But what about Socialization?

My goodness, that is the question, isn't it??

ARGH.

If you homeschool, you know you've been asked that question about a gazillion times, often by friends and relatives, never mind doctors, teachers, or neighbors! Kind of like the one you get when you get to three-four kids: Wow, you have your hands full! NO, REALLY? Yeah, I have two hands, and there are four kids. Good thing they have hands for each other, too!

But I digress.

I met some really neat people on our vacation. One thing I really love doing, is finding a great blog, and then looking at the sidebars and finding out about blogs they like, too! And there are SO MANY!

The family we met on our trip was on this blog. They are really neat-o! They took us to Latin Mass, which we'd never been to, and they have a great home and are so hospitable!
Jeff has this one for homesteading Catholic homeschooling families who live in Northern CA, for lack of a better description:

http://culbreath.wordpress.com/

He also had this link: http://www.homestead.org/SheriDixon/Homeschooling/HomeschoolingfortheHomesteader3.htm

And then I found this. If you have friends who are thinking about homeschooling, and they are not sure about socialization, I'd love you to pass this along. There are others, but this is a good one. I love that she's a hippy chick. We call people like her "a Broad" at our house. That is a compliment, by the way. It means a character and a half, the kind of person who just exudes personality and doesn't really give a fig what you think. I love those people.

Here is the fun part on socialization.

Chapter Four- What about Socialization???

This is the Battle Cry of the Public Schoolers. How, they ask, will a home-schooled child learn to get along with others? To share? To behave in society?

Let’s look at this a moment.

In public school, children are segregated according to age. They spend all day in the company of their peers, and maybe a year or two older or younger during recess and lunchtime. And recess and lunchtime are the only times they will have for free play and interaction all day long. The rest of the time is spent sitting still and being quiet.

When else in all of life does this occur? In your own personal workplace, are workers separated by age? At church, in our neighborhoods, ANYWHERE else in society???

I’m not saying that the answer is to keep your home-schooled children to themselves - far from it.

I am lucky enough to be a member of a small, close-knit home-school group. By lucky, I don’t mean that I was lucky enough to find A home-school group, there are many groups out there in which to belong. By lucky, I mean that this particular group is wildly diverse. We have members who are home-schooling for all the reasons listed above, and here’s the cool part - it doesn’t matter to any of us WHY we are home-schooling - we are there to support each other.

Although most of our members are Christians, some attend huge urban churches, some tiny rural family churches. We have members who have children who are autistic and/or who have attention deficit disorder and would be put in the "special ed" classes at public school - these are not mentally challenged kids, mind you, they merely think differently and need to be taught in non-mainstream ways.

I am the token quasi-heathen-reincarnationist-Old-Hippiechick, and I am embraced along with everyone else. We have members with "blended" families, members who have bi-racial families. I love our group.

In any given week there will be a number of activities to partake of: field trips, classes, community service projects, 4-H group, soccer league.

My son recently had his birthday party and I was struck yet again that it WAS simpler to have birthday parties for my public school kids - in school you know all kids in your class. Period. You don’t know their siblings or other family members. As home-schoolers we know entire families. My eight year old son had children at his party from the age of 4 months to 12 years, girls and boys, moms and dads.

It was marvelous - not a gang of same aged boys, but a huge extended family gathering.

My son can go anywhere, relate and talk to anyone, of any age, anywhere. He can go to a real restaurant, read a menu, order for himself and behave. He can go on a museum tour and ask intelligent questions. To me, this IS socialized - being comfortable and able to conduct himself in any segment of society at any given time and place.

We are so enjoying home-schooling, and it’s really been ideal for us in another way: my husband has faced some serious health challenges that have forced us to be away from home, more than not, for the last 9 months. Instead of worrying about how we will split up the family (do I leave our son with friends who will get him to school, or leave my husband alone in a hospital 5 hours from home?), we pack up the schoolwork with our clothes, and hit the museums and sights in the Big City.

If at some point, our son expresses interest in enrolling in public school, and as long as our public school remains as safe and secure as a public school can be, off he’ll go - with the understanding that once enrolled, it’s a commitment, and he must stay in school at least till the end of that school year. Again, the bottom line is encouraging the child to grow into a responsible adult and learn at his/her own pace, in his/her own manner.

