Dutch Creek Falls

It's no secret that we love the outdoors.  This year we decided to take advantage of the wonderful trails we have in our area for some great little day hikes.  I've posted this picture recently of our Coloma Valley taken from the view on top of the Monroe Ridge, but on the 2nd picture I drew the directions to Dutch Creek Falls hike which is the opposite direction.

Basically, we started right in front of our property, walked through Coloma, turned right on Mt Murphy Rd, crossed the Coloma Bridge, then turned right onto Bayne Rd across the River from us.  Then we had to hop a fence where the trail head begins to the right of Mt Murphy.  At first it looked as if we were gonna climb straight up Mt Murphy, but the trail veered to the right...

The hiking guide says the trail is "flat" - they lie!  It's flat compared to the Monroe Ridge, but this trail was NOT flat.  It continued to to climb along the side of Mt Murphy as we went along.  The sides dropped off to the right pretty abruptly.  In fact, all the rain we've had took out a couple of manzanitas along the way AND part of the trail!

We hiked through the trees & under the trees...

We even hiked over some trees!

I'm pretty sure I whined most of the way...but once I know what to expect, I'm a pretty good hiker.  After all 4 miles really isn't that far, but the hiking guide & I have very different ideas of what "flat" means!

We could hear the stream below & every once in a while we caught a glimpse of it in the ravine below...

We had to scale down the muddy sides to get to the falls below the trail...

It was a beautiful spot!  We climbed up a boulder & balanced the camera for this awkard shot with the self-timer...

Then we stood on the boulder & Paul could see the upper falls up a little further.  I stayed put while he went to explore it.  I couldn't even see up ahead but I held my camera up over my head & got this shot of the upper falls (you'll have to look close)...

It was peaceful listening to the water & the afternoon sun was shining up at me from down stream...

On the way back I got a pretty good view of Trouble Maker from the other side of the River on Bayne Rd...

Gunsight (the center rock) was pretty exposed at this water level...

I love this old Coloma Bridge (built in 1915)...

The center of it gives you a great view of one of the calmest sections of the American River...up stream towards our house & Trouble Maker...

And down stream towards Sutter's Mill...

Would I do the hike again?  YES!  Now that I know what to expect, I'd do it again without even whining!
I need to work on hiking without whining or Paul may stop inviting me to go with him...I really do love to hike...& I absolutely adore him!

I left my heart...

I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me...

Seriously, who hasn't left their heart in San Francisco?  I fell in love with it the very first time my mom & dad took me there when I was 11 years old...that was a few years ago!  If you've ever been there, you would fall in love with it, too.  Filled with history, excitement, & romance, San Francisco is THE City by the Bay.  Did you know that there are tons of songs written about San Francisco?  You can find the TOP 100 here.

Paul took a much needed day off & we went to THE City on a beautiful clear & calm day last week.  We went straight to Pier 39 for lunch & a stroll through the shops...

Our view crossing the Bay Bridge...

Christmas Decor was still up...

Boudin's for lunch is always a favorite...

A great view of Alcatraz...

We drove through the Marina District & through the Presidio to see the Golden Gate from Fort Point.

Then we continued on across the bridge like we usually do & parked to take in the view from the Sausalito side...then we decided to WALK the Bridge.  I have NEVER walked the Bridge.  I usually get butterflies in my stomach just driving across it!  But it wasn't a normal windy day & we were up for some exercise...

This is a little "look out" near the first tower...we are UP in the clouds & the water is way DOWN below!  YIKES!

Here are a couple pix of what's below the bridge at both ends...

Below the 1st tower...

Below the 2nd tower is Fort Point...can you see the surfers in the water?  Look closely...we are WAY up there & they are WAY down there!

Cavallo Point used to be Fort Baker - now a swanky resort.  We stayed there once, thank you "good neighbors."

Looking back at The City...

Self portraits are always so fun AND attractive!

I actually laid down on my back to get this shot right under the 1st tower.

I made it to the other side!

The sun when we started & when we finished...

The City in the glow of the sunset...

