Hanging with the Henry

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It was suppose to be a family trip to Pismo, to start the Thanksgiving week! But with Brother and Mommy sick, it was a perfect day to hang with my Grams! Do you like my glasses? We went to see a 3D movie, and I got these cool glasses, which I only wore part of the time during the movie, but worked great as sunl glasses when I played at the park. I bought Grams popcorn for the movie, which, I think she ate most of it, but she bought me chocolate ice cream, which we ate by the fountain! It was such a fun day! I didn't want to go home.

Saturday two

Our previous Saturday whetted our appetite for a re-do of Santa Barbara. Besides our grandkids were camping in Carpenteria! Another excuse to make a trip to Santa Barbara. Surprise the grandkids was the order of the day, so what to fill the rest of the day. Saturday one,the visit with my folks, to my step dads house had taken place without a single picture taken! Bad children we were. Besides, Paradise was calling us back.
We drove out to the house and snapped the pictures, the day was beautiful, breezy, balmy, without being hot, and clear. A perfect day to enjoy a picnic lunch under giant old oak trees. Besides, we were on a mission to only spend $20 dollars for the day!

It was quiet, the sound of the breeze through the leaves and the occasional wood pecker working on the trees. Made my 'love the outdoors' heart smile. The thought of a hammock passed through my mind!

We still had lots of time to spend before we headed to surprise the grandkids! What to do, what to do...driving back to town, we were ooohhhhing and aahhhing over all the buildings.(shocker, I know) we decided to visit the courthouse. In all the visits through the years we had never toured the courthouse. Renowned for it's architecture,

registered on the historic buildings registry. What a treat it turned out to be. Of course, this is what we enjoy. The docent at the info desk was more than encouraging of the different floors to visit. Filled with wonderful Spanish architectue, ceilings, and floor tiles, and murals, the second floor of the clock/bell tower is completely covered in wall murals. As we stood taking it all in, a guitarist began to play...absolutely delightful!

Hmmmm....could have spent the rest of the afternoon soaking it up. But, I would have missed the top! 360 degree view of Santa Barbara! A-Mazing! Ahhh...Santa Barbara....majestic hills on one side, the Pacific blue on the other!

Our goal to spend only $20 was thwarted at the campout entrance! Not realizing we could have parked outside the camp, we paid the hefty $10 fee to surprise our kids at their campsite, hopefully! With 200+campers just from the church, trying to find them was a challenge! We stealthy walked down the beach until we were discovered! Fun! So worth the surprise!

Hmmm...beach air, campfire smoke, the voice saying, hey grams...it doesn't get any better!
Happy heart...

And then there is this.

One Saturday turned to two

Moments happen, when you just wish you could freeze frame the moment. A trip with my folks to Santa Barbara, to celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary, or at least that was the excuse we used. Ahhhh...Santa Barbara, if only I was monetarily rich...where the 'haves' live on a sliver of land between the rugged oak covered mountains and the blue ocean! Ahhh...Santa Barbara....
We enjoyed lunch on the pier; shrimp cocktail and bowls of clam chowder, though our window view table only allowed somewhat of an ocean view through the not completely burned off morning fog.

What was there to do after lunch. My step dad isn't up to walking very far, between the wobbly legs and the oxygen tank, and add a fall the week before, needless to say walking anywhere was not an option. Somewhere in the middle of lots of conversation, reminiscing about all the trips they had made to the Santa Barbara, and Mac's years as a child living in Paradise, off the old stagecoach route, it was decided to see if we could find the old house. Though it had been 70-ish years since he lived in Paradise, he had made a trip out that way about 25 years ago, and his memory took us right to the not so bad looking house. Nestled in the old oak trees, a table and chairs on the front porch, the house has had some 'add ons' which made it seem all pretty inviting.

He talked about him and his sister and mom, how they would make the weekly trip into Santa Barbara, he and his sister to the Granada theater for a movie, while his mom would do the laundry. The return trip home was rewarded with a stop at the Cold Water Springs Tavern, where they would buy a coca cola, for a dime!
We drove the old stagecoach road, paved these days, but Cold Water Springs is still a stopping spot, the mode of getting there is changed, and you have to purpose to turn off the highway, but from the fragrance of wood smoke in the air, and the smells from the 'restaurant' would tempt me. The drive back into town, coffee and a 'sit a spell' time, a slow drive down State Street and homeward bound we were. But it just whetted Duane and my appetite for more of Santa Barbara.