The very essence of home-schooling is that we keep our children out of public school not because they will learn too MUCH about life and the world there, but because a school building cannot possibly contain all the wonders of life and the world - for that must be gotten on the fly, in the fields, museums, parks, caves, theaters, restaurants, festivals and planetariums. From the tiny organisms in the earth beneath our feet to as far as the eye can see, to Infinity and Beyond.

If my child grows up realizing that what he learns in "school" is not the sum of what he needs to know, but the foundation to learn all there is to discover....

I will have succeeded as a parent, and a teacher.

Enjoy!

Much cheaper gas, $7 a bale

I wish!!


Everett, Wash.

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Published: Thursday, June 26, 2008

Smokey Point office commutes on horseback

Dental office workers take an alternative method of transportation for a day

By Gale Fiege, Herald Writer

ARLINGTON -- Kari Alskog kept teasing her boss by threatening to ride her horse to work at his Smokey Point dental office.

As the price of fuel climbed, the conversation in the office grew to include the idea that everybody on the staff should ride horses to work. After all, more than half of the dental assistants and office staff who work for Dr. Keith Leonard own horses of one kind or another.

"We decided that when gas got to $4 a gallon, we would all ride in," Leonard said.

That's what they did Wednesday morning, as a way to encourage their patients to find alternative ways to get to the dentist office during the month of July.

Those who ride their broncos, bikes or the bus will be awarded with a T-shirt that reads, "I Participated in Dr. Leonard's July Commuter Challenge."

Armed with a special permit from the city allowing them to ride on city streets as a group, Leonard and his staff saddled up at his home northeast of Smokey Point and headed off to work. He lives about four miles away from his office.

"We can't dictate how much oil companies charge, but today we're not buying," Leonard said. "We're using one-horse power."

Horses in pastures along the road galloped with the 10 riders and two bicyclists. Dogs barked. Road apples were dropped and people cheered the group's parade south along Smokey Point Boulevard.

Most people won't be able to ride horses to get to their dental appointments, Leonard said, but they can ride their bicycles, as he often does on sunny days.

The dentist, whose bike was stolen recently, said he is considering installing a bike rack at his office to make sure his clients have a safe place to lock up their bicycles. Other business owners would do well to encourage the use of bikes, Leonard said. He also would like to encourage municipalities to provide wide shoulders on which to ride bikes.

Or horses.

After a ride that took less than an hour, Leonard and his staff dismounted in a small field across 174th Street NE from his office.

Dental assistant Alskog brought along her sons Casey, 16, and Jared, 12. Another office worker, Shelli Churchill, brought her son Blake, 12. The boys rode their own horses and planned to play football while watching the horses in temporary pens until it was time for the ride home.

With dental patients arriving, the staff scurried to change from riding boots to soft-soled shoes.

Because the horses were transported to Leonard's home in trailers and staff members drove cars there, the air pollution the staff created for the day may not be significantly smaller than it usually is, Alskog admitted.

"But in the long run we will save a little bit on gas," she said. "More important, we made a statement that something needs to be done about gas prices and alternative transportation."

Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.

© 2008The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA

fires at home sweet home... prayers may be working.

Flynn Creek Rd. is right near Navarro Ridge Road, which is where my family's old ranch is at, and where I spent much of June. I'm relieved they've lifted the evacuation orders for that area, because that fire is closest to the ranch, but I'm worried for all the other places, and in the town I was born in, people are having to wear face masks because of all the smoke.

The source was a night's worth of lightning strikes, and it resulted in several fires all at once. Since many resources are already diverted, I've been worried that some of my friends and neighbors would become homeless. Certain small communities like Leggett have been evacuated.

These folks don't get publicity because they live in the hills. Notice the total damage so far is around 3 million bucks. In San Diego, that was one house. So they don't pay attention to us much. But thank God for firefighters. God bless y'all.

UPDATE: Fires spread, road closed, some evacuations lifted

Ukiah Daily Journal Staff

Article Last Updated: 06/26/2008 12:47:18 PM PDT

The Daily Journal

The Mendocino Lightning Complex fire was still spreading Thursday as more resources arrived to help battle the flames.

The 87 lightning-sparked wildfires are now burning across 25,000 acres, according to CalFire reports. The complex is 5 percent contained.

Additional help had been dispatched to the scene and on Thursday there were 915 firefighters in Mendocino County working the fires, supported by 80 fire engines, 24 water tenders, 27 bulldozers and seven helicopters.

