View-master reels about Redwood Hwy.

Yesterday I wrote a trail guide summary about the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park. It's the location of a giant tree that had a tunnel carved through it so people could say they drove through a tree! I remember that well because as a child I had a View-master reel about the national parks, and one of the pictures showed the tree. I always thought going there would be very cool!

That got me to thinking about you. Why? Because I once found a View-master reel set about the Redwood Highway, which included a picture of Crescent City, Calif., where you lived as a baby (You were born just off the highway in Eureka, Calif.). I bought it and stored it in a tote, hoping to give it to you one day.

In all of the moving around last year, I don't know if I still have it, though. I am very sad when I think about it possibly being lost. Soon, though, I will unpack all of that stuff and look to see if I have it. If not, I somehow shall find it online!

Two years ago today at Legoland

Legoland, Nov. 27, 2011.

Two years ago today we spent the day at Legoland enjoying their Christmas celebrations. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and you'd been with me for quite a fun weekend since Thursday morning.

The highlight was a great play area made of artificial snow! We got to throw snowballs, make snowmen (with Lego pieces for the nose/eyes, of course) and then go sliding down a little snow hill.

What was really great is that it was 72 degrees and sunny that day! So you were playing in shorts and T-shirt in the snow! I bright along gloves, though, so your hands wouldn't get cold!

Here's a whole bunch of pictures from our adventure!

Remember the Star Wars exhibit in Santa Ana?

Two years ago today, we visited the Star Wars exhibit at the California Science Museum in Santa Ana, Calif. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so we drove up from Encinitas (You'd been with me since Thursday morning).

The exhibit included a cool mock-up of The Millennium Falcon in which we got to be in the cockpot where Han Solo and Chewbacca sit and watch a movie about space, and then a whole room full of cool stuff from the various Star Wars movies.

Afterward, we went through the rest of the museum, which included a hockey section and a recycling game near the grocery store area. When we finished early, since we were only about eight minutes drive away, I said, "Hey, we're really close - do you want to go to Disney?" You said, "Yeah!" so we spent the afternoon and early evening there.

Here's a whole bunch of pictures from our trip!

Two years ago today in Disneyland

Nov. 25, 2011, Disneyland

Two years today, we spent the day in Disneyland! It was the Friday after Thanksgiving.

The day before (on Thanksgiving), I'd driven all the way up from Encinitas to Palmdale to pick you up, and we enjoyed a meal at Marie Callenders in Moreno Valley before arriving at my place outside of San Diego for the evening. I had the turkey special, but you enjoyed a hamburger and fries!

The next morning, we drove up to Disneyland to enjoy it for the Christmas holidays. I think we stopped at Ruby's Diner in Carlsbad on the way up there, but I might have that mixed up with something else.

Anyways, I remember one of the highlights is that you were fascinated by the Disneyland Christmas tree. And the It's a Small World ride was decked out as well with Christmas decorations!

Here's a whole bunch of photos from our day!

Cowboys and Indians character toys

Do you remember the cowboys and Indians playset that you had in spring 2011? They were small and plastic like green Army guys.

You were really big into the Old West that winter/spring, so I picked up the toys at a trading post in Arizona when traveling cross country with Jane that spring. You and I had stopped at the same trading post a year before when we drove to New Mexico, and for some strange reason I remember the toy being there, so I just had to stop and pick them up for you!

If I recall correctly, I bought two sets - which made for a lot of cowboys and Indians! We had some great "battles" with them that spring!

Your Balok and puppet Star Trek figures

Do you remember your Balok and puppet action figure set? It was a Star Trek collection of three action figures, which included Captain Kirk, Balok, and his menacing-looking puppet.

I had purchased the set back in 1998 when there were tons of Star Trek toys out. I always liked to collect those from The Origianl Series.

I never opened it and kept it packed in totes in our garage at the green house in Lancaster, Calif. After you discovered that I had action figures/toys in the totes, you eventually came across the set!

Though I planned to collect the action figures, so many of them were produced that most were worth less than I paid for them, so I figured why not open 'em and let you play with them? After all, it gave us an extra Captain Kirk (We also got one with the shuttlecraft!)!

Your Obi-Wan 'Clone Wars' action figure

Another one of the Star Wars action figures that you really liked to play with when a preschooler was Obi-Wan Kenobi from "The Clone Wars" movies. I'm not certain what the appeal of that version of Obi-Wan was, though I suppose he looked a lot like that through the Clone Wars cartoons and in "Revenge of the Sith."

I always thought Obi-Wan in that movie looked like Jesus with his haircut, beard and robes!

I know we had the young Obi-Wan from "The Phantom Menace," and I'm fairly certain we had the Obi-Wan from "A New Hope" (my favorite version of him!), but when Obi-Wan was a part of our Star Wars adventures, the one from "The Clone Wars" movie is the one you grabbed!