Spring break twice

We had two spring breaks this year - Mark couldn't get away from work during Audrey's school vacation, so I took the girls to my parent's house. It was a little too cold to swim, but that didn't stop Audrey, she splashed around until her lips were blue. One day we went to Soak City in Palm Springs, but the weather didn't cooperate so we were not there long - we'll go back in a month. We got my mom in a swimsuit finally so it wasn't a complete flop. We spent another day at storytime and at the park with a friend and her children. Naturally we had a lot of tacos and my favorite cochinito cookies. We came home at the end of the week and my parents followed so they could attend my choir concert. I was really nervous, but it went well, and I look forward to the fall when we start rehearsing for Christmas.

The four of us drove up to Cambria the week after. Audrey missed 5 days of school, but it's only first grade so we aren't worried. We spent a night in Santa Barbara where the highlights were the labyrinth at the church next door to our hotel, and a wonderful meal at a French restaurant that our kids enjoyed almost as much as we did, phew. We did a little window shopping, road the trolley bus, and the girls loved the hotel's "lookout" sundeck.



Next stop Pismo Beach and a few familiar sights. My grandparents ran a hotel there when I was a kid. We went to the pier and walked the beach looking for sand dollars. The kids found the swings and I know they were not the same swings I went on with my brothers and sister, but it was still fun to remember those family trips from my childhood. It was so windy the sand was skittering along the shore. Pismo Beach is where Claire hit her head so hard on the headboard she had a bleeding dent (and then a big lump) under her curls. It took awhile to comfort her, and then Audrey and then me, because we all cried.






From Pismo we went to Morro Bay with a quick stop in between when Audrey turned green and said she couldn't swallow. She was carsick but felt fine after a snack and 20 minutes at zero mph. In Morro Bay we stayed at a cute hotel with very thin walls and very loud neighbors. We hiked Morro Rock again just like last year and loved it. We waded in the tide and terrified the hermit crabs, flew our kite and had our brains blown out of our ears by the wind. The girls chased the kite's shadow around the beach. There was also a vintage emergency vehicle show going on so we checked out the old paddy wagons and fire trucks. Morro Bay is where Audrey repeated Claire's head-cracking technique on yet another hotel headboard, but there was no blood and much less crying.






Cambria was charming and a perfect final stop. We found a nice inn with a "family room" that was actually a suite. Audrey and Claire pronounced it the best hotel room we ever had. Mark and I enjoyed staying up past 9 pm. The inn ran a fire and served free hot chocolate in the lobby around the clock - a big hit for the girls. Around town there was a lot of shopping and restaurants including a candy store with just about every candy ever made where Mark and Audrey got 1/4 pound for $5. I had three pieces myself. We went to the park for picnic and play, and to the beach for walking sticks, pretty pebbles and rock climbing. The second day there we drove north and saw the elephant seal rookery, Hearst Castle in the distance (no on wanted to see it but me, so I took one for the team), ate lunch on a cliff, and then found a nice hike along a stream at Ragged Point. We got up so high I had to turn around with Claire or suffer an immediate panic attack, but Mark and Audrey went higher. We were good and tired then and headed back to Cambria. We couldn't have driven any farther if we'd wanted to - there was a rock slide between us and Monterrey. We stayed two nights in Cambria and then came home the next day.













During our trip we saw deer, peacock, harbor seals, elephant seals, hawks, and a coyote, to name a few. Just North of Santa Barbara we pulled off the highway to pick strawberries.



And pretty soon we were home. I have a thousand more pictures and so many other details to remember, but this will have to do for now. Somehow it works for us to just load up the car and take off with no reservations and barely an outline of a plan. It's always stressful keeping children safe, fed and entertained, but being away from home eliminates so many of the distractions that complicate our lives. I didn't miss the phone or Facebook. The kids didn't need their toys or the TV. Mark brought most of his electronics, but he only used them when he had to. We just soaked up each other and all the beautiful things we got to see.



And let's not forget Easter! We celebrated with Mark's mom and our friends, the Oakleys. Matching dresses and tons of candy made it an exciting pastel day.