The Greenfield Ranch subdivision was added to the list of areas threatened by fire and under evacuation warning. Evacuation warnings had been lifted in the Flynn Creek area of Navarro and in the Cherry Creek area at the Intersection of Highway's 101 and 162.

Orr Springs Road was reported as closed Thursday morning to all but local residents from the 900 block west to Montgomery Woods State Park. Locals may require escorts to enter the closed area.

All told, 900 homes and one commercial structure are being threatened by the Lightening Complex fires and two structures have been destroyed, according to CalFire reports.

It is not clear where the two destroyed homes were, Thursday.

Two evacuation centers have been set up for those leaving their homes. One at the Willits High School at 299 North Main Street in Willits which can be contacted at 707-462-3884, the other at the Point Arena High School at 270 Lake Street in Point Arena. That shelter can be contacted at

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Advertisement

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301-758-0638.

The Redwood Empire Fairgrounds on North State Street is taking in large animals for people who chose to evacuate. People are advised to contact the fairgrounds before delivering their animals. The fairgrounds can be contacted at 707-462-3884, or after hours at 707-972-8304.

The current estimated cost of fighting the fire is $3,660,200.

MUST ACQUIRE TICKETS

'Battle in Seattle' set for Dec. 20 at the Key

02:33 PM PDT on Thursday, June 26, 2008

Associated Press

SPOKANE - The Gonzaga basketball team will play Connecticut in the sixth annual Battle in Seattle on Dec. 20 at KeyArena.

UConn returns all five starters from the team that won 24 games last season.

Gonzaga returns six of their top seven scorers from the team that won 25 games.

The two teams played last December in Boston and the Zags won 85-82.

Another pretty house for us.

I know this one is not in the country, in fact, it's about two miles away, I'd say, by the Everett Mall. It has a HUGE yard, completely level and undeveloped. I can think of some developments! Like a huge garden and the jungle gym from heaven! It really is a perfect blend of what Francis wants vs. what I want. And it's under 300 K. I'm not there yet, but it gives me hope than when we're ready, we will actually find something under 300K that we like! With a big kitchen! And no need for Extreme Home Makeover!

:)
Drool!


Another dream home:

208 119th St SE B Everett, WA 98208
$294,950 Investor alert! Very motivated sellers. Condo in name only, no HOD, has separate fenced yard, and is attached to neighboring home by only a garage wall. Every convenience is here for an affordable price. Beautiful 2-story home on a very large lot. Four large bedrooms, two full baths upstairs. Well flowing family room, dining room, and kitchen with eating space, round out the main floor. Fresh interior paint.	Bedrooms: 4 Bathroom: 2.50 Sq ft: 1820 SQFT Built: 2004 Heat: Natural Gas Views: Yes Roof: Composition Garage: 2 Car Garage-Attached Lot Size: 7405 SQFT Fireplace: 1 Floors: Vinyl, Wall to Wall Carpet Interior: Bath Off Master, Dining Room, Dble Pane/Strm Windw Exterior: Metal/Vinyl Site: Deck, Fenced-Fully, High Speed Internet, Nat. Gas Available, RV Parking Taxes: $3194 Status: Active MLS ID: 28099803 This listing is courtesy of: David & Assoc. Real Estate LLC Contact your local Windermere Agent
Visit www.windermere.com/28099803 for more information

World News

You know what one of my pet peeves is?

The United States does not have a source for World News. Really. CNN does not do it. They carry a lot, but honestly, I get so much more from BBC! They carry real world news, because they are on another continent and it affects them more. We're across an entire ocean.
I read once that 80% of US citizens do not have passports. That means they do not travel at all. Why is that important? Well, it's really easy to become a bit self-centered as a country. You begin to think that only things that matter to the US actually matter at all. And you don't know what other countries think anymore. The New York Times does seem to carry a bit more news, but I have to say, I really enjoy reading the BBC website.

Here's a for instance:

Our news says that our economy is growing at a snail's pace. It says there are good signs and bad, but it's not really a recession, and surely a depression is not even remotely possible.

The BBC article about our upcoming election says our US economy is in "a freefall".

Hmm... that's interesting.

What are some of your favorite websites for news? There are SO many!

Pictures at last...

Ok, ok, here are some pictures of our trip. I will be posting details of our RV do and do not's in the near future. The "day of poop" will be a prime example. We also had the "day of butts", but that mostly has to do with wild animals that don't want to smile for the camera.

