Mystery Spot, Santa Cruz

The entire Wuehler clan packed up and headed to Santa Cruz for the

This is a quirky little place. I'm sure most of it is smoke and mirrors (ie the shack built at a severe angle). Even so, our guide, armed with her level, made for an interesting tour.

Just entering the Mystery Spot made me lightheaded and dizzy.

Here's our cute guide, showing us all that this board is perfectly level.

And yet this ball initially rolls into the shack and then right back out the window. Crazy, right?

Going inside the shack was a trip. The kids were sliding all over the floor.

It was so hard to tell which way was up based on where everything else was falling down.

 Climbing that little ladder was really a challenge. I didn't know where to lean for balance!

We didn't get a lot of time in the shack since there was another tour right behind us but honestly, I was relieved to head outside to get my bearings again.

 We had sack lunches on the patio down by the parking lot. Lots of cousin time!

We stopped at a place called Marianne's for ice cream (because ya know, we hadn't had ice cream in a whopping 36 hours or so). Then we all headed to the beach. Surprisingly, the beach was a bit on the cool side. Not that the girls minded one bit.

Sydney got to play in the sand again!

Brigitta cuddled up with Aunt Julie.

We love Aunt Julie so much. She's truly such a gem!

With all of the girls engaging with cousins or well, sand, Brent and I had some time to just cuddle and talk. I kept my t-shirt on because I was so cold but Brent was in his swim trunks. In spite of repeated applications of SPF, his legs burned pretty badly.

 For dinner we went to a favorite among locals called Pizza My Heart.

 I just got that. Pizza My Heart=Piece of My Heart. Yeah, I can be a little slow on the uptake.

It was dang good pizza, and they had dozens of options for garnishes.

We'd all worked up quite an appetite spending hours in the sun. It was such a cool place to just hang out and chat with family for a while.

The Exploratorium

We have some pretty fantastic museums here in Chicago so I'm always wary about plunking down money for museums elsewhere. However, the Exploratorium was on every list of Must-See's that I researched about San Francisco. Vanessa gave it rave reviews as well, so I was excited to check it out. 

I'm a real stickler for being on time and organized and well, not everyone in this world has the same modus operandi. We ended up having a fair amount of downtime outside the museum waiting for everyone to arrive. Photo op!

I really don't purposely put my girls in the blinding sun and then decide to take pictures. I always realize mid-shot it's a struggle for them. I love them for trying to give me good smiles anyway!

 The Exploratorium really was amazing. It was so interactive with something around every corner for everyone to enjoy. I honestly could have spent an afternoon there by myself and had a ball while learning a ton. For all the pictures I did capture, there are so many more I didn't because I was too busy with something more interesting.

Just inside, there was a set of drinking fountains with this sign:

One of the drinking fountains was just a run-of-the-mill drinking fountain (in the background), and the other one emptied into a toilet. To my utter shock and amazement, Brigitta wouldn't actually drink from the toilet fountain. I thought that would be right up her ally.

She still wouldn't do it even when I tried it out, just to show her it was perfectly fine!

Turns out Sydney was the only one who wasn't quite so persnickety.

There was an entire display made out of cardboard that really qualifies as art.

 These chairs are the same design but in different sizes. The largest has to be reinforced and weighs far more than the others. It's interesting how so much more is required to accomplish the same thing but larger in scale. 

How the United States would look if state lines ran exactly halfway between the 48 most populous cities. I never thought I was sentimental for the shape of the states, but after seeing this, I guess I am!

This experience required a ticket and I'm really glad I grabbed ours early because they went fast. The girls got to push this suspended platform in a pattern that was then traced by the marker. It seems like a simple demonstration of kinetic energy, but it was kind of mesmerizing to watch.

Even though the grandparents typically enjoy a much quieter, calmer day-to-day, the grandchildren kept up their spirits.

There's nothing like a shrinking room with a checked floor to gain some perspective. Ha!

Cousin love! Elizabeth fit right in with our girls; it was tempting to just take her home with us.

This was my favorite part of the whole museum. Each of those pieces of wavy plastic represents the high and low tides of one day.

 With them all lined up, suddenly it was so easy to see and understand the rhythms of the ocean. The tides crest and deepen more at certain times of year but they keep that gentle wave pattern. I could not stop looking at it! I would have put this in my home, seriously.

