Sunday, April 25, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
A Little Spring Weather
We have been taking advantage of the nice(r) weather lately.
After at least two other attempts which failed for various reasons, I finally made it up to Big Springs. Not even knee-deep snow could stop us this time.
We've also just been hanging out in the front yard.
And I couldn't resist giving Anda her birthday present early. I got it for $3 at a yard sale (thanks for mentoring me, Melissa) and she loves its guts. She gets very upset if we try to separate her from it before she is ready. When I figure out how to embed videos here, you can watch her waddle.
After at least two other attempts which failed for various reasons, I finally made it up to Big Springs. Not even knee-deep snow could stop us this time.
We've also just been hanging out in the front yard.
Monday, April 19, 2010
The One Parenting Tip I've Learned
The easiest way to get a few minutes of peace and quiet is to let her do something I don't want her to do.
But revenge is usually swift and sweet.
But revenge is usually swift and sweet.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
California Trip (apologies for a longish post)
Anda and I spent Spring Break with (part of) my family in California last week. It was a blast.
We spent our first evening in San Francisco, starting with dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, which made my life. I've wanted to go to one as long as I've known they existed, and it was everything I'd dreamed and more. There is a monkey show. Need I say more? I will: there is also a sweet fish tank and an animatronic elephant. Anda was very good (even sleeping perfectly in strange and noisy bedrooms) for just about the entire trip, but I was really pleased with how quickly she took to Nana again. Papa was not so lucky.
My friends Sondra and Lars live sort of in the area, and were willing to make the trip to meet us even though I called at the last minute. We walked around Pier 39 for a little while and saw some fun things, even though it was too dark for pictures. We had fun and it was great to see them, but it was cold and getting late for us, so we headed to my uncle's house for the night.
Uncle Jack and family have a beautiful, roomy, comfortable house that was lovely to stay in. We dyed Easter eggs, took some pictures, and my dad even rode Jack's motorcycle. They were very hospitable and the food was excellent. A++ Would stay again. My favorite part was probably going for a little run on the trail around their house. It was beyond beautiful, so of course I didn't get around to taking any pictures. Let me just say that bridges, giant trees, a stream, and geese were involved.
Then we drove down the coast and good glory it was pretty. Again, I was super on the ball with the camera, so let me paint another picture with words: smooth green hills, oak trees, crystal blue sky, fluffy clouds. It looked like a scene from "What Dreams May Come."
On the way to the hotel, we had the option of visiting an aquarium or the Winchester Mystery House. We had been warned that the Winchester wasn't really worth all the hype, and I do love an aquarium, but I am really glad we went with the mansion. It wasn't as creepy as I had been led to believe by my 4th-6th grade obsession with checking out ghost story books during library time, but it sure was a beautiful and fascinating place to see. The tour was not short, but I still feel like we just barely scratched the surface. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I did get outdoor photos of the "Door to Nowhere" (also labeled inside the house with a plaque) and some of the spiderweb windows. Conclusion: I would like a house with two conservatories, six kitchens, and a room from which I can spy on my staff also. And wisteria is beautiful.
After some more beautiful coast the next day...
...we went to the Hearst Castle. Talk about barely scratching the surface. This place, as Hannah said, had great curb appeal. Also, it had great everything else. Indoor pictures were very difficult to take because it was dark and flash was prohibited, but we've all seen Citizen Kane, right? We only took the first of the four tours (pricey, but, note to self: second honeymoon idea) which was amazing, but I wanted to see it all. I cannot stress the awesomeness of this place enough, and my pictures do it absolutely no justice. The story behind the castle is just as impressive as the castle itself, but nothing beats the views. Please go here.
We continued down the coast to Morro Bay and then on to Solvang. Morro Bay was cold, but it does have that sweet rock. Once we got to Solvang, though, we wished we had gotten there sooner. It was so cute that we decided to extend our stay there the next morning just to take in a little more of it, and we were still surprised at the time when Mom told us we needed to get going. We celebrated Papa's birthday in Solvang, luckily finding a bakery that was still open (what kind of food-providing establishments close at 5:00?) and had a lovely clerk who gave us a free danish type pastry plus some candles. Mange tak, bakery lady.
