Daddy Sosne Trip!

Back in February, I told my Dad I required his presence in California the weekend of July 27th. I was surprising him for his birthday, father's day, and basically any holidays this year. Working with Mom, we booked him flights and hotels to venture out to CA!

The beginning of the trip was rough. Two delayed flights and a traffic jam later, he arrived in San Jose on Wednesday evening, ready to consume the Scotch and Costco shrimp he had well deserved.

On Thursday started our activities. I took him to the Santa Clara library where we, as expected, laid in the grass for a bit. There is a lovely park behind the library with paths, fountains, grills, a baseball diamond, and a gaggle of annoying geese. After some nice relaxing, we made our way to the cinema to see The Dark Knight Rises. Michael met us there, and we got some dinner post-movie.

Friday we ventured to Henry Cowell Redwood State Park to go on a little hike. The little hike quickly turned into a strenuous one as we climbed deeper and deeper in search of the water we hoped we weren't imagining. At the bottom we were rewarded with a little creek to dip our feet into.

Of course, then we had to journey back UP the very steep hike. And also find our way back to the car. ...I can't say we set out expecting that difficult of a hike, but both of us worked up a massive sweat and heart rate that afternoon.

We got back home and collected a hodge podge of food from the store, and settled in to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Not a bad Friday at all.

Saturday morning we got up and headed to the city! We started our day at Muir Woods, a state park north of San Francisco that we also visited when Mom was here. This time, we adventured on a path less traveled, and also some old favorites. Muir Woods is amazingly beautiful. I'm mainly a fan for the cool temperatures :) Red woods are Dad's and my favorite, and this doesn't disappoint. It is quite crowded at the main walks, but the real trails have virtually no one. We took our time and spent a few hours at this gem.

Afterwards we headed to our family's favorite lookout point, Marin Headlands. There are a few amazing views of the bridge and also a nice beach area with a small hike. We spent a few hours here just chatting and enjoying the views and weather.

Finally! The time had come for Dad's big surprise. After a lovely sushi dinner in a pretty sketchy part of SF, I took Dad to see Les Miserables. This is Dad's favorite musical, and honestly, mine as well. He took me when I was young, probably about 7, and I've listened to the music with him ever since. Even though he has seen it many times, I knew it had been a while since his last show. I decided to surprise him with floor seats at the Orpheum Theatre in the city. 

The show was wonderful! Javert had an amazing voice, and he isn't generally the strongest lead. More impressive were any songs that had the entire ensemble. The clarity and articulation of this cast was stunning. It isn't often the ensemble rivals the individual voices of Jean Valjean or Fantine, but they were incredible. I, personally, also enjoyed Eponine's voice. But perhaps that is just because she is my favorite character :)

All in all the trip was a huge success! A nice mix of activities and relaxation. I drove home with the fog creeping over the mountains (Dad's favorite).

Next stop: Hawaii!!