The trip before the trip

Once again, Zeke and I have left our jobs to set out on an epic adventure.  Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we will hit the road in our slightly run down Corolla and head for the far side of the country.  We have 31 days (give or take) to hit up as many Breweries, Wineries, National Parks, Friends, and Family as possible.  But that journey starts tomorrow.  The "trip before the trip" was to Potter Valley for two family Birthdays and one impromptu backyard bash.

 At least that was my pre-trip.  Zeke's, on the other hand, involves exactly what you would expect: Surfing, old buddies, fishing, and kayaking all in as close to the middle nowhere as he can get. 

My uncle Rick turned 60 on Saturday and his wife threw a big party for him up at the Marshall Place.  If the gifts he got are at all typical I never want to turn 60 in my life.  He received a Goldilocks wig, a cane with a water bottle and "get out of my way I'm old" horn, and a plethora of "old people" products like stool softener, centrum silver, etc.

For those of you not of the Todd Persuasion, the Marshall Place is an old Cabin overlooking the Eel River that is accessible by an "Indian Jones" type suspension bridge we creatively call "The Swinging Bridge."  My Aunt and Uncle have refurbished this cabin and made it into this beautiful bnb style retreat.  Complete with beautiful paintings inspired by the local landscape done by my artist aunt. 

The two little pumpkin heads (aka my nephews) got to cross the swinging bridge for the first time in their young lives for the party.

 I never realized how unsafe that thing was until I saw those two little boys being carried across.  It didn't help that earlier in the day I had watched two teenagers dropping boulders off the bridge for the splash.  The babys enjoyed the party almost as much as everyone that got to hold them. 

  Great Grandma Todd was very surprised to see how BIG the twins had gotten.  She hadn't seen them in over two months.  They are four months old and she saw them over half of their lifetime ago.  Time and age for babys is so strange.  They double their age after living for two days.  Two months for me is 1/143 of my current age and it is 1/2 of their current age.  No wonder time goes by faster as we get older, it is always becoming a smaller fraction of our age or our time on this earth.