Lemons or lemonade

When my flight was delayed from 6:30am to 2:47pm I figured I could be angry about it like the guy blaming the politicians and President Obama or take it as it was and enjoy the fact that I could leave the airport and was not stuck on the airplane. 
We found a diner with a delicious Monte Cristo sandwich and sculptures nearby. 
The best part they reimbursed my money for that part of the flight and gave me a $200 voucher for a future flight.

 The sculptures were surrounding this empty lot.

 Yes, you were allowed to climb on some of them and Sarah fit perfectly in this one.

 We couldn't quite reach these flowers.

 This one reminded me of a pea pod.

 Wisteria

 Part of the park had sculptures of heads of 25 people including Susan B. Anthony, Gandhi, Schindler, etc.

And chocolate back at the airport...if the flight had left on time then I would have never had this experience. 

Misc. Northern California

If I had to sum up the trip it would be food and relaxation!
We ate BBQ, Italian, Mexican, pastries, ice cream, more ice cream, cupcakes, homemade sushi, candied bacon, pizza, honey balsamic carrots, chocolate, taffy, cheeseburgers, goat cheese, and more.
Then we just hung out and enjoyed the company.

Putting together a puzzle

 Eating ice cream

 Sarah coloring on the table cloth at the Italian restaurant

 Dancing!

Happy 4th of July!

            
 So the fireworks in Point Arena were on the 5th of July instead of the 4th of July and we were headed back to Oakland on the 5th, so there were no fireworks, but we still figured out a way to celebrate 'Merica


                                   
 Red, white and blue

 Let's go fly a kite

 Up to the highest heights

 Go Sarah!

Can you find the bird?

Picinic on the beach

 Lemonade, PB&J, and books for all!

 Sarah doing the Baywatch

 Always a cave...

Birthday Surprises!

Yep, that was plural.  Sarah (and Jake) know how to do birthdays right!
The first night I was there I got my birthday present which had the perfect beach day with candles, soap, and penguin chocolate.  The second night I got an apple pie ice cream sandwich.  On my actual birthday I got a cake.  And a few days later I got apple cinnamon pasta.  I think I will be alright if I never get apple cinnamon pasta again.  It was nice to spend my birthday with them.

Sarah is better at surprises than I ever knew.  We were supposed to sell stuff at the farmer's market while Jake went to the grocery store on my birthday, but it was super windy so we decided not to do that. Instead we went to the beach and found a fort made out of driftwood to read in.  We weren't planning on the beach, so I didn't have my camera with me to take pictures. Jake still went to the grocery store which made me feel bad that we got to explore the beach while he did the domestic stuff, but Sarah insisted it was better when he went to the grocery store alone because there was no impulse buying.  When he came back to pick us up he had already gone home to put the groceries away.  That seemed silly to me because we were between the grocery store and the house, but I didn't want to question his methods.  Turns out it was so he could pick up the ordered cake and get it home to put 32 candles on it.  YUM!  And I was certainly surprised.

Racecar played birthday Scrabble with us.  He had to sit in the middle of the board.

Pinball Machine Museum

Getting picked up from the airport in Oakland on the 27th of June was already sweet because I got to see Sarah and Jake, but throw in a museum of pinball machines and it was like I had died and gone to heaven.  It wasn't even my birthday yet, but it felt like it.

 Why yes there is an ENTIRE museum dedicated to pinball machines that you can play too!  Sarah was SUPER excited (if you can't tell)!

 Each pinball machine had a placard that explained the history of that specific pinball machine.

 These pinball machines were really old and made out of wood instead of plastic.

 Then they progressed a bit to metal.

 Then we have the pinball machines that I remember from my childhood with music, lights, and special effects. 

 This Dr. Who one is for my friend Clacie.

 This is a horseshoe two person game.  You spin the wheel at just the right speed to get the horseshoe around the ring. I was pretty good at it.

So much fun!  On the way out I tried to put in 50 cents to a gumball like machine for a pin.  It didn't work so the front desk person gave me a pin and a pinball.  The ball was much heavier than I was expecting. 
If you're ever in the Alameda, CA area, Oakland airport area, or just love playing pinball make sure you stop here!