Canning like crazy folks

How, you might ask would one make moving an entire household even crazier? Well by canning I'd say. Tis the season for putting food by. I have decided making a terrible mess in one's kitchen is the best way to welcome oneself to said kitchen. To date we've canned 42 jars of apple sauce, 14 jars of tomatoes, 14 jars of peaces and we've frozen 15lb of sour cherries and 15 containers of pesto. On the docket are pickles, more tomatoes and more peaches. We've been scouring the countryside for the best produce. And we've been lucky enough to find a wonderful little family owned apple orchard near by. The apples are delicious and better yet they are pick-your-own.

p.s. I feel remiss in not mentioning specifically how helpful Phil has been in this picking/canning endeavor. He is a champion cherry picker and pitter which for anyone who has ever pitted a cherry knows it is no small task. We also embarked on a 9 hour apple sauce canning marathon together. Canning with a partner in crime is always so much better! Thank you Phil.

Moving IN day!

Our truck arrived on a Friday. We'd spent the past few months wondering if all our stuff would arrive and what condition it would arrive in because our movers has been less than perfect. But you know what?! Almost all of it arrived and the damage was absolutely manageable. Isn't it funny how life always works out. So I've been a bit behind on the blog these past few weeks because we've been unpacking and unpacking. Did I mention unpacking?! It's nice to be in a house again.

Waiting.....

We arrived in Colorado over a month ago. We were able to stay with kind family members while awaiting our own house. But we did eventually find ourselves in need of a toy or two. Thank goodness for used kids clothing and toy shops. This train became a favorite until that glorious day three weeks ago when our things arrived.

A visit with some 3000 year old trees

Our last stop before we headed 'home' was Great Basin National Park in Nevada. We arrived early and woke the girls for breakfast. This particular hike was only three miles but was at 10,000+ feet. I realize that isn't a big deal to many but we did have to stop more often than usual to rest. Lil for her part hiked the entire thing. Nonie hiked farther than she has ever hiked though we did have to carry her quite a bit.
These 3000 year old trees were significantly smaller than the giant old redwoods we'd seen earlier in the trip. The high altitude and low yearly rain fall attribute to the smaller size. These trees were incredably DENSE and take thousands of years to decompose. We saw dead tree pieces that were 5000 to 7000 years old.

DISNEY LAND!!!

We spent two days at Disney Land and California Adventure with Phil's folks. The last afternoon my dear friend Colleen joined us. Highlights include the laser light show at CA and the hotel pool. We played hard and we slept hard.

The Coast Starlight to Disney Land

We took the Amtrak Coast Starlight from San Jose to Los Angeles down the California Coast. I must admit I was a bit wary of a 12 hour train ride with the girls. But I have to tell you it turned out to be a highlight of the trip for me. The scenery from the train was quite enjoyable. We rumbled by farms where we guessed at the crops growing there and we counted dolphins and seals along the coast. We met interesting folks in the dining car. In general the forced relaxation of 12 hours away from almost everything was great for napping and reading.