Staycation Day 2 -- Church, Relaxation and Family; Reno / Sparks NV area

Agenda:
* Church in Washoe Valley
* Picnic at Bower's Mansion
* Relaxation at Davis Creek
* Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Knight's house

Day 2 our of staycation was nice. Small variations can lead to drastically different outcomes. While we are in the same area and living in our home, we truly are on vacation. I had my doubts about a staycation. How could it be as good as a 'real' vacation? So far, our experience has been better than many vacations that we have been on. It provides relaxation and discovery, without the stress and expense of traveling.

While I remembered the camera; its battery was sitting at home with the charger. Needless to say, there were no pictures today.

Our goal for the day was to keep in the spirit of the Day of the Lord or the Sabbath. Never an easy goal when you are on vacation, but it proved easier on our staycation -- it was a great day.

We started the day worshiping with a small LDS congregation in Washoe Valley. They were so friendly and welcoming. To ensure our staycation was a true vacation, we needed new places and faces. The change was nice.

Bower's Mansion proved to be a great park for a picnic. We stocked up on picnic food at Costco on Friday -- so we had a tasty lunch. The strong cool breeze proved a little too much for us to stay very long. Who would have thought jackets would be necessary this time of year?

We found our afternoon relaxation at Davis Creek, NV. The scent of pine filled the wind that was flowing through the limbs of the trees -- creating our calming retreat. The late-season stream bed and dried up pond left a home for frogs and a variety of insects. The tiniest chipmunks could be seen scampering in the distance, gathering what appeared to be pine-nuts (we gathered our own, only to discover that they aren't very good when you find them lying on the ground).

Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Knight's house finished our day off nicely. The food and company were great. Carson loves playing with his cousins that are in town from Modesto, California for the weekend. His nighttime prayer tonight was simple, but well put: "Heavenly Father, thank You we go to Grandma and Grandpa Knight's house today..."