River Adventure!

On Saturday, Paul, my dad and I set out on an adventure down the Stanislaus River! We met up with my dad in Riverbank and left one of the vehicles, then proceeded to drive up to Knights Ferry. We had all our gear packed with us for a two day trip!

We put the canoe and kayak in at Knight's Ferry amungst all the river rafter day-trippers and began our journey!

There were a few areas where we were met with rushing rapid waters, but nothing too major. Well, unless you count the spot where the kayak practically tipped over and PO's ipod and shoes went floating away. When he started yelling "grab it!" I immediately jumped into the water (with all my clothes on) and viciously fought the flowing current in deep water to grab what I could! Luckily the ipod was safe (thanks to one of the greatest inventions on earth- Ziploc) and we were able to retrieve both of his shoes. I think I about darn near gave PO a heart attach by fleeing the vessel in attempt to save our valuable possessions, but we later got a laugh out of it all!

We stopped for a break and to eat some lunch at a large island in the river. By this time of day it was gorgeous outside (we started the morning off with sprinkles and cloudy skies!)

When we approached the campsite in Oakdale we were greeted by live music being played across the river. There was some type of party going on and we got to enjoy the music all evening!

We didn't sleep well in our tiny-ass tent with no air mattress or pillows, but that didn't stop us from getting up early and hitting the road. . . I mean, water!

 This tree was filled with a ton of scary vultures that were staring at us like we were pray!

We stopped to take a break, take some pictures and take in the beauty and peace and quite that we were surrounded by.

After trolling along the peaceful river for a few hours, we came to an open pond that was like glass. Above in the distance we heard rushing water and so we prepared ourselves by holding onto everything (ipod and shoes included!) Luckily we did because there was a steep little drop that we went head first into, filling the kayak with water! My dad was a ways behind us (he was doing some fishing) and so we pulled over to the middle where there was a little island (and by island I mean 3' wide area of sand) so we could watch and make sure he made it through safely. I took the opportunity to capture some great pictures of him in his canoe!

No bathroom, no problem! :)

We continued on our way down the river and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon before we had to pull the boats out of the water and call it a day!

We paddled a total of 24 miles down the Stanislaus River over the course of two days. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again next year!

Zen Garden

PO has done a wonderful job landscaping part of the front yard, complete with a Buddha fountain. He's even installed misters and roll up shades on the porch so that we can sit out there, relax, kick back and chat while keeping cool and shaded from the blinding, hot summer sun.

We sat out there in our comfy patio chairs for several hours yesterday, just living in the moment. It was great way to close out the weekend and prepare for what's to come this week.

Getting Ready!!

PO and I are getting ready to take our kayak down the Stanislaus River on Saturday. My dad is going to be joining us in his canoe and we are going to camp out, half way at Valley Oak camp ground in Oakdale. It's going to be a wild river adventure, and we can't wait!

Last night we busted out the two man tent and did a test run setting it up, since we have never used it before. It's pretty tiny inside, but folds up really small, which is perfect for packing it with us on the kayak!

Weekend Recap

We had a busy day on Saturday! We woke up at 5:30 to get ready for our garage sale. There were people rolling in about 5:45 already buying stuff! Luckily it went pretty well, we were able to get rid of a lot of stuff, and make a nice little chunk of change. By 10:00 everything was pretty much sold, so we packed it up and called it a day!

It was a gorgeous, overcast morning that reminded us of Santa Cruz weather!

Here's a shot of me trying to communicate with a Spanish speaking only customer! 

Funniest thing that happened all day?! A lady rolls up in a pickup truck around 9:00 and yells out to me "Ya'll got an egg poacher?" I kindly replied "No, sorry" trying to hold back the laughter. Then she proceeds to ask "Well, then, you got a dust buster for sale?" Me again, "No, sorry". As she drives off I can't contain myself any longer and and have to bust up laughing. It was the funniest, most random moment of the whole day!

Later that day we went over to PO's parent's for a BBQ in celebration of his mom's birthday. We had a great time swimming, drinking wine and catching up with his parents, their friends Jenny & Leo as well as PO's brother, David.

Here's a shot of the cake that Jordyn and I made for Diane!

That's my stud muffin, PO! :)

Paul's mom, Diane and Paul hanging out by the pool

Jordyn had a blast swimming and playing with her Grandpa Chuck!

They have a gorgeous backyard, filled to the brim with Japanese maples, rose bushes and more. The landscaping is so beautiful, it makes me wish we had the time and money to put into our backyard!

Farmer's Market

Every Thursday night through the end of September, Lodi holds it's Farmer's Market downtown. They shut down streets, have tons of vendors and entertainment, food and more! PO and I like to ride our beach cruiser bikes down there, usually hit up Lodi Brew and check out the live music. This last week we met up with our friends Mark & CaSandra and their two little boys, Anthony and Everitt. We had a great time! Here's some highlights of the evening;