Happy Father's Day!

It's Father's Day and we are still in California, sadly without Rob on his special day.  But he, Papa, and Grandpa were on my mind when I went on my morning walk and carved the above message.

Last night I had a nice evening dinner with my brother Daniel, cousin Hayley, and her husband Eric,

drinking sangria and eating tapas on a scenic patio near the Mission.

Check out the sun's rays...

and down from the Mission is Mission Creek, a scenic spot.

Spenser loves some pepperoni pizza from Woodstock's

and exploring in the creek as well.

Spenser snapped this of me, don't ask me how it works because I don't know and neither does he!  The things my phone can do!

 There was only one day we hit Avila Beach and it was hot enough to lay out.

We got some good reading time in.

Believe it or not, I got a little sunburned!  

I also took Sienna back to the park where she celebrated her 1st birthday.

Remember the Teletubby party?  Look at the little girl now!

14 years later.....what a great father's day gift!

Harbors and Ports

Tuesday was a busy day with Papa, Papa Rose, and Spenser getting in 9 holes at Morro Bay followed by some sightseeing and eating of course!  Here is silly Spenser and Sienna with Morro Rock in the background.

Apparently the restaurant we normally dined at went out of business, so we chose another with a harbor view.

We all had sandwiches with a cup of chowder, except for Spenser who got a chowder bread bowl which he loved!

Papa can see the details on Morro Rock through his binoculars.

In addition to golfing and scenic dining, the family is getting some good reading minutes in.  I have read City of Bones and am now on City of Ashes.  Papa Rose is now reading City of Bones, and Sienna has read Matched and is now on Crossed.  Spenser is on his third book of the trip, called Battle for Skandia.

I am varying my morning exercise locations.  This morning (Wednesday) it was Port San Luis.  I parked at the Port and ran to the beach, on the beach, and then back to the Port.  After the run I continued to explore around the area.

You can drive and walk on the pier.  Along the way I snapped some interesting sights.  Above is the landing for getting on to boats, and below you will find some starfish if you look close enough.

Here is the view of the pier as I walked toward the end.  At the end is a famous restaurant, only open for dinner, and a fresh fish market.

Along the water near the pier are many boats, some active, some anchored.

How about some live crabs?

Or just perusing at the market?

Darn, restaurant not open til 5 p.m.  Oh well, not hungry anyway!

Another perspective from the pier.

People are active all around, fishing, kayaking, standboarding, you name it.

Getting in a history lesson.

Another location where kayaks launch.

Check out the seals!  They were honking up a storm!

Walking back to the car after my pier adventure.

And the day has just begun!

Oh Sun, Where Art Thou?

The sun continues to elude us most days but that doesn't prevent us from venturing out!  After my morning workout I convinced the kids to join me on a picnic lunch at a shore-cliff park.   Here is the crew, complete with Papa Rose, whom Spenser convinced to come on the outing.

There happened to be an event there that day, so Spenser and I ventured closer to the music.  A very good live band kept the old folks moving on the dance floor!

After enjoying some music, Spenser and I ventured cliff-side.

Here is the funny faced boy

and his mom.

The next morning Sienna joined me on the morning workout.  We walked/ran Avila Beach and then got some swing time.

After exercise came breakfast at one of my favorite spots, The Old Custom House.

Yum.

Hello Summer!

Sienna and Spenser, great students as they are, were counting the days for summer vacation to start.  The last day of school came and went, and the next morning the family packed into the 300 for the 9.5 hour drive to Arroyo Grande, California.  They had a great school year and certainly earned some rest and relaxation in the cool temperatures of the Central Coast.  Rob was determined to get them there quickly, yet safe and sound.  Happily, he was successful!

The next morning and the only full day Rob would have before heading back to Arizona, found us on the shores of Pismo Beach for scenic exercising.  Sienna did not participate on this day, but Spenser did!

We even shared the beach with some horses!

After a good workout, Splash Cafe was a great place for lunch and the most famous clam chowder around!

 The next day it was time to say goodbye to Rob and try to vacation without him.  What do I like to do while on vacation in California?  I would sit and read a book every day on the beach if I could.  Why can't I, you may ask?  Well - the sun doesn't always make an appearance and being bundled up in a beach chair just doesn't make sense to me.  But that doesn't mean the surroundings aren't scenic and worthy of some meditation.  Sienna and I enjoyed a picnic lunch on a bench overlooking this spot.

Then we got adventurous and descended a stairwell down to a private beach area where we got a little sun - finally!

Sienna enjoyed reading and relaxing while I captured some photos.

In addition to lounging on the beach, I also use the beach as a source of fitness inspiration.  

This photo was the halfway destination of one of my morning walks.

I parked the car at Avila Bay Club, and walked/ran the 1.7 miles to the beach.

Rob would be so proud of the amount of exercise I'm putting in!  Of course, he's not here to see it, but I'm sure he's glad to hear it.  Another activity we ALL participated in was golf.  I have been to the driving range before, but never actually golfed.  Papa decided we all would do a scramble, which I was leery about but still willing to try.  The course was Dairy Creek, one that he marshals at.  Here is Spenser, teeing off!

Me too!

I actually did all 18 holes!  Lots of fun, but not the easiest sport to just pick up.  Papa wanted to include Sienna, so she helped keep score.  He called her the "comptroller."

And here she is also driving the cart!  Just kidding, she didn't really drive, it was only a photo opportunity!

Here is Papa Rose, hitting hard and far, even with osteoarthritis in her knee!

Check out Spenser and Papa, ready to drive it far!

Papa was very happy with our golf results.  We hit a 71, which was par!

Here is Spenser, walking hand in hand with his grandparents, even at his junior high age.  Rob would love that!

Spenser caught me being silly on the beach -

and Sienna caught me meeting Elvis.

Another required activity?  Practice on the drumline!  Here is Spenser getting some hits in at Arroyo Grande High School.  Incidentally, this is the same high school where Zach Efron went to school - you know, Troy Bolton from High School Musical?!

While Spenser drummed, Sienna ran the track.  You'll just have to believe me as she would not allow me to take a picture.

So that's what we've been up to during our first week of vacation.

I'm hoping to post next time a picture that looks just like this one, except with warm blue skies!