Empire Mine Park

We have exactly one month before school starts (AHHHHHHHHH!) and are bound and determined to make the best out of the limited time we have, gosh darnit.

After our fun and busy Friday, the boys and I were anxious to keep the momentum going and do something just as fun with LaVor. "Check your e-mail," he said to me before we went to bed. In it was a link to the Empire Mine State Historic Park. "Looks good to me!" I said. So after our doughnut run, we headed up the hill to Empire Mine.

It was a cool 72° and there was hardly anyone there when we arrived. "Just how I like it," LaVor said.

We browsed through the Visitors Center first and admired the amazing mineral collection they had displayed. We also enjoyed the brief history of the mine as well as the scale model of the mine's underground tunnels. Pretty dang fascinating when you think of them doing all that work without modern technology!

The boys were anxious to step outside and see where all the real action took place. Thank goodness for LaVor and his knowledge of machinery and most everything that requires hands on attention.

Things got really exciting when we got to go down the steps into the mine. The distance is nothing in comparison to how deep it really goes but it gave us all a small glimpse of what conditions might have been like for the miners.

LaVor took The Lime while I changed Doodlebug's diaper. During the diaper change, we kept hearing "ping, ping, ping" and smelled smoke. Sure enough, the blacksmith was the next stop. Two men and one woman were pounding away at red hot metal making various different tools.

The cement looking part of this picture is the actual building that was used while the mine was up and running.

I loved the offices, but especially grew fond of the old creaky stairs. I wish I knew how old they really were because they've definitely been loved and stepped on.

We made our way across the grounds and admired the cottage and gardens.

The Lime really wanted to see the moose head in the Clubhouse. Unfortunately, that's about all there was to see. The heads were gifted to the Bourn family from a Canadian friend.

After a few minutes in the gift shop, we were on our way back down the hill.

It was just the right amount of information and stuff to see for the boys and interesting enough for LaVor and I. We are anxious to see where our next adventure takes us!

Old Sacramento

The weather has been unusually cooler than normal, which makes being outside a joy in the middle of July. Because it's nice and comfortable, my parents invited the boys and I to join them in Old Sacramento for the day.

We arrived within minutes of each other and jumped right in to the window shopping and history lessons.

We first boarded the Delta King and briefly browsed around. LaVor and I attended his company's Christmas party on the boat 2.5 years ago but the events of the night distracted us from the essence of the boat and the beauty around it.

Next up was the school house (which really isn't genuine to the area. It's a replica of what a school house might have looked like at the time but it was built in 1976). Liz, the "schoolteacher", did an excellent job teaching us about what life might have been like for children attending school during the mid to late 1800s. She mentioned that teachers were usually women in their late teens/early twenties who only made about $3.40 a month. That required them to live with each student's family one month out of the year.

The Lime wasn't so sure about receiving lashes as punishment but he and Doodlebug sure got a kick out of pretending to be the teacher for a moment.

We walked by a shooting gallery and gave The Lime a chance to practice his shooting skills (since he just earned his first Nerf gun back). He made 5/18 shots which is better than nothing!

We walked up and down a few streets, went into an antique and Christmas store, and finally settled on Round Table for lunch. Doodlebug was c.r.a.z.y. and both boys needed to let out the wiggles before we continued on with the day.

My dad gave us a brief history lesson as we walked through an alleyway. You'll notice the different levels of the building in the following pictures. The bottom level was once considered the street level. That was until the city flooded numerous times and they decided to add another level, which then became the actual street level and the bottom level was used as a basement.

Munchie's Candy holds a special place in our hearts so we stopped there for our after lunch treat. Both boys picked out a candy and the cashier asked if that's all we were going to buy. "Yup!" I answered. Turns out everyone is given a free sample and those were the boys. Yah!

We made our way through a few more historical shops and found shade near the train station. My dad offered to buy the boys some ice cream and it was silliness from there on out.

As a side note, while the boys ate their ice cream, I noticed a homeless man across the street. He was searching through the garbage, pulling each cup out to see if there was anything left in it. If there was, he'd drink it and search for another one. Gosh! It made me so sad yet grateful for all that I have.

Like these parents of mine, who love me unconditionally but show the same affection towards my boys. We're so lucky to have them close by for the summer and are eating up every moment we get with them.