(Side note: Lost that night was AMAZING and I totally called it!)
On Wednesday, we continued our drive south. We stopped by Grandpa Beebe's grave and passed through Thousand Oaks where we met with some Camarillo friends. I met Laura while we were working together at the Special Collections library here, but she is originally from Camarillo. It was great to see her and her adorable (and tall!) daughter. My parents also met with some old Camarillo friends at the mall and we all had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Of course, we had to celebrate Papa's birthday again with some cheesecake. (Why, yes, I did gain four pounds in one week.)
We finished up the trip in Long Beach at my Aunt Juli's house, which is also lovely and comfortable and full of delicious things to eat. I adore her 9 (I think) year old son who uses words like "particular," loves Mario Galaxy, has awesome hair, and was polite enough to not totally smoke me when we went running together. We looked at some sweet vintage/antique stores all day, then went to the beach just to give me enough time to get Anda's feet wet and take a million pictures. Anda loved the water, but had had enough of pretty much everything except Mama and sleep by this point in the trip, so, even though it was snowing at home and seriously beautiful in California, we were ready to come back and see Dan again. Anda remembered Dada and dove right to him when he picked us up, so hopefully we will be allowed to go on more trips in the future.
Thought for the day: I can't seem to find a local book club, so Dan has suggested I go to AA and just start talking about Jane Austen when it's my turn.
We spent our first evening in San Francisco, starting with dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, which made my life. I've wanted to go to one as long as I've known they existed, and it was everything I'd dreamed and more. There is a monkey show. Need I say more? I will: there is also a sweet fish tank and an animatronic elephant. Anda was very good (even sleeping perfectly in strange and noisy bedrooms) for just about the entire trip, but I was really pleased with how quickly she took to Nana again. Papa was not so lucky.
Uncle Jack and family have a beautiful, roomy, comfortable house that was lovely to stay in. We dyed Easter eggs, took some pictures, and my dad even rode Jack's motorcycle. They were very hospitable and the food was excellent. A++ Would stay again. My favorite part was probably going for a little run on the trail around their house. It was beyond beautiful, so of course I didn't get around to taking any pictures. Let me just say that bridges, giant trees, a stream, and geese were involved.
Then we drove down the coast and good glory it was pretty. Again, I was super on the ball with the camera, so let me paint another picture with words: smooth green hills, oak trees, crystal blue sky, fluffy clouds. It looked like a scene from "What Dreams May Come."
On the way to the hotel, we had the option of visiting an aquarium or the Winchester Mystery House. We had been warned that the Winchester wasn't really worth all the hype, and I do love an aquarium, but I am really glad we went with the mansion. It wasn't as creepy as I had been led to believe by my 4th-6th grade obsession with checking out ghost story books during library time, but it sure was a beautiful and fascinating place to see. The tour was not short, but I still feel like we just barely scratched the surface. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I did get outdoor photos of the "Door to Nowhere" (also labeled inside the house with a plaque) and some of the spiderweb windows. Conclusion: I would like a house with two conservatories, six kitchens, and a room from which I can spy on my staff also. And wisteria is beautiful.
...we went to the Hearst Castle. Talk about barely scratching the surface. This place, as Hannah said, had great curb appeal. Also, it had great everything else. Indoor pictures were very difficult to take because it was dark and flash was prohibited, but we've all seen Citizen Kane, right? We only took the first of the four tours (pricey, but, note to self: second honeymoon idea) which was amazing, but I wanted to see it all. I cannot stress the awesomeness of this place enough, and my pictures do it absolutely no justice. The story behind the castle is just as impressive as the castle itself, but nothing beats the views. Please go here.
On Wednesday, we continued our drive south. We stopped by Grandpa Beebe's grave and passed through Thousand Oaks where we met with some Camarillo friends. I met Laura while we were working together at the Special Collections library here, but she is originally from Camarillo. It was great to see her and her adorable (and tall!) daughter. My parents also met with some old Camarillo friends at the mall and we all had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Of course, we had to celebrate Papa's birthday again with some cheesecake. (Why, yes, I did gain four pounds in one week.)
Thought for the day: I can't seem to find a local book club, so Dan has suggested I go to AA and just start talking about Jane Austen when it's my turn.
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