California Vacation - July 2008

In July we all flew to California before the boys were too old to travel on our laps (as if they would stay on our laps anyway). In brief, it was a great trip with time spent on the beach, at the tide pools, in Grandma's pool, in Grandpa's Model A, at the fabled San Luis farmers market, the berry picking farm, the exhaustive Atascadero Zoo and Hearst Castle. Thanks to Jessica for showing me the skeet shooting ropes, to Grandpa for lending us the BMW for the week, to Grandma for the amazing meals, and the Lindsey family for entertainment. All in all a great week. Here are a few of Stephanie's favorite pics from the excursion.

The proverbial family photo-op at the tide pools before the boys began tasting EVERYTHING within arms reach.... fan worms, crabs, starfish, etc. The next image is Gabe scouting the tide pools for another something to stick in his mouth; in this case, an unfortunate starfish.

After sampling the tide pool fare, Oliver seemed to prefer the local berry patch. A small basket of berries is $3.50. I hope they figure kid-foraged berries into the cost as my children apparently have no scruples about sampling.

Grandma had a small slide that was perfect for the kids. High enough to get a little speed yet low enough to avoid catastrophe when the inevitable fall occurs; as you can, see they both agree. The next photo is the boy's trip in Grandpa's Model A Ford - very cool.

This next couple of shots are of the Atascadero Zoo. There were lions, tortoises, sundry birds, and critters galore; however, our children seemed to enjoy the drinking fountain the most. Does it ever make you wonder why you bother with a $10 entrance fee when you could get the same reaction at a public fountain? Am I a heretic father for asking this or do any of you ask the same question? Last but not least, Steph and the boys at the beach. The boys loved the beach. We spent several afternoons there and they could have stayed for the entire week if we let them.