First water polo tournament of Bean's last season made a good excuse to head to San Diego for the weekend. Bean played great-- scored a goal against the UCSD A team and had some amazing defensive moves. They only won one of the three games, but they played really well.
After the games on Saturday, we went down to Sunset Cliffs, which turned out to be a very popular place for Valentine's--so many couples having picnics and we even caught a proposal.
Family Valentine's Day together!
Love the beautiful clouds, even if it did subdue the sunset.
And then we went down to Chula Vista for some Tacos El Gordo. The lines were crazy long, but waiting in that line, looking around at all the people from all over--just made me grateful for this America, with tacos and diversity and communities of people from all over the world. This is the America I choose. (And those tacos are dang good.)
Sunday morning, we were back at the pool for the best game of their tournament, even if they came up a little short. Bean skipped out on the last one so we could go to church with her and meet all of her friends. She's got such a great life down here.
We went to La Jolla Shores after church for the low tide.
I was hoping for some nudibranchs and maybe even an octopus, which we didn't find,
but there were lots of great worm holes,
and I did find my first tidepool lobster!
He cruised along this rock, and then crossed over to a spot of thicker algae and tucked himself in where he could hide.
These little family moments are always so great. I miss the days when it was easy to all be together, and we are definitely missing Bug these days, but it's also fun to see the lives that our kids are making for themselves as they go out into the world.
We got so lucky with the weather this week. Last week was rainy and cold in Southern California, but we had mostly blue skies and temperatures from 65-75 every day.
I took several early morning beach walks which are my personal favorite.
It's magical being out there before the crowds.
There are always surfers and some dog walkers, but the beach is fairly quite for the first couple of hours and it's a great time to watch the shore birds and just enjoy being out.
It was weird seeing the pier destruction. There used to be a restuarant at the end but there was a fire earlier this year.
And then, most days, we were at the beach for several hours.
Playing lots of Mölkky which is such a fun game. It's my new favorite thing to do at the beach.
Peanut did a lot of sand sculpting.
He built some partially excavated Aztec ruins for their sandcastle contest.
I'm so glad he has gotten to know L better this past year. They spent a lot of time together all week.
We had a really big group this year--seldom that all of us were in the same place at the same time, but with up to 45 people total (8 families), depending on the day, there was usually someone around doing what you want to do.
Bean did a lot of surfing.
She's gotten pretty good. It was fun to watch her out there.
And even when we were just sitting around, it was pretty incredible. I ended up coming down with a cold by Tuesday, so sitting didn't sound so bad.
I did a fair amount of reading, poolside, at the beach, and in bed (although I didn't come close to finishing all the books I brought with me.)
I think I could spend a LOT of days on the beach before I'd get tired of it.
Bean and Peanut went kayaking in the harbor with a bunch of people from our group one afternoon.
And we caught so many sunsets.
One night we stayed on the beach until it set.
There were a few of us that were just having too much fun.
It was a lovely afternoon.
With some cool sand sculptures.
But most evenings, we were in the hot tub by late afternoon and I had to run down from to the beach for a few minutes to catch it.
It was worth it. It's so fun staying in a property right on the water.
And the tropical vibes make you feel like you're in Hawaii.
And then, after dinner, everyone met up in the game room for foosball, pool, and board games.
Daddy-o loved all the foosball and had some good runs with a couple different partners. I tried one night, but still feel like I have NO idea what I'm doing. But I did play a lot of pool and even beat a couple of the teens who were sure they could take me (including Bean, who has gotten a lot better and depending on the game, was able to beat me, too. But after telling us how much practice she's had and how much better she is (and she's right!), she told me, "I forgot that you're good at this." Haha. I'm not consistently good, but I have my moments.) Both Daddy-o and I are looking forward to his game room in our barn that we will eventually be able to build.
The group we go down with changes a little each year depending on who is available, but it's always fun. With so many different people, it's easy to have a lot going on and people can find something fun to do at any given time. And this property with a large commons room and all the great outdoor spaces is perfect to handle so many families. We're thankful to have these people in our lives--friends who are like family are a fun thing to have.
We missed having Bug with us this year, but always love having Thanksgiving at the beach. And we got to talk to Bug, who despite not having any sort of celebration today, is happy and well. As he said, he gets to stuff himself every day for lunch, so it kind of always feels like Thanksgiving in that way, haha. (Apparently Brazilians love to feed the missionaries and want them to take seconds, thirds. . . sometimes even fifths.)
We had an early lunch reservation at the Hunter Steakhouse--11 a.m. is a little early for Thanksgiving dinner, but it was nice to have the rest of the afternoon for the beach and hot tub.
And then a lot of us went to see Wicked 2: For Good at the theater that night. I love that there are so many restaurants and things to do within a mile of the condos so we can walk most everywhere. It was really nice walking home by the beach later that night.
Daddy-o and our kids did a late-night taco run to Tacos El Gordo with a couple other cars of people, but I like sleeping even more than tacos (and that is saying something because those are really good tacos.)
