California Part II

We made it home from California in one piece. We had a great time and I really want to go back! Mabye this fall :o) Here's a quick wrap-up of the rest of our week:

Friday morning dad got home from work and wasn't tired, so we got up and went to Los Angelos for the day. Traffic was horrible and it ended up taking us almost three hours to get there from Carp. Our first stop was Griffith Park where we saw the observatory and the Hollywood sign. We took some pictures and then we went to Hollywood Blvd. to see the Walk of Fame, Kodak Theatre, and Grauman's Theatre. After we left Hollywood we went to dad's travel nursing office just outside of L.A. to meet the people he works for. L.A. was okay to visit, but I really have no need to go back, except maybe to see Rodeo Drive. Lots of people, more traffic, even more smog. I wouldn't live there if you paid me to.

Me and Lauren in Griffith Park, Hollywood sign in the background.

Lauren and grandpa in Hollywood.

We left L.A. around 4:30 and traffic was horrendous. Lauren decided she was sick and tired of riding in the car and decided to have a major meltdown, so we stopped in Malibu to let her out and to have dinner. We ate at a place called Gladstone's, which was right on the beach in Malibu. It was VERY good, but very expensive. Dad had a half dozen oysters and swordfish. I had shrimp cocktail and halibut. Lauren pigged out on shrimp (she at five whole shrimp!) and mashed potatoes. At the end, they made our doggie bag into sea creatures! Very charming.

Lauren on the beach in Malibu. I wasn't that impressed with this beach - the beach in Carp was MUCH nicer.
Our take-out from Gladstone's. I got a whale and dad got a crab.

Saturday we went up to San Simeon to visit Hearst Castle. I didn't get to take any pictures because I was hauling Lauren. We forgot to make advance reservations, so we didn't get to take the tour we wanted to, so that was a bit dissapointing. We ended up taking the North Wing tour which was just basically bedrooms. Still, it is a beautiful place and the drive up was spectacular. On the way home we stopped in Pismo beach where we got the world's best fudge. Yum!

View of the beach from the bluffs at San Simeon.

Sunday we had a cookout with one of Dad's friends and his daughter. I did the grilling because I'm cool like that :o) Actually, dad always burns the food because he's too impatient. We also spent the afternoon on the beach and it was generally just a nice, relaxing day.

Grandpa and Lauren on the beach. That water was COLD but we couldn't keep Lauren out of it!
Grandpa buring Lauren in the sand. She ended up getting her clothes soaked, so we just let her run naked. Dad has some great pictures that will make awesome blackmail someday :o)
I spent my time perfecting the art of building sandcastles. I finally got one three stories high!

Monday we just lounged around and recuperated. We went to the beach (again) and got to see some dolphins feeding just off shore. It was so neat! I'd never seen dolphins in the wild before. I let Lauren play in the water one last time. Monday night we went to the seal rookery which is just down the beach in Carp. There had to have been hundreds of seals lounging on the beach! We stayed there for the sunset and it was just about the most perfect end to our vacation.
View of the seals from the bluffs in Carpinteria.
Carpinteria sunset. Awesome.
Walking back from the rookery.

We flew home Tuesday. We got up early and went uptown to have breakfast, then got on the road. Dad's friend went with us and ended up driving most of the way down to L.A. We stopped at a gas station just outside of L.A. and Lauren decided to barf up breakfast all over me and the backseat. I think she just got a bit carsick from all the stop and going. I don't blame her. So, we both took a bath in the restroom sink and ended up smelling mildly like barf for the flight home. We ended up getting delayed in Dallas because of weather, so we didn't get home till almost midnight Tuesday. It made for a very long travel day, but it was so worth it.

So, now we're home and back to the routine. I have SOOOO much to do in the next two weeks before we leave for our cruise, so you may not hear much from me. Or, I may procrastinate and do nothing but blog. Hahah. We leave two weeks from today! I'm very excited, but it will be tough to top California!