Return to Paradise

Our friends Jeff and Jenn had actually booked Carpinteria two weekends in a row, and invited us to come back with them. Stace and Violet had things to do in SClarita, but Cora and I were more than game.

I mean, really, an invite to your friends' beachfront vacation? How could we say no?

The tide was extremely low Saturday - most of this is normally under water.

The bottom half of these rocks is covered with sea life - mussels, anemones, barnacles, crabs.

It was challenging to find places to put your foot! So very cool.

Somehow, I've never noticed this strange and interesting sea creature in all my years exploring tide pools. Jenn did some internet research - they're called gooseneck barnacles, because the stalky thing looks like a gooseneck, or an elephant trunk. When you touch it, it shrinks down/back. Very strange!

We went up Thursday afternoon, and the kids did school Friday from the trailer. 

Jenn and I rode our bikes into Carp, and got to enjoy nosing around the little shops with no kids whining about how soon we'd be finished. We also enjoyed a lovely lunch and beer in the outside patio at Rincon Brewery. Oh, it was fabulous!

A short bike ride from the campground is the seal beach, where harbor seals come in the winter to give birth. They're so sweet to watch.

Wearing wetsuits and life jackets, the kids played around with a blowup boat. Many adventures were had, and after so much alone time because of the lack of school and normal life, it was great watching them work together.

Exhausted, they all collapsed on the beach for naptime. Wylie took advantage of the opportunity, and built an impressive rock stack on Cora's back. (And, yes, it WAS warm enough on this February afternoon to lie out on the beach in a bathing suit! The water was cold, but the air temp and sun were perfect.)

General frolicking, with frisbees and cartwheels.

The kids watched the two It horror movies on Friday and Saturday nights - Cora had an amazing weekend, that's for sure! She'd been asking to watch those two for months.

Just look at this camp site! Perfection.
 

Cora taught Zach and his brothers how to play Top Trumps.

Sublime sunsets...

Is any trip complete without a little mishap?

Our drive home was very windy, which is nerve-racking when towing a trailer. Around the Piru exit off the 126, a passerby honked and waved, alerting us to trouble with our ride.

We pulled over - thankfully there was plenty of space on the side of the road. Imagine our surprise to find the awning extended, the fabric flapping in the wind, already separated from the apparatus.

Cora had a chance to be a hero - her pocket knives were needed! She and Zach climbed onto the roof, and each used a knife to slice off the fabric, meeting in the middle.

Then, we had to think through how to disassemble the metal awning arms, and secure what was left to the trailer.

Cora needed to stand on a bucket to attain the needed leverage to hold her side tight again the trailer.

Jeff had straps for one side, and - voila! - zip ties for the other (one of Stace's favorite all-purpose tools).

Done! Nothing like a little excitement on the trip home.

But, all together, it was an amazing weekend of fun, sand and laughs.

Week in Review

These two! 

The girls and I went to Glendale on Wednesday to do a little shopping at the lovely Americana shopping center with Melanie and Ellie. Cora spent her birthday money at Barnes and Noble on Dungeons and Dragons books.

I got Violet a fancy cupcake as her reward for venturing out of the house, something she's not a fan of doing anymore. Sorry, Ellie, no cupcake for you. But you can see how yummy they look!

 On Friday, Violet ended her final week of all digital learning! Though she'll still be online-only on Fridays, for the rest of the week, she'll be going to school with half her class, 12:30-3. I'm very excited for this baby step toward normal life!

Taking Violet to the pet store is still one of her favorite things. But now, it is like taking a little one to a toy store or candy shop. She has many desires! Like this dino-shaped mouse habitat. 

"And then we can use the fish tank for a new frog pet, or toad: you choose," she said excitedly. "Or turtles. For my next fish, I want a frog."

She also wants a ferret or chinchilla, a hairless guinea pig, a duck and a baby goat. "Wyatt's mom has a pregnant goat. Can we have a goat?"

Oh, and a new kitten. She's been rereading her book on cat breeds, and has now been begging for a ragdoll kitten. It's the ONLY thing she wants for her birthday. 

None of these things are going to happen. I thought saying "yes" to mice would lead to pet contentment. I was quite wrong.

Beachy Keen

Our friends Jeff and Jenn invited us to join their family camping at the beach in Carpinteria this past weekend - how could we say no?

The weather was beautiful, albeit a bit windy.

Our little group... 

Cora and Zach have been playing airsoft together the past six weekends or so, and I've so appreciated his family taking Cora out with them. 

So beautiful. 