I love this picture of Brent and Sydney checking out an exhibit with the iconic Transamerica Pyramid building in the background. He's usually at work when we are doing museum stuff and it was so nice to have him along for once!

Fish faces with Aunt Suzanne. Sydney got a lot of one-on-one time with her and Uncle Craig.

I see their true colors shining through:

In this exhibit, Brigitta and Sydney would talk into the microphones in front of them but they were delayed hearing each other through their headphones by just 1/5 of a second. Even though that seems like a very short amount of time, it was impossible for them to effectively talk to each other and they ended up just laughing their heads off.  It really underscored our dependence on being able to read lips as we hear someone speak.

 In this room we saw how a yellow light can make some things seem yellow like the white jelly bean, but otherscolors look completely different, like how Brigitta's blue shirt suddenly appears black.

 The colors in this jelly bean dispenser completely changed colors. If memory serves, Brigitta wrangled that jelly bean out of a machine somehow and was pretty proud of that thing.

There was one display with two sets of coils interwound with each other. One had warm and one had cold. When I touched it, I was sure I was getting burned but it was the cold that actually amplified the feeling of heat. Sooo interesting!

Brent had dropped us off and then parked the car in a parking garage not far away. As we entered the garage, I noticed this sign.

Sounds pretty horrific, right? I mentioned it to everyone once we were all back at the house and all the Californians laughed and said these signs are everywhere. They just ignore them.

WHAT?!?!?!

I'm pretty sure Sydney was just plain tired as we drove away, not stricken with cancer. But that sign made me wonder!

 The Exploratorium was an incredible place to take the family. I'm not fond of being herded around in a huge group, so the ability to break off into small groups and then run into different members of extended family throughout the day was really nice. Should we ever find ourselves in San Francisco again, I'd definitely set aside a day for more fun at the Exploratorium.

Wuehler Family Reunion Kick-off

I have to give mad props to Jim and Vanessa for all their work on the family reunion. This is a pretty big group and they really took everyone's concerns into account. The outings and activities were carefully thought out and they both just set such a positive, upbeat tone for the whole reunion. 

They worked their tails off preparing and then executing the whole thing too.

That first night was a throwback dinner where they served some favorite meals from childhood: tuna gravy over toast, sweet and sour hot dogs and chicken rice casserole. Brent eagerly scooped up his share and explained how this economically fed a large, growing family for several years. 

Jim and Vanessa started us off by going over some family business and then doing a puppet show based around how BJ and Jeanne met and eventually married.

It was hysterical! All the adults were characters in the show and I have to say they got personalities and quirks down really well. Even the puppets were great likenesses. Here is Brent with his puppet:

The kids loved it so much, they ended up making their own puppets.

One of the games that evening was a ball of Saran Wrap with candy wrapped into the layers. Vanessa was kind enough to make sure there was no chocolate in it, just for the girls.

It was boys versus girls and the best part is that really, everyone won in the end.

The adults played a similar version but with oven mitts and a pair of dice. When someone on the team rolled doubles, they had to put on the oven mitts and try to grab the next layer. 

It was so much fun and really got everyone excited for the days to come.

Kirby Cove, Lombard Street, and The Painted Ladies

Working my way through our vacation To Do list, this was next on the agenda:

Dreamy, right?

When Julie posted this on her Instagram, I actually gasped. I just had to have a picture of the little girls on this swing with the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. She warned me it was a looong hike but I didn't care. Besides, we had discovered we were a hiking family, right? No problem.

Turns out this place is called Kirby Cove and it really is quite a hike with some substantial slopes. But views like this:

and this:

are sometimes only won with steep hikes like this:

There were some pretty spectacular parts of the trail. like this:

When we finally made it to Kirby Cove, we discovered someone had cut the swing down! The ropes were still there, but the swing was gone. Julie was absolutely crestfallen. Even without the swing, it's a pretty spot to get photos with the Golden Gate Bridge but I was pretty bummed too. 

Instead of sulking, I got to work taking photos of the girls. First up was Sydney:

She was very busy playing in the sand.

She was in a particularly cuddly mood so Brent and Julie snapped pictures of her too.

 I love how she is steepling her hands in this photo like an important business executive.

Next up, Brigitta:

Then Ireland:

 Last but not least, Liesel:

This picture of Julie twirling her makes me smile. Look at that hair flying!

 Of course there has to be one of the girls together!

