Yosemite. July 2016

 The night takes one last deep breath, holding it with great anticipation. One moment passes. Then another. Finally, she exhales giving up her last bit of darkness. Dawn breaks.

The clicks and chatter of ravens bantering with one another, disrupt the stillness of the new day. They hop across the ground and curiously explore the campsite looking for any food that may have falling to the ground or that could have been left out from the night before.

  It's the only quiet moment for me for the entire day. As if in sync with the sun, I know Apollo and Orion will soon be stirring as they begin to wake up; full of energy and ready to take on the day. The difference is that this day, they will not be asking for tv time or screen time.

They will be asking for bike rides, waterfalls, swimming and bear hunting. Sure, it's hard to call it camping when you're lying on a mattress in an RV, but the lack of all the other creature comforts is a welcome respite from the fast paced, on demand, digital lifestyle we live at home. To see my boys so fully embrace nature as it is a part of them and a part of their normal routine is refreshing. I know that once they are awake and we start making breakfast, they will begin to ask about our day and debate what we should do first. They have given number designations to all the places we have explored in the past few days.
"I want to go to spot number one," Apollo announces.
"I want to go to spot number five, Apollo," Orion replies.
"We went to number five yesterday and we haven't been to number one in two days!"
Number designations were easier for them to remember than names like; Yosemite Falls, Vernal Falls, the swinging bridge, Glacier Point, etc.. The problem was that Melanie and I had no idea what their number system was.

 

Camping in Yosemite far exceeded my expectations for a family vacation. I have to preface that with if it was Melanie and I, we would have hiked Half Dome, 4-mile trail, and Panoramic trail, but as it stood, we had such a blast with Apollo and Orion that, we didn't feel as if we had missed out. We were busy from sunrise until well after dark.

 


 The highlight for me was hiking up Vernal falls via the mist trail. At the top of falls, the trail turns into steps carved into the granite rock. Some of the steps were too tall for Orion, and he had to climb them using his hands to pull himself up enough to get a knee on the edge and then scramble to his feet. Still, both boys made it to the top and back down on their own. The view and the lake at the top was an apt reward for our efforts.










We took advantage of the network of bike trails on the valley floor and rode our bikes everywhere to explore. We took backpacks full of food and drinks and towels and set out after breakfast every morning on the bikes. The weather was hot! In the low 100's for the length of our stay, and the nights were slow to cool of, so whenever we crossed a stream or river, we parked the bikes and took a refreshing swim and had a picnic.
 


When we booked this trip, the general consensus was that it would be too crowded for us to enjoy ourselves. I found the opposite to be true. Don't get me wrong, it was crowded, but by camping in the park, at the far end, we were sheltered from the masses. The roads into the park were closed early every morning and traffic was diverted to the village, away from the camp sites, which means, the only traffic was the buses. Some of the more popular trails and sights were crowded, however, we beat the rush by heading out early every morning and hitting the trails while most people were still having breakfast.









  I took one morning to be self indulgent, and road my bike up to the top of Glacier Point.  I sent Melanie and the boys by bus to meet me at the top, and hit the road bright and early to make the 64 mile round trip trek with 5,925' of elevation gain. The road was peaceful and the scenery was breathtaking.

 I am fortunate enough to have a wife that loves the outdoors as much as I do. We share this love and the love of nature with our boys. What they see as an adventure, we see as an opportunity to teach them to love and respect the outdoors, to see beauty in all things living, to be stewards of Mother Nature, and to care for the environment. In turn, we are rewarded by watching them pick up trash on the trail on their own accord, return animals to where they may have found them, and avoid stepping on plants as they explore. Apollo, is very sensitive to the fact that people drop trash and often asks why people litter. Orion does not think too deeply about it, but he is always excited to do his part to help.

  Wildlife is abundant in the park. You can't throw a rock without nearly hitting a squirrel, but one of my favorite memories of this trip, will be Orion yelling "SQUIRREL!!" with such excitement and enthusiasm, that you would think it was his first time seeing one. This happened at least 10 times, every...single...day..."SQUIRREL!!"

That's Christmas to me

 

The heady scents of fir trees and Greek Christmas cookies, hundreds of colored lights, wreaths, garland, and decorations for the Christmas season, fill every corner of our house. The conversations all lead back to Christmas and how many days are left, or in Orion's case, how many sleeps. The excitement was tangible. This is what I love about Christmas.

 Apollo and Orion are at the perfect age to fully embrace the spirit of Christmas and this has renewed my love for the holidays. To watch the magic of Christmas unfold through their eyes is an amazing blessing for me.

Thanks to technology, websites, and apps, we were able to mold the experience to our benefit. I found a Santa website that informed Apollo that he was almost on Santa's nice list...almost. Orion was fully vested in the nice list as he has no malice in him, only the occasional white lie. Apollo however, sure enjoys pestering Orion and pushing every button he can to elicit an adverse reaction. For the most part, Apollo did try to work his way off the naughty list. He knew that he was teetering on the edge and would slip back and forth regularly. I was thoroughly entertained with the torment and internal conflict it created for him as he struggled to be just a little bit better.

  Many of our friends with young children have an "Elf-on-a-shelf" to aid in the magic of the holidays. Not our home. When you have a house full of naughty boys, you end up with a Grinch. Our Grinch is mischievous and likes to make messes, however, if the boys manage to do good deeds throughout the day, making the Grinch's heart grow three sizes, he would leave them a little gift or treat. Each morning, I would hear Orion's feet hit the floor and he would dash through the house looking for the Grinch. Each morning was a new wave of excitement as they discovered what the Grinch did while we slept. Only one morning was met with tears (Orion's), when the grinch decided to bring pajamas instead of toys. I convinced Orion that they were not nice enough the previous day and that they would need to try a little harder if he wanted to get toys again. The plan worked.

  Apollo explained to us at Thanksgiving dinner, his favorite part of Christmas. It wasn't the presents. It wasn't the treats, nor the time off of school, not even receiving his favorite toy that he wanted on Christmas morning. For him, it is the anticipation; The building excitement that increases every day the closer it gets to Christmas, climaxing the night before as he struggles to fall asleep, as his heart races, waiting for Santa to arrive. It is so powerful for him, that it fills our home with the Christmas spirit.

We pulled out the hide-a-bed near the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, set up the laptop with the NORAD Santa Tracker website streaming, and talked about the birth of Christ, Santa, flying reindeer, and all things Christmas. I felt the spirit of Christmas stronger that night than I have in many years. 

When I thought that things could not get any more perfect, Apollo announces, "I love you mama and dada!"
"I love you too!" Orion agreed, "I love everyone!"
"Yeah, I love everyone too!" Apollo reiterated, "and I love Santa, and our Grinch, and Jesus too!"
And in his own little sarcastic icing on the cake Apollo finished with a squeaky voice, "God bless us, everyone!"