Day 8 home again home again jiggity-jig

One more stop before home, I think this beach gets a spot at the top of my best beach list. Montana de Oro in Los Osos. The sound of the waves crashing on rocks instead of sand is sure a cool sound.






These rocks, rock!
Farewell vacation…..

Our Day in Pismo- Day 7

Wine tasting is for old people…our people go apple tasting!

And then we stare at farm animals. Joe was hilarious with the unigue slogan spoken loudly to the goat pen, “Hey it’s the original goat, goat-tee” over and over

Nick wants a close up

Lunch at our traditional Pismo(well Arroryo Grande) pizza joint

At day trip to San Luis Obispo to see the boys favorite toy store

and bubblegum alley (yuk)

Next stop Tony cousin Paul’s house(really cute)

This is a picture my Hubba bubbas Dad made and Paul has in his house

Day six Big Sur to Pismo Beach

Good bye Big Sur. I loved our little tent cabin.


all I need is my tent cabin, one man, three boys, and a diet coke

the drive with a few


We stopped to say hi to the lazy elephants seal who should be migrating but ….



And then to Pismo Beach

Day five-Big Sur

Innertubes, three boys, and a long summer day.





what good memories

Day Four Felton to Big Sur

One last look at the little creek and our lodging here in Felton




Hello Big Sur, we got here kind of late… we stopped everywhere my brother Rick told us on the way. Tony was in Heaven when we stopped at the army surplus store. The drive was breathtaking.




Joe hasn’t seen a whole lot of cloth napkins (bless his lil heart)…..walk like an Egyptian.

Day Three Felton Santa Cruz Felton

Roaring Camp a steam train ride through the redwoods and Santa Cruz Boardwalk a fair on the beach

Aunt Robin took the day off and joined us for a little whole lot of fun, first stop the steam trains.

it was beautiful. The conductor gave all the boys a watermelon candy stick(the bees loved them as much as the boys) and we were off for a tour of nature! The highlight for the boys was the souvenir guns Hubba-Bubba bought them at the general store. Hubba bubba liked the smell of the engine parts, Aunt Robin was impressed, and I loved watching the boys watch nature…cool!
Next up, the boardwalk

Growing up we went on two vacations yearly, Tahoe in the winter and Santa Cruz in the summer. I loved Santa Cruz.



My favorite picture of the whole trip! The kids, Hubba and Aunt Robin rode this about 5 or 6 times.

We ended the night at an unusual little Italian restaurant with stripper polls used by the dancing waiters…I would so go back here!

Hubba bubbas head is right below the male waiter holding the area near his junk!

Day two Los Banos to Felton

Three little monkeys jumping on the bed…on, over, near the bed….bouncing occurred before breakfast. The boys, picture taking mom was victorious over the boys bitchy, you-stop-that-right-now-before-you-break-something mom. Lucky for them!

We hopped in the car and listened to Scorpia a audiobook about spies written for kids (great series).
I think we hit a spot of laughing gas somewhere between Los Banos and Felton, we stopped at a gas station and Hubba-Bubba told the boys they could pick out anything they wanted as long as it wasn’t candy. Nick turned the corner with a bottle of water bigger than his femur bone and I laughed so hard I peed! What kid in there right mind runs to the water refrigerator when told they can get whatever they want. The people at the gas station had to have their hand on the button to call the police, because I couldn’t stop laughing. YES, I had my camera…I refuse to leave it in the car…car robbers can have my wholly, grannies panties from the 80’s but they can’t take my camera!

On to felton






The stream was in rock throwing distance (proven by tony) from our cabin. I got to thinking every boy should have a stream…then I got to thinking the pacific ocean is
our stream….that’s a cool thought as thinking thoughts goes!
We saw the tallest wooden bridge in California in Felton and we read all about when it was built and when it was used and I forgot.
We had dinner with my brother, Rick. I like him. He seems so sane and we are related, it makes me feel good.

Lindsay and Los Banos-Day One

We went to Lindsay to see Tony’s Aunt and Cousins and second cousins and even one third cousin! We got a late start. Hubba-Bubba tried real hard to get us all ready but I’m a girl…a girl who moves with snail like speed. Anyway, we had a late lunch in Lindsay with the Fam and the boys acted like El Diablos. If it wasn’t for Tony’s family I would have squished them like bugs, instead we smiled and laughed and said “boys will be boys”. I forgot to take pictures, Just imagine-nice people and three little boys with horns and tails.
Los Banos went a little better



indoor pool baby. I was having negative nancy thoughts when Hubba-Bubba pulled into this place, but it turned out to be way better than expected. Nick and Tony got moon shots and Joe got rides on Hubba bubba in the pool! Joe, who is fascinated but the opera and who, fancies himself as an Opera singer cut loose in the indoor pool room…the lil dude was born into a family who does not appreciate this particular music…we shall overcome!

Photog self help book, anyone?

1428 not a history lesson, that’s the number of pictures I took in seven days, that’s an average of 208 a day. I think it’s time I look into photog self help! NAY…





From the car, driving from one landscape to another

Nick-casso, you know like Picasso!

“The artist does not see things as they are, but as he is.” ~Alfred Tonnelle
Nick had an itch to paint before we left on our end of summer vacation extravaganza. I love it when he’s in art mode, he’s a happy kid! This is his most unusual of the three paintings he did, and the one he wanted to give to Aunt Lorraine for her birthday.

Dad came in from packing camping stuff to get a drink and snuck a peek at the artist and his work!

I think you can tell more from a lil’ artist paper plate palette than you can from the art itself. Cheerful colors….happy dude!