We’re playing blog catch-up now—we’re over a month behind—which is testament to how hard Dada and especially Mama worked during our time in California. We arrived at Bodega Marine Lab on July 16th and spent three weeks enjoying our old haunts in Sonoma County before heading north for a week in Alaska.
In California, we enjoyed spending time with friends and colleagues, and Caden brought home some really fun projects from his “California school,” including a bird feeder, lots of paintings and drawings, and some beautiful paper flowers that are decorating our dining room table. 
He spent workdays at the home of an acquaintance of ours who used to work at BML.
Last month, before we headed to Alaska, we escaped for a one-night camping trip to Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It was our first camping trip in almost two years—last summer’s move put a serious crimp in our camping schedule—and we re-discovered how nice it is to spend time sleeping under the trees and swimming in a river. The campground was a short walk from the Eel River, and Caden and Dada had fun trying to catch the little steelhead and min
nows that would nibble at our feet while we waded in the river. Just before we packed up for the drive back, we headed down to the river again, where the sun was shining on the water. Mama and Dada tried to coax Caden in, but he was content to play in the sand while we swam. When we returned to the riverbank, Caden had a surprise for us. He said, “I made you a birthday!” and held out his bucket. He’d filled it with sand and planted sticks upright in the sand: his version of a birthday cake.
We also took Caden to Lonnie’s Barber Shop in Sebastopol for his first haircut! He seemed to appreciate all of the fuss, held very still, and was very excited to receive his lollypop reward at the end. Caden’s hair was becoming pretty crazy, especially when he woke up in the morning, but we held out for Lonnie’s because Dada knew that they were really good with little guys there, as both Owen and James can attest to.
A final adventure before heading to Alaska was a trip to Train Town in Sonoma. The centerpiece of Train Town is a scale-model railroad that passengers can ride on. We rode the little train through tunnels and past waterfalls to a scale-model town where we saw—as Caden will tell you—goats. It was a great outing for a train-loving two-year-old.
First haircut: before
and after!
In the barber chair
Eel River breakfast
Trying to catch minnows
Stitching party!
Train Town
