Bryden with rainbow colored hair!
Bryden and Gavin in a dugout that was part of a Pacific Islands exhibit
Can you recognize them? Bryden and Gavin inside a plexiglass dome that allowed them to stand up inside one of the display tanks.
Matt, Bryden and Gavin at the entrance to the "Sharks" exhibit
Gavin clowning around in a giant clam shell...
...and Bryden sitting in the same shell
We did make time for a quick stop at a beach - what can be better than a warm, sunny, sandy California beach?
Then it was on to Yosmite. What a magnificient place! A first trip there for a rock climber is more like a pilgrimage, and along with the family activities I made sure I got a little climbing in!
Matt high up on the Glacier Point apron, with Yosemite Falls behind him
Bryden, Maren and Gavin on a hike to Vernal Falls
Alex and Bryden along the same trail, stopping for a snack
And cousin Alex holding Gavin in her lap during the snack break
A second day of climbing found Matt and Maren on some of the climbs at Church Bowl
Matt starting up "Bishop's Terrace"
Matt and Maren, sittin' in a tree... at the top of "Pole Position"
Gavin playing around at the base of the Glacier Point Apron - the viewpoint on top of Glacier Point is above his head
Bryden on the apron, at the start of "Point Beyond"
Bryden working on his slab/crack technique
And Gavin trying a boot jam to help move up
Even though this was June, Yosemite Falls was running full spring force from the huge late snowfall the Siearra had
Bryden and Gavin along the Merced River with Bridal Veil Falls thundering behind them.
Bryden holding a sequoia cone on a hike we did to see the giant sequoias. The boys were amazed at the size of the cones!
Gavin was dwarfed by the trunks of these giants
One of the trees had been so big that they cut a tunnel to allow horse drawn coaches to drive right through it!
The coaches must have been smaller than the cars we're used to, but there's still plenty of room for a family to walk through
Another of the giant trees had fallen down, and the center had rotted out enough you could climb right through it. Maren, Gavin and Bryden went on a "tree"-lunking expedition!
No family reunion would be complete without family pictures...
Here's our branch of the family - Bestefar and Bestamor (Keith and Gini), then us, and the Zielers: Brita, Randy, Alex, Gaerda
Gene and Diane and family
Kenn and Muriel and their family
Uncle Bob and
Norm and Joyce and his family
We got back home just in time for Gavin to be in his end of the school year pageant. His Pre-K class was leaf cutter ants!
Summertime brings warm enough weather to play by the pool
And his last day at preschool included lots of giant inflatables with water...
...which makes great puddles to splash your big brother with!
Bryden was there for the party with Gavin, and enjoyed the inflatable jumping area...
...while some of the littler kids, and Gavin, waited their turn.
Gavin's last day in Pre-K - he's all ready to be a kindergartner this fall!