Monday, October 1, 2012

San Luis Obispo in September

Late September, that is -- the last few days of the month. What a lovely place to spend them! We drove down on Friday, arriving at our hotel around 4 pm. We checked in, dragged all our stuff upstairs, and went for a quick dip in the pool
and the hot tub.
We liked our hotel (a Best Western) very much. Boos, of course, liked the TV (sigh).

The room had two queen beds, so we fixed up one of the beds with pillows all around and bolsters down the middle. Boos snuggled right into the little cocoons thus made. Baby A did fall out the second night, but Rocket Boy had brought his inflatable camp bed along and put it on the side of the bed, so Baby A had a soft landing.

We were visiting relatives who live in San Luis Obispo proper, and we had dinner at their house each night. On Friday, when we showed up after our swim, Baby B managed to knock over both a glass of sparkling apple cider during the pre-dinner snack period and a glass of water during dinner. Plastic glasses, so nothing broke, but still, what a mess. I think that was the worst thing they did, though. They locked the bathroom door -- with no one inside -- and I guess that took some doing to get it open again. And they messed up the TV remote, but Rocket Boy fixed it. Oh, and they scared away the cats, just by being there. Smart cats -- they knew they didn't want to get any closer to two four-year-old boys.

Saturday morning we went to the very nice farmers market (practically across the street from our hotel),
after which I was able to buy some new hiking boots at a shoe store nearby. After a quick lunch at home we headed to Pismo Beach,
where we walked in the sand, ran in the waves, and built several sand castles. Our next plan was to go to a cafe for a pick-me-up. On the way there we stopped at a great park,
where the kids found other children to play with and were happy for a while. But laughter turned to tears and yelling (and BITING), and we realized we did not want to take these two to any CAFES. So we went back to the hotel for a swim and then back to the house later for another delicious dinner. During the appetizer phase, boos explored the wonders of guacamole,
which I will have to start making regularly now! (I have given it to them to try off and on through the years, but they never liked it until this weekend.)

The next day, Sunday, we got up early, checked out of the hotel, and after exploring a geocache on the hill in back of the hotel
walked/drove over to the lovely park by Laguna Lake -- where Baby B promptly stepped on a yellow jacket's nest and got a sting on his arm. Fortunately, Rocket Boy always has first aid supplies with him, and he got the wound bandaged up.

From there, we were off to Montana de Oro State Park, where we hoped to view tidepools. After a pleasant walk in the foggy air,
we discovered that the tide was extremely high and the tidepools were not to be seen.
We did walk down very close to the surf, and were treated to the sight of a sea otter amusing himself in the waves. Baby A was very nervous about the ocean being so close and kept his distance. He's a bit fearful in general (Baby B is fearless in this type of situation) but I don't think that's always a bad thing. I kept Baby A company.

Then we drove to Morro Bay and walked along the Embarcadero looking for a restaurant. Lots of sea lions were lying on the rocks and barking, just below where we were walking.
Baby A had taken a nap on the way over, and was grouchy, but I convinced him to come with us (he had to bring White Tiger along too, though).
We had a delicious lunch at the Great American Fish Company.
I had a snapper sandwich, Rocket Boy had scallops and abalone, and boos had corn dogs. Oh well. I'm the one who went to the famed Tadich Grill in San Francisco with her family (in the 70s?) and had a hamburger. My children are learning about fish. No need to rush it.

And then it was time for one last stop back at the house and then we had to get on the road. We left SLO just after 3 pm and were in Ridgecrest before 9 pm (with a dinner stop in Tehachapi). Lovely weekend. San Luis Obispo is such a great place to visit -- in addition to the nearby beaches, there are all kinds of things to do in town. Every time we visit it's different and equally fun.

I just wish it wasn't 103 in Ridgecrest, but summer is ending. It's October now, things will get better soon.

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