Hello!!: 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!