Days of Miracle and Wonder, Part Two

In July, we hit our peak of miniature trains, and rode three different trains in one month. We started the month with a visit from Jonas, Meg, and Frankie, who came to stay with us at the ranch.

Later, we went on a hike with Fritz in the Petrified Forest and saw volcanic ash deposits and ancient redwoods that had turned to stone over three millions years ago.

We went to the Fourth of July parade in Calistoga and waved at fire engines and prancing horses.

My parents John and Sarah came to visit us, and we took them to Train Town to show them our favorite parts of the ride.

We visited Hans, Rosalie, Everett and Esme in Albany with Fritz and Pat, and all of us went to Tilden Park to ride the train and carousel.

My cousin Vincent and his sons Quinn and Drew came to play with us, and we took them on the hike to the Umbrella Tree. It was a great adventure, which got even more exciting when the boys found a rattlesnake. As Drew remarked, Hase screamed “louder than a tractor horn” and we high-tailed it out of there.

Later in July, we took our first rides on our home train and carousel at Howarth Park. Hase and Mae had been watching other kids on these rides for a long time, and they finally got to experience it for themselves.

We also went to Hase’s friend Abbie’s birthday party at Bale of Fun Farm in Petaluma, where Hase and Mae met rabbits and their many animal friends.

At the end of the month, we celebrated Hase’s graduation from preschool with a new John Deere tractor and trailer, which Hase fondly dubbed “Green.”

Tessa, Eddie, Emma and Kayden came to visit us at the ranch near the end of the month. The kids and spent the evenings running around with squirt guns on the patio as the sun cast its alpenglow on Mt. St. Helena.

We hope you enjoy the rest of these photos from July!

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