Memorial Day Weekend

 It was Memorial Day weekend, so Stace had Monday off. We all slept in after the theatre banquet, and on Saturday afternoon, Stace and I went to Rancho Camulos. I'd read about a special screening of a documentary on California history, combined with tours of this beautiful historic landmark. Stace hadn't been in years, so we headed over.

Our tour guide was one of the main docents, so she had all the knowledge of the 1850s rancho and the families who lived there.

While we were there, Cora went to Logan's house for D&D, and then Stace and I met her there so we could drive together to Mel and Nick's. They wanted Cora to babysit, and we wanted to ride with her while she got the freeway driving experience. 

We then left Cora at their place, and went to the sweet Americana shopping center for our own date night.

On Sunday, Violet went on another whale watching cruise with Grandma and Grandpa, and saw a huge pod of dolphins, along with whales. They've had great luck this year on their cruises!

Stace and I went to see a comedy play about Jeeves and Wooster.

On Monday, Ellie came over to hang out for a few hours, and we played some board games. She got sleepy in the afternoon so I set her up with Violet's sheepskin and the couch blanket. 

Later, Stace took a break from yardwork to teach Ellie about cricket. We had a great time playing with her.

Also, Violet mowed the lawns and Cora washed the Vibe.

We finished the weekend with patty melts, made on the new Blackstone grill. A good weekend!

Snorkel Cruise!

 We were all relieved that Cora felt well on Sunday, because we had an early morning appointment with the fishies!

We went on a snorkeling cruise to the Molokini Crater, with a second stop at a place nicknamed "Turtle Town." We enjoyed a continental breakfast and a yummy lunch of burgers, snacks and drinks.

We rented an underwater camera, and Cora was able to do Snuba for the first time. 

This was "Turtle Town," where we did spot a couple of turtles.

This is the crater area, after our snorkeling time there.

This was Cora with her Snuba apparatus. She was breathing oxygen through a tube hooked to a large tank, shared by the other Snuba-ers. The blue weights on her waist helped her go deeper. She enjoyed the experience a lot, though her ears hurt, in combination with her cold.

Sliding into the deep.

Underwater cameras are fun!

Violet's Birthday Cruise

Violet is a teenager!! Our youngest celebrated with a birthday cruise to the Channel Islands off the Oxnard/Ventura coastline. Another great opportunity to have all the grandparents together, along with her lifelong best friend Liana.

Cora was in recovery mode from her show, and her long week of dress/tech rehearsals, so she stayed home. And Then There Were None opened on Violet's actual birthday, so we moved the real celebration to a few days later.

It was cloudy and cool but a nice day for a cruise. I love this photo of Sue and Gord!

We were too late in the year to see whales, but we saw a huge pod of dolphins, plus sea lions.

Liana will be 13 in a week!

 

After the boat ride, we got coffee and then went to Colleen and Rigo, where they provided a lovely meal for everyone. Forgot to get a group pic, but here are the girls playing ping pong, under Koa's watchful eye.

Ship Life

Dressing up for dinner was a special treat for us, since we don't have many occasions to do so! One night was designated as a dressy night, and this is when we celebrated my birthday especially, with a lovely cake.

Cora in particular took great pleasure in wearing pretty clothes and getting more "done up." The change in my former total tomboy has been astonishing.

Thanks to my parents for the cake!

The pool and water slide was a great attraction for the kids, but on a 62 degree day, it was a bit cold. No matter to Cora! She took off her warm coat and had fun on all the water slides...

...before joining the other kids in the hot tub.

Cora also was adventurous in her eating. Because Jake has tried shark and alligator in Florida, Cora had to try alligator when it was on the menu as a "rare find" appetizer on our first night. Then she had a bite of my fried calamari - squid - and on subsequent nights tried duck, rabbit and, here, escargot. She enjoyed them all!

The ship's photographers are everywhere, and it's fun to get formal shots taken when you're gussied up.

We didn't end up buying any photos, but my dad grabbed a few shots during the process.

The girls loved the mini-golf course! They would play multiple times a day, if they could find opponents. We played as a family, and Christina and John both also gave them a game.

We also enjoyed the entertainment on board, the shows, the comedians, the karaoke. Melanie wowed everyone in the karaoke bar on our last night.

It was a fabulous trip altogether! I'm so thankful for the opportunity and the friends and family who shared it with us.

Exciting Ensenada

Our second day, we woke up in the harbor at Ensenada, Mexico. We had much better weather, and it was a short few blocks walk to get to the main shopping/touristy district.

We did some shopping, and stopped for lunch. Margaritas and beers, chips and guac, tacos, quesadillas. Yum!

The girls had fun picking out jewelry, and tried out bartering, the normal method of pricing here. Auntie Mel bought Cora some leather sandals, since she'd ended up walking around in her dressier shoes and was getting a blister.

Stace was so honored to hold THE REAL WORLD CUP!! So cool.

Later, back on the ship, we sat with coffees (and ice creams - the 24/7 free soft serve machine was a big hit with the girls!) and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset.

Cruise! Catalina Fun

Sunday was the big day, one I'd been anticipating for over a year - my 40th Birthday Cruise!

We took a four-day trip with family and a few close friends to Catalina and Ensenada, and enjoyed all the fun activities (and food!) on the Carnival Imagination.

The fun started when we entered our room and found it decorated with birthday goodies from Aunt Patty and Uncle Bill, who also sent a bottle of wine and glasses. We also enjoyed a plate of truffles from our friend Lynnette, who helped us as our travel agent for the trip.

That night, we changed and enjoyed our first of several yummy dinners. Traveling with us included my parents, Melanie and Nick, John and Linda, my cousin Lucy and friend Christina. 

 We woke up Monday morning anchored near Catalina, the beautiful island "26 miles across the sea" from the SoCal coast.

We boarded a shuttle boat and braved the mist and fog, getting a bit wet on our way to the harbor. Thankfully, the misty rain died away and we were able to enjoy a day of walking around the sweet town of Avalon.

 I hadn't been to Catalina since I was 9, and obviously Stace and the girls had never visited the island. The main drag had shops and restaurants, while side streets had colorful wooden houses and churches, businesses and civic buildings.

 The large building behind us is the Casino, which in Italian means gathering place. It was not a gambling hall, but a theater and performing arts center, dating from 1929.

We looked at the shops and then stopped in at Luau Larry's, a tiki bar that Melanie wanted to take us to. 

She bought me a classic drink that included a hat and bumper sticker.

Meanwhile, Grandma and Grandpa treated the girls to a trip on a semi-submersible watercraft. Catalina is known for its sea life, particularly the orange Garibaldi fish, which is California's state fish.