California: Beside the Sea

What comes to mind when you think of California? Surfing! So we strapped Toby to a surfboard and pushed him out to sea...

Actually, it's pretty difficult to engage in watersports when holidaying with a toddler. Sometimes it feels like it's pretty difficult to do anything when holidaying with a toddler! But one thing they do tend to enjoy is getting lovely and wet and sandy. So a beach is a good place to be.

Toby was delighted to discover an apparently endless sandbox, and amused us by running in circles, rolling around and even acquiring a sand goatee! His favourite game was for Graham to bury a small ball in the sand so that he could dig it up again.

One of the most relaxing afternoons we had was at Goleta Beach Park, just north of Santa Barbara, where we were staying. The air was cool but the sand was pleasantly warm, and the sky was partly cloudy, helping to mitigate the panicked impulse to slather on as much sunscreen as possible every five minutes. So I could just stretch out and close... my... eyes....

At least, until Toby discovered the sea. Look Mum, I'll just dip my toes in!

Well, maybe up to my knees...

Hey, this is fun!

It got me!

He was having a blast, giggling like crazy the whole time. Meanwhile I was digging my toes into the sand and hanging on tight for fear he might dash straight into the sea and never be seen again!

We finished that afternoon with a breezy walk along the pier and dinner at the Hollister Brewing Company. This occupies an unlikely site squashed in among a McDonalds and Home Depot, but inside serves house-brewed beer and some great food. I tucked into a tasty beef stew, while Toby was entertained with a colouring sheet and as many fries as he could cadge from Graham.

Back in Santa Barbara the following day, we were delighted to discover that the town boasted a real British chippy. With mushy peas! And baked beans! And proper British chips! Well, you've got to have fish and chips by the seaside, haven't you? With the sun going down we even had the proper level of chilliness to complete the experience, missing only the waterproof jackets and driving rain.

Santa Barbara also has a marina which is well worth a stroll around. The harbour wall gets pretty exciting when the waves are splashing over it, and we spotted crabs, starfish and even a ray in the water.

Of course, we didn't spend our whole vacation on the beach, though it would be easy enough to in that part of the world. More on our inland activities next time...

Comments

Sally Eyre said…

Proper chips in newspaper - I want some. I am so jealous!

2 July 2012 at 00:20

Supercars and Selfies on the South Coast

We drove south on a wet, wet Saturday in August. The windscreen wipers swished endlessly back and forth, as we debated whether it was worth stopping anywhere except for the overcrowded motorway services. By the time we reached Winchester, the wipers had subsided to an occasional flick across the screen. We decided to stop. Of course, as soon as we left the car park there was a brief shower, but we ducked into the City Mill, now a National Trust property. There was a large room full of the usual kind of displays about flour milling; a recently renovated garden; and downstairs, the mill race running at full tilt. The mill is built right across the River Itchen. Winchester City Mill garden The mill race Water wheel (awaiting renovation) We stayed dry as we explored further into Winchester. There was even some blue sky for our selfie by the cathedral! But as we walked back to the car the rain hit us like a hose on full blast. An overhanging building provided some slight shelter, but the wa

Reading for Spiritual Formation 2023-24

I wasn't sure whether to read another set of theology books this year. Could the time I spend on it be better spent on something else? At what point does it become reading for the sake of it, without having much impact on my wider life? It's difficult to tell. However, as usual, I had a growing list of books I wanted to read. I do need to think about what I'm doing as well as what I'm reading, and I don't expect to continue this specific discipline indefinitely. But I decided there was space for at least one more year of Reading for Spiritual Formation. So, without further soul-searching: The Books. Three Mile an Hour God Kosuke Koyama Japanese theologians are few and far between; Christianity is still very much a niche religion in Japan. Kosuke Koyama was Japanese and appears to be both influential and accessible. Not every theologian is both! So I'm excited to read his recently republished book Three Mile an Hour God. It was originally written in 1979, and is

National Forest Way: Calke Abbey to Ashby de la Zouch

All the best walking blogs have maps on. I finally figured out how to add a route map to mine. If I get time, I'll add them to the previous posts as well, so you can see where I went. So, here are the two walks which made up the next stretch of the NFW. Walk 1 I started from the National Trust property and walked along by the lake, up the hill by the deer park, and down to Staunton Harold reservoir - all very familiar. Calke village postbox featured a highland cow on top. Lake at Calke Abbey Herd of deer A short stretch on the road took me to Dimminsdale, which was new to me. There are records of mining at the site from the 13th century until the end of the 19th century. It's incredible to think that people worked there for so many hundreds of years. Now it is a secluded landscape of still pools and shaggy trees. Dimminsdale I crossed a small section of the Staunton Harold estate, then went up a private lane with some rather nice houses. My turning point was where the Nati

Martha's Marvellous Munchies

Search This Blog