Gold River

Abby begged for a special Mommy-daughter outing, and I was certainly in the mood to get out of the house. Dude, I am so tired of my new craft room. What a pain it's been! So I readily agreed and then strained my brain to think of somewhere to go. It had to be far enough away that I felt like I was out of town. But it had to be close enough that the kid and my wallet didn't whine about the drive.

So we went to Coloma.



I like going there, especially when the crowds are sparse. And they were this weekend. With overcast skies covering the historic site, there were very few people there. We packed a lunch and a small backpack each for the short hike up the hill to the statue of James Marshall, the dude too stupid to keep his mouth shut about finding gold.

It was a beautiful day, all told. Actually it was even warm on our hike, and we both took off our jackets. Here's a shot of 'happy' Abby, excited to start the hike.



Here's a shot of 'grumpy' Abby, weary after the short way we had come thus far.



Pathetic.

After staring at Marshall's statue and discussing what life was like in California so long ago, we started back down the other side of the hill to visit a small cemetery and church.



We talked a lot about the importance of the discovery of gold and why it led to California's statehood. Abby's eyes didn't glaze over in boredom for a long time. I really appreciate this about my kid. She can really stay focused for a long time when she's learning something new. But, of course, she's just 5 and at some point her interest will lag.

As soon as it did, we started talking about the natural wonders around us.





Specifically, I like to ask her to make observations about anything she can. She observed some turkey vultures circling overhead, and pretty soon our conversation circled back around to dinosaurs. Boy, does my kid love dinosaurs!

The small cemetery:





Abby making small improvements to the headstone. Yes, she is that weird. I don't mind her actions so long as they are made with respect. She usually says something quiet when approaching a headstone, almost like she is introducing herself. Can't get more respectful then that!



Yep, she is that weird.

Local church:





Shots of the old jail:





Then Abby asked to go down to the river where gold was first discovered, and we found some local ducks making the rounds, begging for food. Abby wanted to share her apple.





All in all, it was a fun outing. I enjoyed getting away for a while, and Abby was a delight to be around, so I really had fun. On the car ride home though, when I asked if Abby enjoyed herself, she responded with a noncommittal, "eh."

Gosh, I am not going to like her when she's a teenager, am I?