Installment Four... now you know why people lined up to buy the latest chapter of a Dickens novel, the suspense was killing them!
And on with the vacation.
Day Three: San Diego Zoo
What to say about the zoo... First there is the deal. Bramwells all have season tickets and therefore free entrance passes to go with it. We paid for Caitlyn to get in and a little more for the premium rides and that is it. I guess the Bramwells must really like us. Second, there is the buckets, arial buckets because the SD Zoo is soooo big that little legs need a little easier way to get there. Third, thei,elephants of many varieties in different enclosures. We spent at least an hour on elephants alone. Jeff's curiosity paid off because we got the full private discussion of elephant foot therapy from a couple zoo keepers that were starting an elephantine pedicure process. Just one minute later the whole zoo seemed to get the vibe that zookeepers were interacting with us and that they were invited. Lucky for us, just as the throng mobbed the area we were safely snacking in the distance.
From there we went to polar bears, who were nestled in their private den, but we lingered to take advantage of the shade. By the time we made it to the hippos I was tired. No one else seemed to be dragging, so I kept hiking up one flight of stairs after another until finally I wished I could settle in for a nap like the gorillas. While we watched them sleep, it occurred to me that the dramamine was still mellowing me out from the day before. This my friends is why I will deeply consider being sick instead of lathargic next time. It took nearly an entire frozen lemonade to perk up my energy... I see now why it is a great idea to have a season pass to this zoo--no kid, not even Bindy, the jungle girl, could really see the whole thing in one day-- unless you made use of the bus tours. Our kids saw all their priority animals and we went home for a nap and a swim.
Day Four
All our three generations of Bramwells live in a suburb of SD. We spent the morning exploring their hometown, visiting their childhood neighborhoods, seeing the tree Kyle hit with the Jeep, and casing the scene of their Prom pictures. Their town has a lot of great history and a great old train that goes around the park. We rode the train, which Jordan and the other kids loved. I guess a slow old train is more their speed. By this day, it was REALLY hot! Apparently we towed a heat wave in town with us.
Day Five
Sunday... ahhh. I will admit, I worried about Primary for a minute, but I got to bounce Baby Bramwell all through Relief Society and I enjoyed every second of it! We got to meet some of Kyle and Juli's friends and their bishop. Our vacation was seeming to wind down with just one more day of fun and then a long drive. Little did we know that the Bramwells had other plans. Dick and Jennifer played our kids against us and held an unianimous vote that we should stay a few extra days. We gave in... because we weren't ready to leave yet either. (That is where you gasp and wonder how many installments this can possibly take).
That night we paid a visit to Juli's parents. They were very gracious. Traditionally, they would send a cheesecake to Kyle and Juli for their birthdays from the Cheesecake Factory. Since they both worked during the day, my apartment number was always on the delivery. I usually held said cheesecake ransom until such time as they decided to share it with us. While we were in California, we decided to return the favor and brought a cheesecake to celebrate Jeff's birthday with them. They were awesome. They had gotten us a Julian apple pie to take home (a big must do in SD area) and some authentic Slovac kolache (pastry with nuts rolled inside). That was really generous. We got to see Juli's mom's art studio and some of her paintings. Noah was totally unnerved by the skull she uses to get faces right, but Benjamin ate it all up. Jeff was mesmorized by Juli's dad. He is a physicist and an amateur astronomer, so you can imagine the awesome conversation that they had in the backyard amongst various giant binoculars and telescopes. One by one the rest of us managed to wander off until Jeff and Joe were the only ones outside discussing the heavens. Around 10:30, we persuaded them that the kids should be in bed and that our next trip Jeff could bring a sleeping bag and camp out in the yard.
Our Favorite Bionicle Toas
I guess not all princesses live in Disneyland after all. Caitlyn, a princess officianto, spotted this one 200 yards away. After permission from the parentals, she ran to meet the princess and bring her to "my mommy to get a picture of me with you."