Mini-Reunion, Bay Area

To maximize our mini-reunion this year, we're descending on my parents' for quite a while. Maddie had flown down to see her grandparents at the beginning of the week. She was eating well, visiting museums, taking an art class, and learning to use a cell phone and shower every day. The rest of us drove out over two days and spent the night in lovely downtown Sparks, Nevada at the Golden Nugget. Will and Sebastian, overcome by the mirrors! the lights! the velvet! the floral wallpaper! told us that this was assuredly a very fancy hotel, and the most fancy we'd ever stayed in. We went to the pool and splashed around, which we think is always good therapy after you've been sitting in the car for 8 hours. All three boys were absolutely marvelous travelers -- even Joss, who couldn't watch the Little Einsteins marathon on the VCR (thanks Liesl!).
The next morning, we got a recommendation for an Austrian bakery in Reno called Franz's. We sat outside and munched our semmel and our mondstrudel and I believe that any breakfast that ends in dessert is a success. Then, as long as no one was screaming, we kept driving, and the boys were fantastic again, so we drove strait to Piedmont from there. I made fun of Rob, who was determined to save the brakes and so coasted down from the Sierra Nevadas often going about 50 mph, but I have to admit that when we reached the bay area I looked at the gas gauge and he had used almost no gas.

At Chez Shumway, the kids got to sleep outside in a tent. It came with nightlights and guitarist. Somehow the three rooms managed to foil Uncle Jeff at every turn, and twice we thought we'd lost someone when he couldn't find them out there. Will tried to mark his territory and got into deep yogurt, but there was no place to send him for the night since he was already sleeping in a tent!