When we got back in the car, we drove to the ocean side of the Bridge for a view from the Marin Headlands & watched the sunset over the Bay.

It was a perfect day...

"My love waits there in San Francisco 
Above the blue and windy sea 

When I come home to you, San Francisco 

Your golden sun will shine for me."

Goodbye 2012!

2012 has been a good year for us.  That's not to say that we didn't experience sadness or heartache, but when we count our blessings...the good certainly overpowers the bad & we are grateful.  We look forward to continuing our journey into 2013.

Paul & I found ourselves alone on New Years Eve & we took advantage of a beautiful day to take one of our favorite hikes along the Monroe Ridge overlooking our Coloma Valley.  I love how it looks during the different seasons!  We've had a pretty wet winter & the hills are pretty green, but the bare trees allow us a pretty good view of our house...

That night we decided to attend a New Year's Eve party at my "cousin" Kim's.  I put on my sparkly shirt & we took a moment to celebrate before we left...Paul is really a good sport to put up with my camera.

I had heard that Kim's house looked a lot like the Griswold's (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation)...but I had to chuckle when we pulled up...every inch of their roof was lighted in true Griswold fashion!

Griswald's - Google Image

We thought we had a great house for kids to "hang out" at on Hyde Park Dr, but Kim's house is amazing!  In addition to a full size theater room upstairs & a pool table in one room, the arcade room certainly is something to see & experience!  About 20 full sized arcade games to keep the kids occupied for hours!!!

This is Kimmy.  She's a Harwell, like me.  We really are cousins...distant cousins.  My great grandfather & her great grandfather were first cousins...so we share a great great great grandfather - therefore; WE are cousins!  She is also a great friend & I love her.

The next day, New Years Day, the first day of 2013, we drove into San Jose to spend it with Paul's parents.     Paul remembers (growing up) that his mom would make all of their favorite snacks & set out a spread as they visited & ate all day.  Evidently, Mom still does this for Dad & we invited ourselves over to relive some New Year's pasts.  I didn't get my camera out until we were ready to leave...sometimes it's just nice to visit without being behind the lens.  We had a great visit with them.  I enjoy hearing the things Paul remembers about his childhood & family experiences.

Here's our annual Christmas letter...only sent a few out this year...
   
2012 has been a year of celebrations!

We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with a tripto New Zealand & Australia then came home to a surprise party with ourchildren!  Paul celebrated his 35th yearas a State Farm Agent.  We celebratedChristi's college graduation.  Wecelebrated with our extended family at our Middleton Family Reunion.  Wecelebrated the birth of 3 new grandchildren; Cassandra Raine Deceuster, JackCarter Holyoak, & Cooper Lyman Bassett, bringing the count to 26 (12 girls& 14 boys). 

  

For the record...

* Cruised New Zealand & Australia with friends (Mike& Vicky Macias) for our much anticipated M&M adventure Down Under.  Paul bungy-jumped off the Auckland Bridge, wevisited Waitomo Caves & saw the glow worms, cruised to Napier, Wellington,took the scenic Transalpine Train through Southern New Zealand, on to Dunedin,through the Milford Sound & over to Hobart, Geelong, Melbourne, &Sydney (where we sailed an American Cup Sailboat!) before heading to theOutback - Uluru was fabulous!  Paul &Mikey also dove for two days on the Great Barrier Reef (a dream come true forPaul).

*  When we gothome, All 10 kids (& spouses) were at the Riverhouse to celebrate the daywe became a family 20 years ago!  Wecouldn't believe they were ALL there!  Itwas quite a surprise & our favorite moment of the year! 

* Spent Easter at home with Rochelle's & Kyle'sfamilies - holidays are so much more fun with kids!

*  Christigraduated from BYU-Idaho (WOO HOO!), then she & Ty came to stay with us forone last summer. 

*  Jenny enjoyedBYU Women's Conference with Leah & Terri & got to play with the Utahgrandkids at the Gateway Discovery Museum, the City Creek Mall, & Jump OnIt.

