Columbia California

The preserved Mining town of Columbia California is a pretty neat place to visit.

 There are many old buildings that give a sense of walking into the past.

 

 

 Fire house had a fire engine.

 Some of the buildings had period articles inside.

 The Chinese store was stocked with period items.

Sarah and Monique got to ride the Stage Coach.

Kids also got to dip candles.

Only In America

Since our German friends came to visit us for 4th Of July, we wanted to give them some experiences that were uniquely American.  They came back on July 5th for the day.

Riding In The Mustang

Since I drove the Mustang up to Ripon for the 4th Of July, Shannon took Thomas for a drive.

 We then let them take a drive on their own.

Shooting At An Indoor Range

We took Thomas to Barnwood Arms which has an indoor shooting range and a wide variety of different guns to rent. 

Roasting Marshmallows

We roasted them and made smores.

Water Fun! 

OK,. this isn't uniquely American, but it's still part of the 4th of July Tradition for us.

I also rode the old bicycle around. This one belonged to Shannon's grandfather.

July 4th In Ripon

We went to Ripon, Ca again this year for the 4th of July to visit Shannon's parents. . Ripon allows fireworks to be purchased in town and ignited on city streets so we have a large party at Shannon's parent's house. During the day, we light the smoke bombs which make large clouds of colored smoke. The kids like running through the smoke.

 

  

Ben had fun with the sparklers.

Though,  most of the day is spent in the back yard and doing things outdoors.

 

 

 

Grammy came along from San Luis Obispo.  Here she is with Sarah's friend Monique

 

 

We got a large box of Fireworks for the evening. 

Ben liked the box, and the red vines.

Come night fall, we lit off the fireworks!

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

Taking A Break At Bravo Farms

We headed up to Ripon, Ca. for 4th of July this year. On the way up,  we wanted to have a nice stop so we stopped again at Bravo Farms.  What an amazing place!

We brought the Mustang on our Journey. This was a bit bold because it had not yet been tested on a road trip.  Though, it seemed like a good opportunity. We'd be taking two cars so I had backup if things went wrong.  The weather was hot so Ben and Brandon wanted the top up to stay out of the sun. We had a few problems but the car made it.

Bravo Farms  is a great relaxing atmosphere after a long drive.

 

  

 

 There are goats and chickens to feed.

 Lots of things to climb and play on.

 

 

This was pretty neat, they had a little shooting gallery which had an animated car.  It would move and talk when you hit the target.

  Ready to hit the road again!