coast getaway

Over Veteran's Day weekend we spent some time over at the coast. It was a pretty lazy weekend. We didn't actually get there until Saturday just before dinner, so after we unloaded our stuff, we headed into downtown San Luis Obispo to get some dinner. After dinner we made our ritual visit to Coldstone Creamery for a half gallon of cake batter ice cream and took it back to the condo to enjoy.

Sunday we took it easy. Collin woke up in a foul temper and we decided against taking him to church. Instead had a quiet spiritual message in front of the fire. In fact, we kept the stove burning all day and just lazed about in front of it. In the late afternoon, after Collin's nap, we headed over to explore the nearby Elfin Forest. It is pretty, but I was worrying so much about the kids touching the poison oak that surrounded us on all sides [in huge, overhanging bushes at times] that I was undeniably relieved when we headed back. I believe in the above picture that Owen is telling the kids [again, because it was constant] NOT TO TOUCH THE PLANTS. NONE OF THEM. AT ALL.



Bailey and Libby's conversation at a vista point in the Elfin Forest:

Libby: Bailey, come and play patty cake with me!

Bailey: No way! Do I look like a wussy boy to you?

Libby: Do you really want me to answer that?

Can't you just feel the love?

After we left the poison-oak-infested Elfin Forest [it really is pretty, just not much fun with little kids] we headed south to Montana de Oro. We went to one of our favorite spots, with the huge pebble beach and the many caves. The kids all had fun collecting rocks and pebbles and exploring the rocky hills and caves there. We stayed there until just before sunset, then went home and Owen put the kids in the shower while I put the gluten-free pasta bake into the oven for an easy, warm dinner.

Collin enjoyed throwing the many rocks at Montana de Oro back into the ocean. He looks pretty serious about it in this picture. Fortunately we never had a problem with him aiming his missiles at anything living. He was pretty intent on making big splashes in the water.

Monday morning we cleaned up the condo and spent some time in Morro Bay [walked around the Embarcadero and had lunch by the bay] and San Luis Obispo. The kids have a favorite toy store downtown called Tom's Toys. They have a lot of things that the kids really like, so they got to pick their favorite [within reason]. Then I got to hit Banana Republic while Owen took the kids for a walk--and even found a cute blouse on sale! We decided to head back early to avoid the holiday traffic, so that was the extent of our big weekend! It was nice to get away from the house for a couple of days and just hang out together. If we'd been at home we would just have been doing **GASP** chores and **DOUBLE GASP** yardwork!

library of congress

columns and arches as far as the eye can see

view looking up from the ground floor to the balcony and ceiling

I'm sure that this sculpture has some meaning, but I missed it during the tour!

After our trip to Mt. Vernon, we headed back up to the city to visit the Library of Congress. We were a tad late due to the [wet!] line outside, so we didn't meet up with our original tour and just kind of amalgamated ourselves into another. So, we're not sure how much of the actual tour we experienced, but it was very memorable.

I had already heard that the Library of Congress was a very ornate building, but I had no idea that it actually resembled the interior of an Italian palace! Simply breathtaking. There was a Gutenberg bible on display in a case, and another display in the basement about the era of early American radio and television. I really wanted to visit the stacks, but I guess you have to be a registered user and all that. Evidently anyone can register, but [per all government procedures] it's a big deal. Whatever! All I want to do is see all the books!

mt. vernon

the mansion, home of george washington

walking the grounds

it was beautiful but w.e.t. for our entire visit!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip to Mt. Vernon, Virginia during the trip last month to Washington, D.C. We hopped on the metro and then caught a bus going southward through scenic suburban Virginia to get there. Mt. Vernon is a beautiful place and I can easily understand why George Washington loved it so much. It has such a spirit about it, especially outside on the grounds. We got to learn more about Washington's life, saw his real dentures [crazy-too bad they weren't really wooden or they might have looked better], and toured his beautiful home. The actual Bastille key presented to Washington by Lafayette was currently on tour, so we saw a replica in its case of honor in the entry way. Guess we'll just have to go back another time to see the original! I would love to take the kids there. I think the older ones would really enjoy it and I know I would love to visit again. Plus it would be nice to go again when it wasn't constantly raining. The only day of our trip that it didn't rain was Saturday, the day before we left. At least we had one dry day without dealing with dripping umbrellas!

sonoma

Sonoma was fabulous. I felt almost naked, knowing that there were no children to tote around. We got to our B&B in Novato at around 3:30 and it was so nice and quiet. It is on a small vineyard, and the owners had remodeled a portion of the winery into a one-room guest house. The bathroom itself was amazing. The huge open shower was crafted of rock and had dual shower heads. So relaxing. We spent the weekend visiting great restaurants, going to a movie, and exploring Sonoma, which is about 20 minutes north of Novato. I still get a kick out of people's expressions when we politely refuse the wine. Why else do tourists come to Sonoma, right?

The last activity on our agenda was actually the whole reason we came up there in the first place. During a conference Owen attended for work, he won a certificate for a race car driving course at the Jim Russell Racing School at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. It's a half-day lesson of formula one racing. Owen had a great time and I had fun watching and playing paparazzo. As soon as class was over, we raced our way back home so we would be in time for the school orientation scheduled for that evening. Ah, the fun has to end sometime, right? We'll just have to go back again soon.