California (the journey home)

On the way back from California, we spent some time in San Francisco (we were flying out of SFO). We saw Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge (shrouded in fog) from the shore...

...drove down Lombard Street...

Lombard Street from Katie Stratton on Vimeo.

... and ate fish and chips and clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl on Fisherman's Wharf (Eleanor loved the clam chowder).

The flight home was fairly uneventful. We had some fun in the airport saying goodbye to California. Eleanor seemed to have endless amounts of energy on the flight, unfortunately, but we ended up doing all right. As a side note, Eleanor essentially learned to walk well while we were in CA, so she crawled through the airport on the way out and walked through (with a couple spills) on the way back. The picture below is an interactive art installment that responds by lighting up and spinning when you press on each circle. Eleanor enjoyed it.

We got in around midnight east coast time, so spent the evening in Leesburg. Eleanor chased Duncan around all morning and then when it hit nap time, we hit the road to head home.

On our way home, we randomly passed a sign for Burnside Farms, the place were our sisters ended up getting a summer job this year. They work in a sunflower field, and we had no idea where it was located, but when we passed the sign, we flipped around on the road and pulled in to see if they were working. They were both there and we were thrilled! It was a completely random coincidence that we happened to pass by and it was awesome to see where they're spending their time this summer. It was a lovely stop :)

After that, we powered through and when we got home, we could see an immediate change in Eleanor's demeanor. I knew she was out of her element all week, but the second we pulled into the garage, her eyes got wide and she pulled out her walker and walked every inch of the house and into every bedroom just exploring the place she knows best. It was a great trip, but it is also great to be home :)