Planes, Trolleys, Bicycles, & Kayaks

I am so far behind on posts!!!  Why?  Because I've been busy and having too much fun!  Why?  Because we are moving back to Florida mid-January!   Steve will continue to work on the project from his home office in Ormond Beach.  We are sad to be leaving, but thankful for the two years that we've had this adventure!  My two year vacation is about to end : (

But back to the subject of this post- Norma and Vann's visit.  They arrived way back in October, the day after our guests, Debra and Stephen, left.  We were so excited that they decided to vacation with us!  Vann had visited California before, but Norma had only seen the airport a time or two.  We probably did more in the 7 days that they were here than we did with just about any of other guests!  (Now if I can only remember what we did!)

I picked them up at the airport mid-day on Wed, Oct 9th and stopped briefly at our apartment for a quick bite to eat and to introduce them to Walter before driving to Burbank to see The Tonight Show.  It's so much fun seeing a show with someone who has never been to one before.  The only guest I remember that we saw was Ann Romney who was there promoting her cookbook.  She made one of Mitt's favorites dishes and to our surprise, Mitt Romney came walking out. (I love it when shows have surprise guests or gifts!)

The next day I took them down to Hollywood and Beverly Hills where I gave them the best tour I could.  I realized that I could just about say anything and they would never know if it was fact or fiction!

Later that day we rented bikes and rode around Venice Beach seeing all kinds of sights!  That night, they walked over to Mother's Beach to experience a taste of the Gourmet Food Trucks gather there on Thursday nights.











On Friday, we dropped Walter off at his hotel and off to Big Sur we went.  What a drive!  And the views!

We saw elephant seals along the way!

We had tried to make reservations at the Lodge at Pfeiffer State Park prior to our trip but they were full.  We decided to just find a place somewhere along the way.  We stopped at the lodge to check for cancellations and were told to come back in about an hour or so to see if there were any cancellations.  We went on what was listed as an "easy" hike to the falls and to see the valley.  We saw some amazing Redwood trees and got a good workout along the way!

And by the time we finished our hike, one room had opened open up for the night.  Yep, we all stayed together!  (It turned out that it had a separate small bedroom.)

Off to Pfeiffer State Beach we went!   It was beautiful! 

We enjoyed a delicious dinner (thank you, Dad!) and enjoyed some amazing views.

Afterwards we went to the lobby and played cards by the fire!  So much fun!

The next morning we took the 17 Mile Drive, a scenic loop that included Pebble Beach.

Steve ended up going back to the car to change out of his flannel shirt while at Pebble Beach . . . he felt a little out of place.

Our next stop was Monterey Bay where Norma hoped to spot a whale.  No whales did we see but we had a nice view of some sea lions and this pelican while eating lunch.

Our next stop- San Francisco!  We were only a few hours away- how could we not go?  What fun!

After the Golden Gate Bridge - off to ride the cable cars!

We ate at Lori's at the Ghirardelli Square before our long drive home!      We opted to drive all the way, taking the fastest route possible.   What a trip!

 That's where my pictures stop and therefore so does most of my memory.  I know we went kayaking out towards the jetty one day where we saw yet some more sea lions.  We took Walter for a walk to the jetty.  We had a delicious dinner at Blue Plate Taco - thank you Mrs. Kissell!  After dinner we walked through Third Street Promenade and saw some street performers.  And another day Norma, Vann, and I walked up to Lemonade to experience some unique cuisine.

 We saw A LOT of California!  We ate A LOT of good food!  We got A LOT of exercise!  And we had A LOT of great fun!  Thank you, Norma and Vann, for coming all the way to California and letting us explore it with you!  We sure did enjoy it!