Speaking of, I realized I left the sprinkler on all night, and when I came to turn it off, there was the local friendly mama raccoon, washing her hands in it and totally blocking it with her body. She must have been there half the night by the looks of things. I will post a picture of her later. Goofy coon. She's the primary reason we are not getting a bunny or chickens, probably ever, at least in this location.



This is Mt. Shasta from the RV window. It's huge!



These are all the kids that belong to myself and my cousin Alia. We're at Samuel P. Jackson State Park, not far from San Rafael and Pt. Reyes. The boy in green doesn't belong to either of us, he just came along for the ride and was at Alia's house when she came to see me. She brought pizza! Jonah (the daddy) came, too, but I didn't get a very good picture of him. He's awesome!
l-r: Grace, Kalea Grace, Naia, Brandon, Gabe, Dominic, Sage, Isaia, and Kili.

These pictures are taking a coon's age to load, so I will load more later while I'm correcting papers. I even made them not-so-large, and it still take forever. Argh! I have so many pictures to show you!

Anyone want to go?

This popped up on a local homeschooling yahoo group. Would anyone like to go if she comes and speaks in Tacoma in September? The suggestion was that dad's could take kids to the zoo in Tacoma while moms learned neat stuff. I think they are looking for lots of people so the cost will be less. If one spouse goes, the other one has to listen to what they learned, that's the deal! :)
Check out the website and I'll post more info if I see it!

It looks like she's combining concepts from Fly Lady, Mother's Rule, and all those other "how to be a good home executive" books I've read and yet none have caught on yet... maybe this one will.

http://smartmartha.com/default.aspx

We're back!

Hello Everybodeeee!

I will post pictures after I get out from under large piles of things I should do now and not later. The trip was exactly what I hoped, I got to see everyone I wanted to see, and it was really really busy. We learned a LOT about RVing, so if anyone wants to know, we have a few ideas how not to drive yourself crazy. The kids had a great time, too, but we are enduring some post-vacation blues right now. The baby wants me in sight at all times, day and night, Brandon is a teeny bit off but mostly tired, Gabe is ok, just wants to go see his friends, and Grace wants the RV back right now. She's the crankiest, but it was the same on vacation, too. Three-year-old girl syndrome, I think.

Francis got the BEST pictures! They belong on postcards. The weather was super sunny most of the time, and I loved being back in Mendocino and surrounding areas for the first time in about six-seven years. It was glorious.

There's no place like home!
Both homes.

Good questions about Obama

Here's a really interesting video. If you are an Obama supporter, please tell me why this is ok. And if you can argue with it, please, please do. I really would like to know that this guy is not this scary, but if you are going to lead a country, please be proud of it. Otherwise, you are welcome to work at the UN. Egad.

Please watch this video:

http://www.eyeblast.tv/Public/Video.aspx?rsrcID=2036

McCain vs. Obama

So, all this has been rather interesting stuff, and now it's June, which means summer will be full of all kinds of political meanderings, here and elsewhere. I'm just glad the two democrats are done fighting, and now we can get on with it. One thing I found interesting is that I signed up as a McCain supporter on Facebook, and there was a whole thread about whether ticked off Clinton supporters would end up voting for McCain because they couldn't stand Obama. I thought, naaah, that probably wouldn't happen, but by golly, there were several people on there saying exactly that. They said they would rather anyone than Obama, and they weren't completely annoyed by McCain because he has a record of working with both sides at least some of the time, but they figured Obama to be a liar or inexperienced, so they are voting for McCain.

How very interesting!

So if you add the religious right, pro-life people, people who really wanted Ron Paul but can't see him winning and still want to vote against Obama, and people who appreciate McCain's record and military experience, he will probably win. I truly do think Clinton was the stronger candidate, and I think the Democrats just shot themselves and their voters in the foot.

For those Obama folks out there who can't believe I'm saying all this, I really want to know, in concrete, real, factual terms, why you'd want to vote for him. As far as I can tell, he has charisma and he's "different", and that's about it. Different is not necessarily good. I don't think he has the experience he'd need to handle extricating us from a war, rebooting the economy, and doing what a really busy president does. He needs to be a governor or something, first. You know, governing? That's what the president does. A senator does not govern. At least Hillary had seen it done, up close and personal, for eight years.

Obama, let's see you be governor of Illinois first. Then you can come back and play with the big boys.

