Daycationing!

As most of you know Oliver has been under the weather since January.  He has had endless tests and doctors visits.  We finally have a "solid" diagnosis for him: severe constipation.  Carrying this extra baggage around has made Oliver most unpleasant.  My easygoing boy has turned rather grumpy and has lost his usual zest for life.  In order to get him out of his funk, we have been taking mini-vacations every weekend.  Taking these short trips to the coast helps me realize how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place!

Morro Bay


I took Oliver and Pearl to Morro Bay a few weeks ago.  We went to the aquarium to feed the seals and then purchased shells at the shell shop (all this fun for under five dollars!).  Oliver brought his camera, so we headed to the ocean to capture an otter.  There were plenty of otters to photograph, but Oliver discovered something more exciting crawling among the rocks: squirrels.  We have dozens of squirrel shots.  He was proud of this shot because he managed to get three squirrels.  You should have heard the delighted screams.

Here is another squirrel shot.  I think it is quite good!

Finally, Oliver's attention focused on two sea otters.  He waited patiently as the two otters swam toward one another.  As the otters met, Oliver made his move.  "I got them mating, Mommy!," he shouted with pride.  If they were, it certainly was a quickie.  In any case, it made the teenage girls giggle nearby.  

Los Osos

The next weekend, I heard the weather was going to be warm, so I suggested we go camping.  We drove out to Montana Del Oro and found the perfect spot. 

The kids played in the water, dug in the sand, climbed rocks, found creatures, ate s'mores at night and had hot chocolate for breakfast.  It was 24 hours of bliss (minus the eight hours sleeping on the cold, hard ground).  

Cayucos

I have a friend with a wonderful worm/compost bin.  I lure Glenn down to Cayucos a couple of times a year to pick up compost for his garden. While we were there, we turned it into a mini-vacation day.   

We ate smoked fish tacos at Ruddell's Smokehouse.  Seriously, if you live close to Cayucos, you must have a taco here (and pack a sandwich because each taco is $5.50-yikes!).

We lounged on the beach.

Then we ate cookies at the Brown Butter Cookie Company.  

The icing went on the cake when we stopped by the hardware store to pick up some free popcorn for the kids.  What a great way to end a string of mini-vacations!

I'll be back soon for some more farm updates!