* Jenny took a road trip with the Horners to visitfamily in So Cal, Venice Beach, & Mickey Mouse!  Paul met them at Disneyland for all themagic.

*  Paul celebratedhis 35th anniversary with State Farm - it is pretty remarkable that someonecould do the same thing for that long & still love it!

* Celebrated Christi's graduation with a trip to Monterey& Santa Cruz with her & Ty.

* Celebrated the local girls birthdays (Rochelle, Amy,Nicole, & Christi) at WICKED inSacramento.

* The Horners brought their Utah friends (the Dunns)for a mini vacation, they rafted & enjoyed a day in San Francisco while weplayed with the kids.

* Business trip to NYC & Bermuda - a power outagein NYC stranded us in Chicago for a night then Jenny got sick in Bermuda &spent a few days stuck in a hotel room.

* Paul went to Valencia to help Gina after Cassandra'sbirth (Jenny stayed home because she was still sick.)

* Went to Washington to help Jill after Jack's birth& came home just in time to attend an honors dinner for Paul in Sausalito.

* Our extended Middleton Family Reunion was tons offun - was great to see so many nieces/nephews that we hadn't seen inyears!  Tons of water activities &games, a talent show, great food, & time to visit.

* Celebrated more of Paul's accomplishments with anhonors trip to Newport Beach.

* Ben & Dara joined us at the Cowell Reunion inTempleton, CA celebrating my mom's side of the family.

* Celebrated Paul's mom's birthday seeing Les Miserable in San Francisco.

*Attended Cassandra's blessing in Valencia & Amber'swedding (niece) in Bakersfield all on the same day.

* Paul hiked Mount Saint Helens with Kiff while Jennyplayed with Jill & the kids in Washington.

* Celebrated Cori's baptism in Mesa - then flew toCooper's blessing in Utah where we also enjoyed Halloween with Leah's &Terri's families.

* Nicole inspired us to do a 5K with her onThanksgiving Day - Run to Feed The Hungry- a local fundraiser for the Sacramento Food Bank.  Then we celebrated our gratitude with Nicole,Rochelle's family, G'ma & G'pa Middleton, Aunt Linda & Uncle Rex, &nephew Troy's family.

Paul, paulmiddleton10@gmail.com, 35 years as a State Farm Agent is monumental,but this happens to be his BEST YEAR EVER! While most agents of his tenure are slowing down, he is still goingstrong.  However, Paul has had his "travelingwings" clipped recently as he was just called to be the Bishop of theRescue Ward!  This will put a damper onsome of our trips, but we are excited for this season of service he has enteredinto.

Jenny, jennymiddleton@email.com, has also received a new calling - after 3 yearsin the Relief Society Presidency, she will be the 1st Counselor in the YoungWomen's Presidency.  She is excited to work with the Youth again &help them with their Personal Progress & other activities.  She is still trying to organize &prioritize her projects & it looks like she'll have a little more time todo so while Paul is busy with his Bishop duties.

Where are they now?

Rochelle & Brent Petersen live nearby in Folsom, CA with their 4 boys;Trevor-12, Ethan-10, Cade-7, & Carson-4.

Gina& Christian Deceuster live down south in Valencia, CA with their family;Luke-10, Alana-7, Donovan-3, & their new baby girl, Cassandra RaineDeceuster (June 23, 2012).

Ben& Dara Carter live near our office in San Jose, CA.

Kyle& Amy Middleton live nearby in El Dorado Hills, CA with their 5 children;Adia-about to be 14, Avery-9, Kenyon-about to be 8, Adison-6, Kaden-4.

Jill& Kiff Holyoak live in beautiful Port Orchard, WA with their four children;Macy-6, Penelope-4, Roman-2, & new baby boy, Jack Carter Holyoak (July 4,2012).

Cindi McGrathlives  in Mesa, AZ with her 4 children;Cori-8, Jake-6, Jason-5, Lucie-4.

Leah& Rick Basset live in Lehi, UT with their 3 children; Keira-4, Lexi-3,& their new baby boy, Cooper Lyman Bassett (October 8, 2012).

