Saturday boats and bikes

 For Cora's birthday last year, my parents bought tickets to take her on a whale watch trip. But she and my dad were sick when the day came, and we weren't able to reschedule it last spring.

Thankfully, the company still honored the tickets, and the three of them were able to cruise from Oxnard's harbor on Saturday.

They had beautiful weather and a very smooth trip, on a 1944 vessel that was built as a patrol rescue boat.

Though the cruise earlier that day saw plenty of whales, this time they didn't find any. But, they did see a colony of California Sea Lions (or harbor seals - anyone reading this know the difference?).

They also got close to the beautiful Channel Islands.

 Love that gap-toothed grin, although she looks so much older and more grownup.



















They also saw a couple of tall ships out on the Pacific!

 Meanwhile, Stace and I enjoyed some special time with Violet.

We took her to Central Park, and she mastered her balance bike. She was having so much fun, gliding along, learning to put her feet up on the footrest while she coasted along.

Cora used the balance bike for about four months before she started riding a regular two-wheeled bicycle.

Alas, I think Violet might be too small for Cora's old 12-inch Hello Kitty bike for a while. Not that we're thinking about that yet! She's also growing up too fast as it is.

You can see her zooming here:

Later that evening, Stace read Violet a dinosaur book but Violet fell asleep. Then, Stace read his car book, until he fell asleep.