Laguna Beach 1 1/2

Oh what the heck! I'm just sitting here! Daniel and I came to Laguna Beach last week with Richard's Mom. Here are a few cute pics from that trip. Hildegard is under the umbrella behind Daniel.

We LOVE Laguna Beach. Today is the third time in 2 weeks that we have come here. Hildegard lives less than an hour away when there isn't commuting traffic. That's closer than Flagstaff is to Holbrook!

Laguna Beach 2

We are back at Laguna Beach again today. This time Richard is with us (he came home from China on Sunday the 23rd) and we are staying the night. That is lots more beach time!

Daniel is napping in the car since we can't check into the hotel until 4pm. I don't know what's more expensive, leaving the AC on in a running car (lucky not to do this today!) or paying the parking meter while Daniel sleeps. We do have a shady end spot, and I do have an ocean view from the car, and Richard is at the beach, but really, $2 an hour?! So a $4 nap? But Daniel was crazy tired after over an hour chasing waves followed by a yummy outdoor lunch. I guess the parking fee is worth it!

Enjoy the pictures! I'm sure there will be another post before we leave. We have this afternoon and tomorrow morning beach time still to go!

Playtime

Just a few playtime pictures. Still in California, we got wet with Daddy and a squirt bottle, drove a couple of cars, and enjoyed several different playgrounds. It's great having 3 different playgrounds within a mile of Richard's Mom's house! Daniel has really started to love playgrounds, though he doesn't like swinging, just climbing and sliding!

Laguna Beach

Today it was just Daniel and I on our own adventure. Even Walnut stayed at home! We went to Laguna Beach for a few hours and got sandy and salty! We drew in the sand, made several sand castles (they kept getting washed away), and ran in and out of the surf. It was a really high tide so we were lucky to find a cove with enough beach to play on. We even had a picnic just off the promenade! We will be going back soon!

Aquarium of the Pacific

Went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach today, with Richard's Dad. It was so wonderful. I just finished reading Sylvia Earle's book "Sea Change" so it was nice to see many of the things she talked about and to see the environmental messages throughout the exhibits.

Daniel kept his Papa and I moving or else I would have spent tons more time there. We can go back next time in LA! Daniel enjoyed the exhibits, especially when he could put his hands in the water. He also like squirting water in the kids play area! It's always about water.

The penguins are statues!

Botanical Garden

We went to a botanical garden today with Daniel's Aunt Heidi. It was hot but not as brutal as it has been the last few days. The plants looked pretty dry, though. The gardens were part of a university campus so maybe not as cared for as a stand alone garden.

Daniel did manage to climb on a couple of cool trees and found a friendly duck. It was a nice walk for us all!

We Love Water 2

Thursday evening we went to the Fullerton Farmers Market. Not only did we get yummy fruits and veggies, but it's at a place with a fountain. This one shoots jets of water at random strengths from holes in the ground. Daniel loved it! And so did many other kids. It was fun to Daniel interact with other kids and have much fun.

In fact we are back at the fountain this morning, though Daniel is the only one here. He still loves it.

We Love Water

We left for California Monday. Richard flew to China for work on Friday. So Daniel and I are staying at his Mom's house until he returns on the 23rd.

We stayed in Kingman on Monday at the Springhill Suites Marriott. Super nice! Roomy rooms (Daniel slept on his first sofa bed - no more pack-n-play!), hot breakfast, and cool pool. It had a waterfall from the ceiling! We were in the pool that night and the next morning.

The next day we had a break at the Barstow Amtrak station. It has clean restrooms, visitor center and museums, shady grassy areas for Walnut, and train cars.

While in LA I'm doing blogs on my iPhone so the pictures get mixed up. You'll figure it out!