There's actually one of us as a family that I'm saving for our Christmas card this year. It's my all-time favorite family photo and almost makes up for the fact someone cut that swing down.

You can't have siblings around without some shenanigans.

I liked this friendly reminder that we are not the first to happen upon this cove.

We piled into the car and headed across the Golden Gate Bridge into the city.

Someone once wrote, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." Much to our amazement, it was actually really warm, hot even! We knew from our extensive research on Salt n Straw that they had a San Francisco location. Even though we'd just had gluttonous amounts of delicious ice cream the day before, we just had to make another stop. Besides, Julie had never been and we felt it our duty to introduce her. We branched out and tried some new flavors but again the lemon blueberry was a favorite.

From there, we headed over to Lombard Street. Back when I was pregnant with Liesel, Brent and I did Lombard Street on a Go Car. During my labor with her, the doctors and nurses wouldn't let Brent be in the room for the epidural. To calm my nerves he stood at the door and reminded me of that time we spent winding down that street in the bright yellow scooter in our helmets. We had so much fun and the memory of it helped get me through a really difficult epidural placement. 

Of course I wanted to take the girls, but no way was I going to do it driving a minivan. We opted to park and walk it instead.

 I swear I don't put the girls in bright sun and try to take pictures on purpose! It just turns out that way.

We made it to the bottom of the hill and I set the girls up for a photo with the sun mercifully at their backs. Before I could turn around to snap a photo myself, there were several people taking their own pictures... of my children... and I somehow felt violated. My mama bear came out. What were they going to do with those photos anyway?

We'd been getting comments on the girls all day and I'd been stopped by everyone from construction workers to a nun. Having 4 daughters in this day and age is an anomaly. That they look so similar also draws attention. When I dress them the same, they're kind of like a living tableau of some Russian stacking dolls. Even from afar, they stand out from a crowd. I get it.

 Yes they are all ours. No there are no twins. They're all about 2 years apart. No, we are not trying for the boy. Yes I did their hair. No I did not sew the dresses myself. Thank you, we think they're pretty cute too. Girls, be sure to say thank you to the people who go out of their way to compliment you.

Truly, we'd been doing this all day, but something about strangers taking their photo, their very image, bothered me deeply. Maybe if someone had asked permission, I would have felt differently, but the comments and the click of cameras behind my back persisted. Suddenly I wanted to get my girls out of there tout suite.

We headed back up the steep staircase (are there any other kind in San Francisco?)

I was able to find some privacy and protection in the winding road of Lombard Street and capture a few moments without a gawking crowd.

 One thing you miss if you just drive Lombard Street is the meticulously kept gardens. These hydrangeas were my favorite.

 I still had a long list of things I wanted to do as a family in the city, but we were due back in San Leandro for the start of the Wuehler Family Reunion. We still had a little time though, so I asked Julie if we could catch The Painted Ladies. She lit up and told me we weren't far. Perfect.

 There were TONS of people photographing the Painted Ladies- even more than there were at Lombard Street. Again I set the girls up for the photo and apologized for the sun in their eyes. Again there were strangers just clicking away at my little girls. Again I was bothered.

On our way to this little section of the hill, the girls noticed a park and I promised to let them play once I had my photo. As soon as I was satisfied I had the perfect shot, I let them run off. While I swiped through my photos, a young Asian woman approached me. She was deaf, and could not speak, and she wildly motioned to the girls who were long gone by then. She was one of the people who had taken photos of them and she indicated she wanted a photo with them. I apologized that they had already left, because there was no rounding them up now. We'd dragged them all over the bay, determined to make memories, and it was time to just let them be kids. To be honest, I think they were tired of the photos from strangers as well. The woman was disappointed, but then asked for a photo with me and I obliged.

It was at that moment I stopped feeling so bothered about the strangers taking pictures of my daughters.

The girls gleefully played at the park.

 Ireland had been working those monkey bars all summer and building up some impressive callouses. She'd never had the chance to show Brent and was so excited to demonstrate her mad skills.

Sometimes Sydney gets so nervous riding Brent's shoulders.

She really makes him pay for it which is really funny to me since he has a fear of heights himself. Ha!

At last it was time to leave but we couldn't resist just one more picture...

...or two from a vantage point that was away from the pressing crowd.

Despite my apprehensions, I'm really glad we were able to fit in this photo op before leaving the city.


I hope that Asian woman got a good photo of the girls. It seemed to make her day.