Ladd Photos

It was a nice day to get to enjoy the tranquility of the Portland Japanese Garden. At least, it was tranquil while the kids weren’t running around causing a ruckus.

We spent our last full day in Oregon up by Astoria, where the Columbia River dumps out into the Pacific Ocean. We started off the day fishing in Coffenbury Lake at Fort Stevens State Park. Unfortunately, the fish weren’t biting this day, but the boys learned a lot about fishing being 99% waiting for something to happen.

After everyone got tired fishing, we headed over to the Fort Stevens Military Museum and the gun batteries that protected the mouth of the Columbia River. The kids had a lot of fun running around the giant concrete bunkers.

We finished up our day in the beautiful Northwest tip of Oregon by visiting the Astoria Column. It is located on top of a 600 foot tall hill in Astoria, and the column itself was an additional 125 feet high. We had breathtaking views of the Columbia River and surrounding areas, after hiking up the 164 steps to get to the top.

After taking in the views, we made sure to drive back and forth across the Astoria–Megler Bridge. It spans 4.1 miles across the Columbia River, making it the longest continuous truss bridge in North America.

The boys wanted to check out the new Japanese Steel exhibit at the Automotive Museum. It was largely just old Japanese pickup trucks and super small cars, but there were a few cool Japanese sports cars. We also saw Evel Knievel’s motorcycle and a Delorean, which was the boy’s favorite, even though they have never seen Back To The Future.

Eddie and Sally took the entire Loera clan to Disney California Adventure to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Everyone had a blast! Besides riding great rides like Radiator Springs Racers, the kids also got to meet Captain America, walk around with Thor while he searched for Loki, and train to be agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Disney photographers also took lots of photos throughout our fun day. In the last group photo, they managed to capture all 17 of us looking at the camera:

It is hard to believe so much tar and fossils exist practically right in downtown LA. We all learned a lot about ice age animals and the boys enjoyed seeing all the skeletons, such as saber-tooth cats and mammoths.

We also went on a walking tour of the tar pits: learning how they formed, how animals got trapped in them, and how they were (and still are) excavated.

My boys were super excited to start school, so they could see all their friends again. Gavin is starting 4th grade with Mrs Bivin. Connor is a big 1st grader and has Mrs Dastrup. I’m sure we are all going to have a great year!

We got out in nature at the San Elijo Lagoon and made some friends in the process. We met a desert tortoise named Franklin who loved to have his shell pet. They also had some cool snakes and other creatures in the nature center to look at.

A giant green beetle also tried to be Aliciana’s friend. First he landed in her hair, and after I picked him out, he flew off, made a circle, and landed on her side. Once I picked him off again, he decided to go bother someone else.

Gavin was busy at a birthday party, so Connor and I went out together to the Safari Park. We watched the new baby tiger cubs get fed. It was World Rhino Day, so we made sure to go say hello to them. We also spent some time with the goats, brushing them. A big woolly sheep wanted in on the brush action too.

The boys and I went for a nice hike over the pedestrian bridge and along the shore of Lake Hodges. The boys took a break along the way to try their hand at grinding acorns.

Besides seeing lizards and birds, we also ran across some mule deers, which walked out of some brush. Unfortunately, they ran back into cover before I could snap a photo.

The therapy dogs from Helen Woodward Animal Center visited the first graders on Remember Me Thursday, a day aimed at raising awareness about orphaned animals and pet adoption. Aliciana was on hand to take some photos of the kids and their furry visitors.

Lots of robots, including a giant fire-breathing one, and 3D printers were the highlights of this year’s Maker Faire. The boys had lots of fun looking at all the displays and making some hands on crafts.

The baby of the Loera clan turned 3 years old.

Every other year, the “Life Lessons Character Counts” after-school program is taught by Turtleback’s own ninja kindergarten teachers, Mrs Flinn and Mrs Stamp. Gavin has now completed the program three times, but this was Connor’s first time graduating from the program. Both boys had a blast!

The boys having fun with their buddies at the annual Turtleback Harvest Festival.