Please don't let us down, Mr. McCain... meanwhile, I'd encourage people to read his website. He's very interesting. As minor as it seems to some people, I'm happy to see they have adopted kids. He's done some very cool things and has a lot of wisdom. I won't agree with everything, I'm sure, but the alternative makes me wish I could move to a more free country, if one existed.

Enjoy the summer!

Why it's hard to take environmentalists seriously

This is why. I can't support people who waste their time on this but will let babies be killed by the thousands every day in the US alone. Fetuses can have their "dignity" destroyed, but we mustn't trample on the dignity of the dandelion. Last I checked, plants grow back. People don't. Each person is a unique creation, and each person matters more to other people than anyone will ever know. I don't think each and every plant matters in quite the same way.
You hear that, people? You matter. Now act like it.

See below:

Misplaced Priorities of Animal Rights, Plant Activists Leave Out Human Beings

RSS Newsfeed Email article Printer friendly

by Laura Echevarria
May 26, 2008

LifeNews.com Note: Laura Echevarria is a LifeNews.com opinion columnist. She is the former Director of Media Relations and a spokesperson for the National Right to Life Committee and has been a radio announcer, freelance writer active in local politics.

I think it's official -- Switzerland's neutrality in major world events over the years has loosened a screw or two.

First off, the London Times reported that the Swiss have passed a law outlining the treatment of "social animals." Now, just from that description my first thought would be animal welfare league-type of laws but no, no, no. Oh, no. This is from the Times story:

Under a new Swiss law enshrining rights for animals, dog owners will require a qualification, anglers will take lessons in compassion and horses will go only in twos.

From guinea-pigs to budgerigars, any animal classified as a "social species" will be a victim of abuse if it does not cohabit, or at least have contact, with others of its own kind.

The new regulation stipulates that aquariums for pet fish should not be transparent on all sides and that owners must make sure that the natural cycle of day and night is maintained in terms of light. Goldfish are considered social animals, or Gruppentiere in German.

The law affects fisherman who will have to take a course on how to catch fish humanely, farmers will no longer be able to fetter or restrain horses, sheep or goats and farmers will have to make sure pigs and cows are not housed in locations with a hard floor.

Farmers are rightfully complaining because of the costs involved. Animal rights groups were excited.

Personally, we've had goldfish and the designation that they are social creatures is mighty surprising when I've seen them eat the weakest in the tank (and I fed them daily!).

When we were given a kitten ten years ago, I was so sure she would want a companion we went a few weeks later picked out another kitten approximately her age from the ASPCA. Yeah, that didn't go over so well. Today, ten years later, Buffy (named for her color, not the television show) still gets angry at Percy -- who picks on her unmercifully.

Dog owners are hit really hard by the new Swiss law -- they will have to take a two part course they will have to pay for themselves. The course content is still undecided but will include a section on recognizing the needs and wants of the animal as well as how to walk a dog.

The Swiss even included the care and keeping of rhinoceroses in the legislation -- um, okaaaay.

If this weren't enough, several years ago, the Swiss added an amendment to their constitution that included vague language on the dignity of animals, plants and other organisms.

This was confusing and unclear so a bioethics panel was asked to investigate and make recommendations. The panel's recently released report is called "The Dignity of Living Beings with Regard to Plants."

According to this report, the random and meaningless destruction of plants is a violation of the plant's "dignity." In other words, if you weed your flower bed -- freeing up space for the other plants to grow -- that action would be fine. If you willfully destroy plants for no reason at all except for the fun of it, that action violates the plant's "dignity" -- though the panel couldn't exactly agree on why.

I have no problem conserving our resources. I think it's a wise investment and an obligation we have as human beings to keep our world as healthy as possible for future generations. But rampant, intrusive, misanthropic environmentalism that values plant and animal life above human beings should shame us.

While we are fighting over the right to life of unborn children and those who are severely brain damaged, while human beings in developing nations are starving for lack of food and resources -- environmental elitists are arguing over the dignity of plants.

The priorities of some people -- and nations -- are seriously out of order.

A Meme

I should do this one. I got it from www.momtomysixpack.blogspot.com. She's great!

Favorite person (outside family)?
Hmm... I think this one is blackmail. I have a lot of friends and it depends on what is going on that week and how much chocolate they brought me.

Favorite food?
Obviously chocolate. Dark chocolate, coffee ice cream is probably the best thing there is.

