Monday, August 23, 2010

My Grandkids.....

Did some blog copying to post some up to date pics.
Jenna and her Dad at the first day of First Grade. She is every bit the big six year old.
Allyson hanging out at her big sister Jenna's soccer camp, she turns three in September.
Naia showing some promising kicking form, she will be four this coming January.

What's better than running in the grass barefoot?
Gabriel, a fan of all things round and/or with wheels, he's two this October.
A shot of him engrossed in the first dvd movie that Kel says kept his attention for any length of time, Cars what else? He's a doer, not a watcher.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Vacation Post #2

Continuing on my backwards view of our vacation week. Back to our Friday afternoon sail on the Double Dolphin. Kiera and I.

A view of our hotel from the sailboat. Funny story about that, it was not the hotel that I thought I had booked. Although it appears that the place that I wanted to stay, that I thought I was booking, has substantially changed over the years and in the end we were happier with our accommodations than we probably would have been had we stayed where I thought we were.

Coming into the harbor.

Fellow passengers enjoying the sail. The boat was not at all crowded I'd say we had less than 20 on board.
Harbor seals on the buoy.
Jason's home junior and senior years of college.
I must say the place is looking surprisingly respectable and we could only assume that it is no longer a rental geared towards students. Where's the horse shoe pit? And there was no couch on the garage roof to be seen.
Front of the mission. The view from those steps is fantastic, and the mission itself is one of my favorites.
Alice Keck Park and Memorial Gardens. A wonderful spot to see while in Santa Barbara. And proves that you are never too old to appreciate a really great playground.
We were entertained by feeding the ducks and watching a family of ducklings.
Funny to watch the babies walking around on the lily pads.


We are fascinated by the abundance of turtles that live there.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

That Vacation We Took

A month ago we were on vacation. Somehow the month of July was about twelve days long, August looks to be even shorter.
Although we ended our week in Santa Barbara this is where I will begin posting about the trip. We enjoyed Stearns Wharf and had a great dinner at Longboards.

Our second day we drove out to the campus of UC Santa Barbara where Jason, Kel and Shannon all went to school. The campus is changed a bit since their day and the surrounding area of Isla Vista has changed alot. We took the walk around the lagoon, and admired the view from the bluff.

Friday was our last full day and after a little shopping in Paseo Nuevo we went over to the harbor. Our original idea had been to sea kayak but the mornings were cloudy and cold and the afternoons sunny and windy. Our alternative was an afternoon sail on the Double Dolphin, the catamaran that Jason and Kel were married on.

Kiera and Mike as we headed back into the harbor.
This was the view from our third floor hotel room. Wonderful sunsets during our stay.