Auf Wiedersehen at Tourist Club

 

 

A friend of mine invited us to his going away party to celebrate his new job in Berlin. We met at the Tourist Club, a private Bavarian-style lodge surrounded by trees on Mt. Tam and accessible only by hiking steep trails. I had no idea this place even existed. And although the path down was pretty steep (I'm talking just for the kids of course), it would be a place I could see visiting more often, and not just for the German beer they serve on the tables overlooking the forest. Oddly enough, we visited this "secret" place the same day the NY Times mentioned it.

Villa Montalvo

 

 

After Gina's Uncle Jim passed away, and after the immediate family members gathered for a service on Saturday, we got the whole Martin gang together on a gorgeous Sunday morning to have breakfast in Cupertino and walk around Villa Montalvo. The Pleasanton and Lafayette kid contingency continued on to Los Gatos where cupcakes innsued. We also found a good place to watched the 49ers win a game to get to the superbowl. A fun day for a sad occasion. 

Beach Day

 

After eating a chilly lunch sheltered behind a cliff-side bench, we played in the sand and hills on one of the beaches along Hwy 1. Afterwards, we took our sandy selves to visit Gina's mom and then have dinner with Uncle Dan at our favorite Sunnyvale restaurant, Tao Tao. 

Ashland and Redding

 

 

 

 

 

We woke up to a snowless, cold morning in Ashland, and took our time hitting various snow places while finishing up listening to our Hobbit CDs. In Redding, CA we grabbed a picnic lunch and ate at the Sundial Bridge, a huge span crossing the river and connecting trails from the bird sanctuary to a larger park. A neat way to end the trip! 

On the road again

 

 

 

 

I had to take one last picture of our hotel view which allowed us to see the Space Needle and the morning float planes taking off. Being in South Lake Union, we quickly stopped for breakfast at Portage Bay Cafe which is in the newest neighborhood development. We parked in the Amazon.com parking garage, and saw the "Dawson" building as we stepped out. Too many grumpy looking badged workers entering & leaving to get a family photo there. Afterwards, the long drive to Ashland was broken up by a few (optional) playground stops and (required) bathroom breaks. 

Pacific Science Center & Hobbit IMAX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye Edmonds, Hello Seattle

 

 

 

 

 

The first day of the new year! We reluctantly said goodbye to the grandparents and then did a whirl-wind tour of Seattle: Gasworks Park, Fremont Troll, Uwajimaya, Gameworks, Pike Place Market, etc. The kids were starting to wear down after all the running around, so we decided to park ourselves at the Pacific Science Center the next day.