All in all, it was a day to be thankful, for sure. I don't take it for granted that we are able to have this kind of Thanksgiving every other year and have people to do it with. We are so blessed to live in a gorgeous state and be able to travel and enjoy all the variety it includes. We're blessed with good friends, family, and more than we need to take care of ourselves, and also with opportunities to share and help others who aren't so fortunate. And I hope we never forget that.
What was supposed to be a family camping trip became another solo trip for me when Peanut woke up sick the morning we were leaving. Since Daddy-o can't really hike right now, and I had really been looking forward to visiting Big Sur this fall, it made more sense for me to go, even though it's my third solo trip in three weeks. But someone's got to do it, haha.
I made it down there with just enough time to do a 3 mile hike near my campground. Pfeiffer Falls and Valley View trails were fun.
I always appreciate a redwood hike.
And then I drove a few minutes down the coast to find a spot to watch the sunset. The fog blanket was thick!
It made for a beautiful sunset, even if it wasn't over the water how I'd originally expected.
There are so many pullouts along Highway 1, so it was easy to find a spot to pull the van over.
I feel like the van is happy when it gets to go on these adventures :).
I hung out there until the sun disappeared, and then went back to the campground at the late hour of 5:30--fall camping is a little different than summer!
Seriously, I made a fire, cooked dinner (tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich) and then read by the fire for a really long time. And around 7:45, when my fire was starting to die down, I decided I might as well get ready for bed. I think I actually really like the early nights. I was tucked in bed before 9 and read until I fell asleep around 9:30. It was nice to get a full night of sleep and still be awake before 7.
And I'm glad I didn't get too late of a start because Pfeiffer Beach was first on the list for the day and it was beautiful down there.
Saw Keyhole Arch,
and walked along the beach for awhile.
This beach is also known as the purple sand beach,
due to the garnet rock erosion from the cliffs above.
And then, about 30 minutes later, the fog started rolling back in. I was really glad that I got to see it when it was sunny.
I spent a little while trying to sketch some of the gulls that were running around on the beach,
and watching the fog get thicker. And then I got cold and walked back up to the van to make some hot chocolate and go to the next spot:
McWay Falls, which were almost completely hidden in the fog. I got a glimpse of the falls, which are one of only two in California that empty directly into the ocean. It's one of the main things that I wanted to see in the Big Sur area, so it was kind of a bummer that it was so foggy the whole time I was there. I'll have to come back (and bring my family.)
But the Ewoldsen Trail was beautiful.
I didn't do the whole hike, but wandered through the redwoods for awhile.
And found banana slugs! Always a favorite.
I opted to not do the whole thing because after I climbed out of the redwoods, it looked more like the scrubby oak trails we have all over the bay area and I wanted to head back to another trail near the Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground.
The Buzzard Roost Trail was also beautiful, starting along the Big Sur River.
There were a lot of mushrooms along this trail.
Found several stages of the coccora mushroom.
And at the top, there were views of the fog bank over the ocean.
It was pretty up there.
I ran into a guy who is a new mushroom hunter and we stopped to look at a couple along the trail.
And I found SO many banana slugs on this hike. Most were the Slender Banana Slug, which is different than the ones we usually see in the Santa Cruz mountains.
After I got back into the main part of the park, I walked along the river path, checked out the short nature trail, and then spent a little while soaking my feet and sketching mushrooms I'd seen that day. It was really relaxing and I felt like I thoroughly explored the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. It's a great park with a nice campground, stores, a lodge with a fire place and a restaurant, and good amenities and trails.
Back at the campground for another evening by the fire, I had visitors. It was getting close to 8 and my fire was almost gone and since I was reading on my kindle, I didn't have any lights on when I heard a little rustling sound and then felt something brush my leg. And when I turned on my flashlight, this racoon went running away from me and climbed the tree! And then he and his friend who came out from the bushes on the other side of me took turns trying to sneak back up to me while I was shining the light on the other one. They were really determined, and I'm not even sure why! I didn't have any food out at that point, but I went ahead and packed my chairs back in the van in case there was some smell on them that might have led to holes being chewed or ripped through them when I went to bed.
On my way back from the bathroom, I saw them fighting over a piece of food in the campsite across the road from me. Luckily I was safe in my bed and didn't even hear them through the van. And I ended up sleeping for over 9 hours! I really think I need to do more fall camping. It's the best.
Tuesday morning, it was time to head home.
I stopped at the Bixby Bridge to take some pictures,
And then again at Garrapata State Park to do the Bluff hike which was beautiful.
And it was less foggy so I could actually see the ocean on this one.
The central coast is so rocky--it's just breathtaking.
The water was really pretty right along the coast, too.
And then, one final stop at Moss Landing to look for birds in the marsh near the beach. I found a lot of the usual suspects near the coast--including hundreds of willets, and a couple types of plovers and grebes, and marbled godwits.
It wasn't the family trip we'd planned, and I was honestly missing having people to hike with and hang out at the campground with at night, but I'm glad that I went and would love to revisit that area again. But I will say that we're really spoiled with where we live. The Santa Cruz mountains and north bay have better redwood hikes, and we have our share of rocky beaches and beautiful cliff views, but with more accessible beaches, too. So as pretty as the coast in along that area, I think the places we can get to just an hour or so from our house are even more spectacular.
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