The campground where we stayed near Lassen had a lot of fun things to offer. The playground was suited better to smaller children, but there was also tetherball, basketball, corn hole, horseshoes (horrifying with a 5 yr old—at least my 5 yr old), volleyball, and a newly built 16’ tall tree swing in the woods.
My family high-tailed it to that thing on the first afternoon, and had to return again before we returned home. Cole was intimidated by the height and was happy to watch.
Last weekend my family went to Lassen Volcanic National Park, and I am only now just beginning to sort through the photos.
Chaparral and grasslands. Live oaks. It is an aesthetic that can take a bit for the eye to adjust to if one grows up seeing green-green-green. Yet, it’s stunning, and vibrant. I really love it.
The last day of Spring Break, I allowed Cole to play a little longer at preschool and ran off with the older kids to visit a bit of local legend: The Winchester Mystery House. I’d visited years ago, back when you could take photos here and there—I truly don’t recall any prohibition, so I’m including my own old photo from then for one interior shot [the quality of a disposable 35mm film camera’s photos will probably give them away or I need to take some lessons to make my DSLR more useful to me!]—and it was fun to see the kids as they listened to the stories, while I mostly ogled the details in the house like mouldings, Tiffany windows, and wall papers.
For a bit of fun, you can also see the least likely to be true expose I could find on the topic HERE. :)
this is a photo of both Bunny and Carter – see if you can find the little booger… look hard…
Then we got a little silly… 
You’re right – I should just package these up into a winning photo essay entitled: How to Photograph Your Kids When in the Witness Protection Program.
And for a giggle, and a peek at my favorite windows in the house (saying something there), voila:
1998, baby! I believe this was pre “choose your rise jeans.” I sure hope so, at least.
