Skip to main content

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...
Labels:

Comments

Sally Eyre said…
Proper chips in newspaper - I want some. I am so jealous!
2 July 2012 at 00:20
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reading for Spiritual Formation

Do you read books in order to live a better life? I read books for lots of reasons, ranging from escapism and enjoyment to information and obligation.  In some sense, every book we read lodges somewhere inside us, affecting who we are and how we react to life.  I am the product of many books (far too many, some would say!) Not my library! (Image: Pixabay) Last year, though, I read four books with the specific intention of growing spiritually.  These four books were chosen by the Renovaré Book Club.  Renovaré Book Club Renovaré wasn't a name I'd come across before.  Turns out that it's a Christian group founded by Richard Foster (who wrote Celebration of Discipline ) and involving Dallas Willard (who wrote The Spirit of the Disciplines ), which probably gives you a good idea of their emphasis!  I was impressed with the quality of resources offered with the book club - podcasts, articles, discussion boards, online Q&A - and I also thought they'd done a good job get
2 comments
Read more

Baby Language

For some reason baby equipment is an area in which American English differs markedly from British English. As well as learning how to care for a baby, we had to learn a whole new vocabulary! Fortunately we are now fluently bilingual, and I have compiled a handy US-UK baby dictionary for you. Diaper n. Nappy Mom says if you can read this change my diaper. The first time you change one of these you will be all thumbs and stick the little adhesive tabs to yourself, the baby and probably the changing mat before you get them where they ought to go. A few years later you will be able to lasso a running toddler and change them before they even know what's happened (yes, I have seen it done). You will also get through more diapers than you ever thought possible, creating scary amounts of expense and waste. Hence we are now mostly using: Cloth diaper n. Reusable nappy Cool baby. No longer those terry squares, the main drawback is that there are now so many types it can be qu
5 comments
Read more

our new apartment

Moving was a slightly surreal experience given that our new place looks almost exactly the same as the old one, except for being a different layout. That's what you get for living in a throw-'em-up-and-pack-'em-in apartment complex I guess - albeit a very nice one. So, entering apartment 433: To your right is the master bedroom: with en-suite bathroom: and looking back, from your left, that's a walk-in closet, door to the hallway and door to the bathroom: Following the layout so far? OK, go back to the hallway and put your back to the front door again, and this time walk straight forwards into the sitting room: As you can see, ahead of you is the door to the balcony: for which I have grand plans for a herb garden and other plants. Leading off the living room is the dining area: and if you walk through that and round to your right you reach the kitchen: Go back through the living room again: and if you turn right (
3 comments
Read more