37,000 each on the black market.  So sad.  In Genesis 1:26-31 God puts us in charge of all the animals and plants.  I wonder if He is disappointed.  The Park tells us just by visiting the zoo or purchasing food or souvenirs we are helping with conservation efforts.  My little butterflies and flower tell me they are willing to let us buy them souvenirs anytime. "It will really help the animals, you know!"

Once again, we shut the park down.  Travis knew what he was doing when he encouraged me to bring a crockpot on this RV trip.  Dinner was ready when we arrived back at the Flyer.  We all ate, washed the dishes, played a game of Qwirkle and headed to bed.

Looking forward to the weekend ahead!

Lesson #12 ~ Experience Is The Best Teacher

It's official!  The ocean is a hit!  If ever you've lost the Wilson's, first look in southern California.  This place is...just...ahhhhhhh.  (Exhale) 

Tuesday we decided to take the day for school in the morning and set up shop the rest of the day.  Travis picked up our rental car.  Thankfully during our bookselling days we learned that often laundromats will wash, dry, and fold your clothes for you for about $1/pound.  This saves us (me) from working for hours on our laundry.   After Travis got the 2012 Chrysler Town and Country (quite lovely!) he picked up the boys.  They all dropped off the laundry then went grocery shopping.  Once they returned we all went to the game room on the property.  They have billiards, foosball, ping pong, a TV set up with cable, a TV set up for movies and karaoke, and hand shuffleboard.  Our first game was ping pong.  Taite gave Travis a run for his money.  Then Taite kicked my butt!  Since when did he become a ping pong champion?!

To avoid another butt-whoopin' I diverted their attention to the ocean.  We grabbed a ball and walked across the street to the beach.  My movie stars joined us.

Calla seemed right at home near the ocean as she danced around the water. 
Calla:  The ocean is big!
Parker:  The ocean is beautiful!
Calla:  The ocean is loud.
Accurate description.

Parker is still hesitant to go near the ocean.  (Fine by me!)  She stays back playing in the sand.  She and Lincoln build sandcastles.  The lifeguards drive around in pick-up trucks here.  Lincoln ran around building sand castles on all the tire tracks in hopes of seeing a castle demolished by the pick-up driving back over it.  How disappointed he was when they made new tracks each time! 

Parker doesn't like getting her hands dirty.  Her typical way of cleaning them off is to lick them.  So Tuesday she began licking her hands to get the sand off. 

Once we had our fill of the beach (literally and figuratively) we came back to sit in the hot tub for awhile.  Parker said, "You guys go in the hot tub.  I'll go in the cold tub."  So she put on her life jacket and hopped into the regular pool.  She and Lincoln went back and forth from the hot tub to the cold tub. 

Playtime at the ocean, a dip in the hot tub, shower, dinner, a Skype with Nana and Papa Jim and we were ready for bed.  Until this trip I thought most train tracks sat dormant - waiting to be converted into walking paths.  Oh no!  I guess staying in hotels or our cozy, near-sound-proof house keeps us oblivious to how many trains are still in use.  I wonder though, do they most often travel at night...and honk as they drive by where ever I'm sleeping?  Just curious.  At first I thought maybe all RV parks are located near train tracks.  But I noticed it as we've stayed in other places too.  Thin walls.  Amtrak isn't the only train still running!

Today (Wednesday) we headed to the world famous San Diego Zoo!  We arrived as early as San Diego traffic would allow.  We've always found it best to arrive at a zoo early - most of the animals are awake, playing, eating, and...well...aroused.  This morning I thought I was back in Vegas.  Nature.

We walked all day - not one complaint.  Even my dogs were barking and my children didn't say one word about walking.  Kudos to the kiddos.  The San Diego Zoo reminded us of our two fabulous zoos in Minnesota - put together - only bigger.  Deserving of more than one day.

We went around the van to share what each person thought was coolest.  There were too many fabulous animals for everyone to pick just one favorite.  Travis loved how active the elephants were all day and decided that they won the Cool Animal of the Day Award.  As Calla was sharing, Lincoln said, "Calla!  Remember the two coffees?!"  I was perplexed.  Was there an animal called a coffee that I missed?  Calla responds, "Oh, you mean the Caribou?"  Ha!  Caribou Coffee - my favorite coffee shop in Minnesota.  Apparently I go there too often. 

Parker's favorite part of the day was riding in the Skyfari - a gondola lift.  We went on it one time.  For the rest of the day she told me she wanted to go on it.  We'll be returning to the Zoo just to ride the gondola lifts. 

Taite was our map reader today.  He kept us on track and led us around the park.  (Notice the fuzzy monkey behind his head.  Taite was in his element. ;-))

We finally left the zoo at 5:00, just as the zoo closed.  We decided to eat in town and drive back to Oceanside after the traffic died down.  There were tons of incredible options.  We chose Amarin Thai Cuisine.  It received rave reviews.  As we arrived, I noticed everyone was wearing nice clothes and the server was taken back by four kids.  I'm pretty sure most people don't just show up there with jeans, sweatshirts, and four kids.  They seated us nonetheless, and we proceeded to order.  I was concerned that my children would break a plate or throw a fit at this fancy place.  Nope.  They were unbelievably good!  They all used their manners, ate their Thai meals and enjoyed them, and didn't break a thing.  We knew it was time to go when we were all about done eating - just waiting on Lincoln and the bill.  Suddenly we heard a police car drive by the restaurant.  Lincoln says, "Duck!  There's a police coming!"  There are so many things wrong with that!  Lord, please help us raise Lincoln to not be a criminal.  Clearly, time to go.

As we drove home I felt a little twinge of guilt not spending the day in the classroom. Before we left Minnesota, a homeschooling mentor of mine, Naomi, told me not to worry about how much class time we get - that the experiences they have will teach them more and last longer than any math or spelling lesson.  Still, the twinge.  I'm sure God was speaking to me through Lincoln because less than a minute later I hear Lincoln say to Parker, "Parker, I can count to 100."  Parker yelled in excited response, "Do it!"  She patiently listened while Lincoln counted.  As he counted I reviewed our day.  On our tour bus our driver/tour guide informed us that the Amur Leopard from Russia is endangered - that the 3 leopards living at the Zoo are 1% of the remaining population.  Taite turned to me and said, "Mom!  That means there are only 300 of them left!"  Math...check!  We drove by some sort of bird and Taite and Calla told me that it is the prey for the proboscis monkey.  Science...check!  Then our driver told us about whale fossils found on zoo property and how San Diego must have been completely under water at some period in history.  We talked about how that is more evidence of a world flood...Noah...Bible studies...check!  As we drove home Connor and Tyler called us.  Taite pulled out his zoo map to tell them about the animals we saw.  Oh yeah, map reading.  Geography...check!  Tomorrow I'll have them journal about it and we'll have spelling and writing covered.  Today we often talked about the information we learned here compared to what we have learned at the Minnesota and Como Zoos compared to what the kids have learned on Wild Kratts ;-).  There were so many pieces that fit together.  How fun to make it all make sense.  These life experiences will prove to be the best teachers, I'm sure.

That learning which thou gettest by thy own observation and experience, is far beyond that which thou gettest by precept; as the knowledge of a traveler exceeds that which is got by reading.
Thomas à Kempis

There is no way we'll be able to experience San Diego in the short 9 days we're here.  Nonetheless, we'll enjoy what we can while we're here.