Avila Beach

We visited a wonderful farmers market and watched the animals, bought items for dinner and then ate ice cream while watching the the alpacas fighting.

We drove to Avila beach one of the nicest little beach towns and had dinner on the beach.  The kids played on the playground and then moved to the sand and then started to play in the water.  The water was cold but that did not stop them from getting soaked and playing in the sand.  We watched storks snatching fish out of the water as the sunset.  The kids were shaking because they were so cold when we left for the hotel.  It was a beautiful evening.

Hearst Castle

We went to San Luis Osip for a good coffee, shakes and to tour the bubble gum alley.  Nolan thought it was extremely gross, but Claire stuck her gum to the wall then took it back off the wall and put it in her mouth—yikes.  She says it was not gross.  This is a town that would be exceptionally fun to explore as a couple.

As we continued up Hwy 1 we stopped to see the zebra then turned to drive up to tour Hearst Castle.

Thousands of people worked over 20 years to build the castle.  The entire estate is like an art museum, filled with Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Spanish artifacts.  The pools are incredible absolute works of art.  The entire estate is so large and so over the top that it is difficult to process—seems more like a city than a home. 

The movie about the reason behind the castle and how Hearst was inspired by a 1.5 year European trip that he took with his mother when he was 8 made us think of this trip.  While I don’t think we will be building any castles in the future, the things that we have seen and experienced will change our lives as our perspectives have changed. 

Solvang

This morning it was aebleskivers for breakfast in Solvang, CA.

Pasadena

Last night in LA in the RV.  Ready to be done with the traffic—takes 1.5 hours to go anywhere.  We went to Pasadena—suddenly luscious and full of trees and filled with beautiful homes to tour the Greene & Greene’s Gamble house. 

Favorites:

Laura-the sleeping porches

Nolan-the lego model of the house and the attic

Paul- where they used the grain of the cedar wood as a form of abstract art.  He wants to go to Japan to study art/carving.

 

It was so, so, hot and we went to the children’s museum. We sat in the courtyard and played on the outdoor items while enjoying lunch there.

There was an amazing coffee shop here! The shop specialized in cold brew and you could add coffee gelatin to the coffee—very odd.  If you are in Pasadena though and like coffee—this place is a must stop.  

That evening we drove out of the city and set up camp at a campground and met a 5,8 and 9 year old.  The kids all loved playing soccer together.

Tar Pits!

Finally, an amazing coffee!  Thank you LA and your great cafes! Alaskans are coffee snobs--it is a struggle to find coffee as good as can be found most places in AK. It continues to be an adjustment--lot's of disappointment. 

Paul relived his childhood visit to La Brea Tar Pits.  His mom took him here when he was around 7 years old and he was so excited to show the kids.  There is still active tar-pits bubbling methane gas--the scent of asphalt fills the air--it's stinky and fascinating.  
Neil looked at the active excavation site with the asphalt filling the holes and said "crock-it" aka chocolate.  He thought the site was chocolate.

For some reason, I had never heard of the giant sloth and had no idea that the pits were still active.  What an interesting place--the kids were awed.

We drove up the Hollywood Hills to the Griffith Observatory and had lunch overlooking the Hollywood sign.  The observatory is an incredible location to visit!

ICE CREAM!

Next stop...MILK in LA.  Some say it's the best ice cream in California. Nolan wants to sample a few items to see if this is the case.  He gives it a 9 out of 10 but is angling for a 2nd visit to fully review it.

Claire drinking the "ice cream juice"

We rented a RV from Airbnb to stay in for two days for our L.A. stay.  Parked in someones driveway is an interesting experience.  The kids loved it.

Home for the next two days!  Nolan has plans to rent our his rv....

Family Visit #2!

CA Boy!

Legoland--right before Neil started acting like a dog and lapping water up off the sidewalk--a favorite pastime.

Legoland

Legoland!

Panda at the San Diego Zoo!

Beach house

Sunblock is a must!

Crystal in CA! Sister time!

Crystal and Nolan arrived in Oceanside!  Nolan got off the plane in San Diego and said “this reminds me of Minneapolis.”  This is what he continued to say throughout his time in San Diego. 

Nolan learned the following in California:

-boogie boarding is fun, but you need a rash guard.

-kombucha is not his favored drink.

-three year olds do NOT make things different (according to Claire).

-that you should not fly a drone by seagulls.

-that the train was so quiet that the house shaking lulled him to sleep and closed the windows.

-he was never cold.

-how to sail from someone learning how to sail and the teacher only hit one other boat.

-how to use a mountain skate board.

-that we could have just went to the Legoland hotel for free.

-that pandas are worth the wait.

that cottages by the beach are cozy.

Claire learned the following in California:

-that condo’s by the beach with a pool are her favorite.

-she was shocked to see the beach erosion that washed away some of the palms on the beach following a big surf.