NicoleMiddleton lives nearby in Sacramento, CA.

Terri &Ben Horner live in Saratoga Springs, UT with their 2 children; Olivia-4, Jude-18months.

Ty &Christi are in Boise, ID for the basketball season.  Ty just started an internship with the IdahoStampede.  (Christi is counting the daysuntil he graduates...just one more semester after his internship.)

We celebrate our Savior this sacred season& the great gift of love He offered us through His atonement...

Best wishes for a great 2013!

My favorite moment in 2012 - Celebrating the day we became a family 20 years ago!

Christmasing with family...

Christmas Eve

We joined Rochelle & family for Christmas Eve dinner.

Of course, the first order of business was wrestling with G'pa. I think Rochelle & I have both given up trying to discourage this...G'pa loves it so much & he realizes that da boyz (along with the rest of the g'kids) are going to out grow this all too soon! So "let them be little."

Trevor & Ethan both got Kindle Fires for their birthdays & they were eager to show us the cool games they have on them...

We enjoyed a Christmas Concert...Carson sang some songs & Ethan played his trombone for us...

G'ma Judy had given everyone Nativity costumes & she directed them in acting it out...there were a couple of quick costume changes, but it was cute...Carson was very serious about his parts.

Gotta have a quick photoshoot! Even da boyz let me capture them in their Christmas PJs - Carson & Cade loved their new "cool" football PJs.

We ate a lot & played tons of games...

We left early enough so the kids could get in bed so Santa could come. Paul & I spent our first Christmas Eve night alone at the Riverhouse...it was pretty quiet without any kids home. We thought a lot about our own parents & wondered how they made that transition? Christmas is so much more fun with kids! But we were content knowing that our children were in their own homes building cherished memories & establishing their own Christmas traditions for our grandchildren...


Christmas Day

Amy & Kyle invited us over for breakfast Christmas morning with their family. Kaden was excited to show us his new toy & Kenyon was excited to show us a few tricks, too...

Amy & Kyle wanted to try something new this year to help their family feel the spirit of giving, so Amy purchased some simple personal items & snacks & had the kids sort them & bag them so they could give them to someone in need...

The kids wrote notes of encouragement to put in each one, then we loaded up in their van & headed to downtown Sacramento to pass them out to various homeless people we came across.
It was cold & wet & did not take long to find people to give them to...a man under an overpass, a couple of guys taking shelter in a parking garage, a man in a park, a couple trying to stay dry in a doorway of an abandoned school & several others...

It was a great reminder of the simple blessings we enjoy...a nice warm car to travel around in - food & shelter - being surrounded by the love of family. They all seemed appreciative & expressed gratitude for the kindness in these simple gifts. It brought a smile to each person as the kids said, "Merry Christmas! This is for you. I hope you have a nice day."

Later Christmas Day we took Nicole to see Les Mis - a family favorite! It was a great Christmas Day!

Post Christmas...

We headed into San Jose to work the day after Christmas. The end of year is a crazy busy time for Paul at the office.

We did meet Benara (Ben + Dara) for dinner to stretch out our Christmasing a little longer...

I was excited that the Oakland Temple still had their lights up the next day - great place to celebrate at Christmastime, remembering the greatest gift of all, our Savior Jesus Christ.

The weekend after Christmas, we drove down to Bakersfield to celebrate with family there. We got in late, but made a quick stop to Auntie Sylvia's. Soch & I have been friends since junior high & I love her dearly...

The next day we gathered at my niece, Kristi's, for food & more family fun! We ate way too much - Luigi's is a family favorite!

My SIL, Denise, put together a great hot chocolate bar! I'm pretty sure the littles put just about everything possible in their hot chocolates...even the big kids got in on the fun!

Carrie & I modeling our Christmas pants...red & green!

Can't have a gathering without the photoshoot! I put the camera on the timer for these gems...the first one is "all about me" - overwhelmingly front & center! Then I tried again & ran around the couch for the second shot getting there just in time & knocking over Kristi's drink, making a huge mess as the shutter clicks! Merry Harwell Christmas!