Pack a Picnic!

It gets hot here in the summer.  Like days upon days in the high 90's or over 100.  Hubby is not a fan.  And we don't have a pool.  And nobody is excited to heat the house up by turning on the stove or the oven.  But we are lucky enough that a quick drive up Hwy 50 takes us into the beautiful Sierra's and many spots to escape the heat and enjoy the scenery.

In May, we celebrated Josh's birthday "month" every chance we had.  You only turn 40 once!  We took a week off of work to relax, explore, and just spend quality time as a family.  Mid week, we embarked on a day trip to one of our favorite spots, Hope Valley.  We've camped up here, had picnics, and explored nearby Blue Lake many times, sun & snow both.  Hudson loves to chase bugs in "our" meadow and to swim in the river.  It's peaceful and absolutely beautiful.  We were the only people there and had these gorgeous views all to ourselves.

It was a little cold & windy (and by little I mean freezing) in Mid May and I was glad I had an extra sweatshirt and blanket.  But it was still a great trip, a short drive, and a nice day with my boys.

Picnic Ingredients

• For me-
• Fresh Hummus with lime and cilantro from the Nugget deli
• Roasted Garlic & Herb crackers that I had in my pantry
• Sliced Mandarins (cause I don't eat them or their grody pulp, I just suck the juice!)
• Baked Veggie Chips
• Honest Tea
• For him-
• SABLT wrap from the Nugget (Salmon, avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato)
• Hawaiian chips left over from Mothers Day lunch
• Sliced Mandarins (cause he puts up with my weirdness)
• Mexican Coke in a bottle 
• For us Both-
• bite sized Reese's & Kit Kats

Directions

• Ummmm.. eat!
• Enjoy the view

 And this beautiful place is the reason we are able to tolerate it when the temps reach 107...  ugh...