If you've been following along with our family for awhile then you probably already know that Joe and I love wandering around random college campuses. There's so much wide open space for the kids to run around, interesting architecture and sculptures, and usually some natural beauty as well. Plus that unexplainable feeling that college campuses evoke, kind of like a good library, or small towns, or old well-kept houses. It's just fun to be around.
After Declan's birthday trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park we stopped by Chico on the way home to stretch our legs and explore a bit since neither Joe nor I had been there before. It's a really cute campus nestled right at the base of the mountains with a steam running right through campus which made it feel very woodsy and scenic. It took all our strength and energy to keep Declan from climbing over the bridge and diving right in. They also had a fragrant little rose garden and plenty of red brick architecture, which I love.
Funny sidenote: Declan saw some tall stone statues of medieval style people and as soon as he laid eyes on them he had to run up and touch them all. He had just placed his hand on one when the clock tower started ringing and he froze mid-touch with a goofy "I've been caught red-handed" smile on his face then slowly backed away from the statues. I wish we had similar alarms in the house for all the times he touches stuff he knows he shouldn't ;)
One nice thing about our Chico visit was that we were able to visit on a Monday. Most of our explorations occur on the weekend when the schools are relatively dead, but the cafes were actually open, and there were plenty of students wandering around. It was a nice glimpse of normal campus life.
After exploring the campus a bit we walked to the downtown area and ate brunch at a diner called Mom's. So, soooo good and I highly recommend it if you're ever in the area. Delicious breakfast burritos. And then it was time to hit the road again and head home where mountains of laundry awaited.
You may have noticed on Instagram that my sister has been making frequent appearances lately. We were so, so lucky to have her in town visiting with us recently, along with her professor. We decided to spend one of her days here wandering around Davis which is a nice little college town with a very centralized downtown area, a few good bookstores (instant bonus points for that) and a river running right through campus with a three mile long botanical garden. Once again we were able to go on a weekday and ate lunch on campus, which was surprisingly busy for summer session.
Does anyone else feel like this summer is moving a tad too fast? We've already visited so many new places, had plenty of adventures, visited with some of our most favorite people, and made memories that'll last a lifetime and we're not even a month into summer yet! It definitely feels like this summer is going to be hard to top. (I know I say that every year, but I truly believe it every year.)
I hope your summer is just as full of fun, adventure, and memory-making!
Chico
Davis
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