Labor Day Weekend at Mi-Wuk

This past Labor Day we were invited by my dad and dad's girlfriend Margie to her cabin in Mi-Wuk Village.  It is a cute little town near Sonora.  We drove up after school on Friday and stayed until Sunday.  We had planned on staying until Monday, but Austin was up almost all night both nights and I was just too tired to make it another day with no sleep.

Friday evening we took a walk down to the pond to look for frogs.  Nathan immediately connected with his wild side and jumped right into the water he didn't care at all that it was dirty pond water.  He was also shoving sticks down gopher holes, running with bare feet and other country boy stuff.  We didn't catch any frogs but had fun watching them all jump in the water  as you got closer.

On Saturday morning Margie and Poppi took us to Columbia.  We read in the paper that Meg Whitman was supposed to be there, so we were going to crash her party and throw eggs at her.  Just kidding, but we did go to Columbia.  It is a small town that was popular in the Gold Rush days that the state of California rebuilt and now is a major tourist attraction.  They have old time shops, panning for gold, restaurants, hotels etc.  The hotel doesn't have TV or phone.  The employees all dress as if they still live in the 1800's.  We stopped by a blacksmith who stamped all 3 kids' names on horseshoes for us.  We also got to take a horse pulled stagecoach ride.  It was really bumpy and there was not much to see, but we did get robbed by a man with a gun and a bandanna around his face!  It was all staged for fun of course.  The look on the kids' faces before we explained that it was pretend was priceless.

After Columbia we went to a trout farm, had lunch and the kids and Sal went fishing.  Because it was a fish farm it was a guaranteed catch.  They also clean them for you and wrap them up nicely for you to take home (thank god).  Nathan absolutely loved this.  He had been asking and asking to go fishing since the minute we got there!  We were finally able to put to use his fishing pole Grampa Charles got him ages ago.   All together they caught 6 Rainbow Trout which we cooked for dinner.  They were delicious!

Sunday was spent relaxing.  Sal and Nathan went back to the pond to see if they could catch anything.  They didn't.  Cheyanne, Austin and I just hung out and packed. 

Looking for frogs

In the Ergo

Not too sure about the cold water

Dirty baby toe

Super fancy "Opera Hall" on the way to Columbia

Stagecoach ride horses

Blacksmith!

Melting in the heat

Old time bowling - With wooden pins!

Outside the fire house.

You weren't allowed in, but could see the horse pulled fire trucks.

Old time fire truck

Getting some pointers from Dad

Cutting the fishing line with his teeth....He's country.

Shy & Poppi

Back at the Cabin

Tell tale sign of a good vacation