Day at the Beach

Unlike previous years when Gail and I were working, we had no plans for the last day of school and were happy to take Camille and Mason for the day while Cassie finished off her year.  What better place to spend the day than at the beach, in this case, Huntington Beach.  We rented a surrey and took it for a ride, walked the pier, bought necklaces at the open air market, dined at McDonald's, and returned home for a swim and some popsicles.  What a day!

Central Coast of California

Gail reserved a rustic cabin on the Big Sur River at Ripplewood.  We left early on a Monday morning at 5:00 am, beating the LA traffic as is our usual custom.  Making good time on Highway 101, we were in Monterey in time for lunch on Fisherman's Wharf.  We took time to walk the town before heading south down the coast on Highway 1.  Our time in Big Sur was spent horseback riding, visiting state parks, and spending plenty of time at the cabin.  Wild animals we observed included otters, sea lions, tons of Blue Jays, wild turkeys, and a deer.  We departed Big Sur and headed to Pismo Beach for a couple of days, getting in plenty of walking along the beach.  We ventured to Cayukas and Morro Bay while there and hit one of our favorite spots on the way home, the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company on the pier for lobster tacos.