Quirks about you?
I hate the sound fingernails make on jeans. And I hate whining. And I get really cranky when I'm getting ready to go somewhere or do something or anything like that. Dad, you did that to me, didn't you? I miss horseback riding.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? OK, you people, who loves the mommy the mostest? Grace often says, "Mommy, you're the best mommy."

Any regrets in life? A few. I try not to beat myself up internally more than necessary.

Favorite Charity/ Cause? www.birthcenter.org... or is that .com? Can't remember. Those ladies deserve lotsa bucks. Also, Catholic radio stations. I gave money to an autism charity this year....

Favorite Blog recently? This one is just gorgeous: http://bouffard11.blogspot.com/

Something you can’t get enough of? SLEEP. And possibly alone time.

Worst job you’ve ever had? Over time, my daycare job. When your boss is trying to get you fired while you try to get her fired, and you've been known to bring in your two year old with strep throat and 102 degree fever because not enough people showed up to work, you know you are in the wrong job. They tell you to find a babysitter, but that would cost more than they were paying me! What an honor to work there for free... Ok, I did it for the medical plan, so not all was lost. Just my confidence, self-worth, and identity, nothing major.

What job would you pay NOT to have? My daycare job. Ok, not worth paying not to have, but you sure couldn't pay me enough....

If you could be a fly on the wall, where? Eww. Some places, I shouldn't be. Nope, I really don't need any more gossip.

Favorite Bible verse right now? Hmm... that's a good one. I went to Confession yesterday, and this is what popped into my head while I was waiting:
"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:31-46). It reminds me to try not to lose my temper with my kids. Especially one of them.

Guilty Pleasure? ICE CREAM! The yummy chocolate truffle moose tracks Safeway kind. Lots of fudge.

Got any confessions? Only to the priest, sorry! Don't worry, it's always variations on a theme: impatience. I swears, I'm not an axe murderer!















If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it? A week at a retreat/spa thinger. With nobody I know and a lot of books. Massages and sleep included.

Favorite thing about your house? It's ours!

Least favorite thing about your house? It needs stuff fixed and I don't know why it has mold.

One thing you are bad at?
Algebra.

One thing you’re good at?
Riding horses both English and Western.

If you could change something about your circumstances, what?
I'd have an acre or two of land.

Who would you like to meet someday? Wow, I'd have to choose? Some of them are dead, so that's no good. After reading the Time article about her crisis of faith, I'd love to meet Mother Teresa more than ever.

What makes you feel sexy? My husband.

Who is your real life hero? Also my husband. Many of my girlfriends, too, because of the obstacles they've overcome, and only if you ask someone their story do you find these things out. People amaze me.

What is the hardest part of your job? Being nice.

When are you most relaxed? In bed reading fiction.

What stresses you out? Repetition. Like "Mom, mom, mom..." I mean it really bugs me. Anything repetitious bothers me, it doesn't have to be kids.

What can you not live without? My family and my faith.

Do you agree or disagree with the recent article that reported that blogs are authored by narcissists? Who, me? I'm the bestest! There's no arguing with that. I'm really humble, too.

Why do you blog? I've always been pathetic at keeping a diary, but blogging includes the internet and pictures, and other people read it, so it's actually more fun this way. Then I can go back later and say, wow, I forgot all about that! Because I do forget everything eventually. Except things that don't even matter.

Who are you tagging? Nobody. I don't even know how to tag people. But if you like this, copy and paste it somewhere.

T-5 and counting

Well, we're almost there. We've been plotting and planning for our RV trip for months, and it's coming right up. I got people to watch the house, the mail is stopped, the plants will be watered (right???) and now it's time to begin packing. Wow.
And Mom and Dad are apparently giving me a key to the CA ranch, so I might be able to cancel two nights of campground in Mendocino County, because I'll have somewhere to park. Hooray! I'm afraid to cancel til I know if the key works, though. Maybe I'll take that risk, maybe I won't. I can always see if I can get a spot on the Navarro Beach. I think there will be room. The kids are getting pretty excited.

There's a strong possibility Mommy is much too excited, and the kids are going to be more bored than they're expecting. Oh well. A tv and a laptop should take care of that.

So, if you were RVing for 10-11 days, and you were going down I-5 from the Seattle area to Sacramento, to San Francisco, and back up the coast through Mendocino, Grants Pass, Portland, etc., are there some favorite things we should do? We have plans, but they are flexible!

Nature hikes will be frequent!
HOORAY!