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In writing my last post, I found myself going through my photo archives.
What I found, I found delightful and amazing.

And, I found myself thinking about how time really does fly by. And I found myself vowing to slow down appreciate everything more.

Burlington, Vermont | Summer 2010

Burlington, Vermont | Summer 2007

Ferry, Lake Champlain | Summer 2010

Ferry, Lake Champlain | Summer 2007

First things first, I am not getting paid to write about this product. I just think it’s great. And as I write a lot about visiting the Napa Valley on this blog, I thought this product may benefit those of you traveling here via airplane.

We purchased the gogo Kidz Travelmate back when we took our first cross-country plane trip with kiddo, to Saranac Lake, when she was just one-and-a-half years old.

We’ve used it on every trip since, and have lent it to other parents numerous times.
Everyone agrees that it’s essential.

And now I see that they’ve come out with an infant seat version. I wish they had that back when kiddo was in her infant seat.

Summer 2010:

Summer 2007:

Today we headed over to the town of Guerneville, to Johnson’s Beach along the Russian River in Sonoma County for the 34th Annual Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival.

We’d never been to Guerneville nor are we rabid jazz fans (with the exception of Dave Brubeck and those other classic jazz types), but Tom won the tickets so we thought why the heck not check it out.

It turned out to be quite the serendipitous adventure.

Be prepared to park in town (there is no dedicated parking lot) and to walk in to the beach. The spot we found was about 1/2 mile away. And though we didn’t do much exploring in town, it’s cute and we’ll visit again to check it out more.

The river was beautiful. The festival was great—on the small side and mellow—but even better was the opportunity to expose Samantha to the experience of live music and to all the different types of people.

We had excellent “seats”–second row, center. But even the general admission seats looked fun. The word seats up there is in quotes as all seats are those low-back chairs. Ours, being gold-level & all, were supplied by the event company–but sure were rickety. Better than hauling our own though. But if you’re particular about your seats, I’d recommend hauling yours.

But wherever you sit, be prepared to be on gravel. We didn’t bring our picnic blanket and wished we had. I’d also recommend a small personal umbrella or such as all seating is in the full sun.

Blissfully, the river is but 15 steps away from all seats so it was easy to quickly cool off. Plus, Samantha was able to practice her newly-acquired swimming skills.

We brought our simple lunch of sandwiches and deli salads, but there were plenty of interesting food stands–including Indian, BBQ, and more. One vendor even had fried gator (which I swear I will try next time I get such an opportunity).

Alongside the food stands were several merchants offering a vibrant selection of textiles and other hand-made goods.

Bring cash.

We didn’t see a whole mess of other kids, but there were a few (all of whom were kiddo’s age or older). We felt no resistance though–no tight smiles, subtle shrugs, or muffled groans of “oh, there’s a kid.” As I mentioned earlier, the vibe was quite mellow, very easy-going. That said, we only smelled pot but once (and though we couldn’t see the source, it was coming from the canoes on the river. Or, perhaps, the band members back stage).

And we overheard less than a handful of curse words. And I think all of those were “damn!” & in response to a particular fervent guitar or drum solo. Fewer (and nicer) than our typical housecleaningyardwork days at home…

If you’re local, think about going next year. If you’re planning a visit to Wine Country and it falls during this time next year, think about going.

Who: Families with kids ~5 or older

What: A small, mellow live music festival–on a gravelly beach

Where: On the Russian River in the town of Guerneville, just off Hwy 101 in northern Sonoma County

When: Annually in mid-September

Why: To relax, listen to live music, swim in the river

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Hm, tryouts are this Saturday. Are YOU ready?

(Saranac Lake is 10 minutes from Lake Placid–site of the 1932 & 1980 Olympics–and the Olympic Training Centers)

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They’d been predicting it all week, but today the weather has changed.

It went from blissfully warm to windy, and cold, and gray.
A storm is blowing in. There are white caps on the lake. It’s now starting to drizzle.

We’re baking a stuffed chicken and starting a fire.

It’s the perfect time for a blog post, especially as I’ve been wanting to share a few scenes from Saranac Lake.

This Evening, Off the Dock at Camp Algonquin

The River from Lower Saranac Lake to Lake Flower

Miller Pond

Ground Cherries

Loons

Open Firepit Grilling

On Middle Saranac

Frog, Birch

Exploration

On The Three Sisters Islands

Sunset Off the Dock at Camp Algonquin

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I’ve finally started editing the multitude of photos from our summer vacation in Saranac Lake.

I had to share this one separately, as it is by far the most humorous shot of the collection.

Tom took this photo of Samantha’s first-ever tubing experience. At a quick glance, it seems like we are doing fine:

But when you zoom in:

 You can see she is absolutely terrified.

Call me a mean mommy, but I just can’t help but laugh.