Splendid Sunday

On Sunday, Vi and I watched church from home and then went to Colleen and Rigo's house, where we visited the chickens and then drove to the beach.

 

We're having a March heat wave, and it was perfect weather at Rincon, our favorite beach. The girls spent a lot of time body boarding (though the water was chilly, since it IS March).

It was a lovely, relaxing few hours - I actually fell asleep!

Meanwhile, Stace went to the Petersen Automotive Museum with Jim and Jonah (pictured here, in hiding behind this gorgeous Alfa Romeo!). I got Stace the ticket for Christmas, and it included access to "the Vault" of all the cars. 

Stace took this funny tiny car for Violet, who used to say she wanted a car big enough for just one person.

When Stace texted us this photo to our family group, Vi responded with, "That's the dream."

The guys enjoyed a special exhibit featuring Aston Martins.

They also liked this interesting early '90s Japanese Kei car, the Mazda Autozam.

When Stace got home, he and Cora worked together to trench out and move a water pipe so we can have more convenient hose access in the back yard.

Waves Weekend

I graduated from Pepperdine University in 2000, so this year marks 25 years. JT suggested we attend Waves Weekend, the annual celebration of all things "Waves" (the ocean-front school's mascot). It's a Parents' Weekend (for current students), Homecoming and Alumni celebration all in one.

 

The guys came too, getting a good look at the campus that meant so much to us. And, in a way, brought me and Stace together - without JT, I wouldn't have met Stace.

The alumni were treated well - we paid for tickets for Saturday, and with that, were given lunch and a dinner banquet later.

After lunch, we watched the Pepperdine Improv Troupe performance, and then checked out the art museum. We were sad to see the bookstore and on-site Starbucks closed rather early, but found drinks at a little store in the student center. We checked out the exterior of the dorm we lived in, and looked around the large library, seen here.

Pepperdine is a Christian university, and the chapel features this beautiful stained glass window.

With Cora's theatre experience, we sneaked into the shop behind the theatre - it was huge! Strange for me to think that Cora could be here now, taking classes and living on campus!

After the banquet, we enjoyed one last look at the Pacific, with the lights of Santa Monica, to the south.

It was nice to be on campus again, especially with getting to see JT and Jim.

Meanwhile, Violet spent the day with Liana and Family, as they went to Carpinteria to the Avocado Festival. (And, Cora worked!)

Same ocean, just a bit further north than we were! Many thanks to Colleen and Rigo for keeping Violet entertained while we were gone all day.

Anniversary Beach Trip

 Sunday was our 22nd anniversary, and we "celebrated" with a beach trip with Colleen, Rigo and their kids. We'd realized we hadn't had a true beach day this summer, and the weather was going to be perfect, and we had a free day.

So, after church and a trip to Havana Savannah for anniversary coffee, we got ready for a beach adventure.

Thankfully, our dear friends happened to be free as well, as Liana and Violet spent nearly the entire afternoon bodyboarding. We went to Rincon, Violet's favorite beach.

Colleen and I took a very long walk.

Cora had a Fright Fest orientation to attend, so she wasn't able to come with us. She found out she'll be a SIREN in an area in the front of the park known as Devil's Triangle, with pirates.

After the sunset, we had dinner together at In-n-Out. 

A nice anniversary steak dinner will have to wait until Stace's mouth heals anyway. He's in the middle of the root canal process.

Days Out: Carpinteria and the Theatre

 This summer week's highlights were two special trips, one with each daughter.

On Wednesday, Violet finished up her schoolwork for her summer class, so we celebrated with an afternoon in Carpinteria. 

We didn't make it a "beach day" with bathing suits and towels, but we did end our evening with a lovely stroll on the sand. 

We came across this struggling butterfly that had gotten wet. We tried to help it out.

After getting tacos, we found boba and a coffee at Reyes Market, a Hispanic market that had really good drinks from the counter. We'll return when we come back to Carp!

We started our afternoon walking around the downtown boutiques, galleries and antique shops, where we saw this wall of old glassware we knew Cora would have liked.

Another highlight: on Friday evening, we met up with Cora's friends and one of the moms, and caravaned to North Hollywood for a musical. 

This one, called The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals, was put on by a group that is a favorite of all these teens - Starkid Productions. Cora has loved their work for several years, and this was the first time she's seen them in person.

I'm glad she wanted me to go along, and I enjoyed it very much. The best part was watching Cora have such a great time.

I'm thankful to Heather for inviting us! And it was great for these teens to hang out, as Heather's daughter Rowan will be going back East to college later this month.

Beachy Weekend

 On Saturday, Stace, Violet and I had a day out to the Dorset coast. on the way, we drove through Hawkchurch, the village where Big Nan grew up. We also drove through Lyme Regis, West Bay and Hive Beach. It was such a beautiful day!

Our dinner view...

...with our fusion meal - Stace had to get fish 'n chips, obviously, but Violet was craving tacos. The Corona went with the tacos but was drunk by Stace, not Vi.

Sweet villages on the way home, too. 

On Sunday, we spent the day together as a family (minus the two oldest teens) at Knoll Beach, in Studland Bay.

Violet and I have rarely seen a beach so crowded! There were people everywhere. But we could understand why - great weather and a sandy, not stony, beach. Plus lots of National Trust amenities.

Violet and I took a walk down to the next beach...

...partly through this lovely shaded wood.

Violet was hoping to go to Corfe Castle, but the traffic leaving Knoll was heavy and the castle closed. We did see it from the nearby village, though.

We then all went to Swanage for dinner. The rail station and steam trains were quaint and sweet.

Swanage is just lovely. We found the exact spot we took a photo 15 years ago, on Violet's first trip to England. 

Another lifetime ago.