Between the wind and the cold water, the kids didn't get in the waves, but we enjoyed an awesome game of wiffle ball, and the sunset was stellar.

Nothing like snuggling up in the tent to stay warm! Gotta love Southern California, though, where tent camping can be a February activity.

The kids rode bikes a lot, and on Sunday morning, we all rode down to a marshy area to check out the wildlife. Carpinteria is a delightful town for bikes.
 

Juicy Tidbits

We had an abundant citrus crop this year, so Violet decided to make orange/tangerine juice. She spent hours picking and juicing by hand.

Our hard-working girl made enough delicious drink to fill a pitcher!
 

Stace and I went to Costco with my dad the other day, and Violet found the giant box of fruit snacks I'd tried to hide. She pelted her sister while Cora was in one of her online classes. 

It's been really windy lately, and Stace noticed that one of our roof tiles had flown off. Thankfully, the tile was still in view (and reach), and we have a licensed roofing repairwoman in residence.

With the long holiday weekend for President's Day, we joined Colleen and Rigo for lunch. The kids always love playing in their amazing back yard. 

Fun Stuff

Cora's friend Violet gave her this MOST AMAZING t-shirt for her birthday. It says Dungeon Meowster, with a cat in a hooded cloak. Perfect for our cat- and D&D-obsessed girl.`
 

Cora and Stace played airsoft Saturday morning, so Violet and I went for a walk at Quigley Canyon.

Stace and Cora went up to the city's new bike park, which has mountain bike trails that vary in difficulty, along with a BMX track with ramps and berms. 

Stace and Rigo took their classic cars to the city's weekly Cars and Coffee meetup on a recent Saturday morning. 

Airsoft! 

Stace finally got to join Cora on her airsoft adventure. They invited Rigo and Lucas to come along, as well.

All geared up and ready to attack. Stace had fun playing army, as he did when he was a kid.

Tidbits

When you run into a friend at Aldi... it's a great morning!

Fine, Sebastian, I'll give up on the puzzle.

(Clearly, knocking the entire thing off the coffee table was exhausting.)

We went to a "drive-in movie" at Castaic Lake, where they were showing Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse. It was great to hang out outside, to have something entertaining to do! 

I think I forgot to post this pic earlier, but Violet received her medal and award for her Reflections painting when we did a drive-through at the school to pick up supplies. We're very proud of our artist!

These two! Why, oh why, might they be hanging out together in Violet's room??

Liana came over to spend the night Thursday, as the girls all had Friday off for a four-day weekend for the President's Day holiday.

Her fish died while she was away, so we picked out a new one with Liana. It was a hard choice; there are so many beauties. With Liana's help, she chose a gorgeous turquoise blue boy, and named him Indigo.

 

Cora is 14!!

The months keep flying by, despite the strangest year in our girls' lives. On Tuesday, Cora turned 14! And in the U.S., 14 is when you go to high school. So many milestones!

Cora was fortunate last year - she had a pre-Covid birthday, so she had a regular, real party to mark her entry into the teenage years. Most of her friends were not so lucky, and 2020 birthdays often consisted of drive-by car parades past the birthday person's house. 

Nearly a full-year after our first lockdown, we figured out a compromise way to celebrate. Melani and Violet, the two girls she's seen periodically the past few months, came over to play Dungeons and Dragons after school. 

Cora has been plotting out a campaign for their characters for the past few weeks, creating maps and cities and regions and backstories. Her creativity wows me, and it was great watching her be the "Dungeon Master" for the girls.

 

Later, we had the family over for Stone Fire, Cora's favorite, and presents.

Happy Birthday, Cora! Watching you grow up into a beautiful, adventurous young woman is our privilege.

Violet's Week in Redmond

It was a long ride to Washington, but at least it wasn't terrible. There were nice views.  It looked like the entire state of Oregon was covered in snow, according to what I saw.                                                                                                

 

Once I got there, I had a nice, big, soft bed all to myself. 

I did school on the computer in the library, and I didn't have anything missing.

We went on a nice long walk in the rain and mud.

It was really rainy in the winter, so there were lots and lots of trees and plants.

A couple of days later, we visited a waterfall nearby, in Snoqualmie. There was quite a lot of rain and mud, but it was worth it.

On the way back, we visited a cool stone mason business. There were stone masons from all over the world who made structures, including people from England.

We finished our Chicago puzzle. We also watched Victorian Farm and some of Edwardian Farm.

On Monday, it snowed just before I left. I wish there was a little more to play with.

When I went home, I saw Mount Rainier peaking over the clouds. It was cool.

 That was fun and I hope I go again.