XMAS Aftermath: after the busyness and heavy socializing, we drove up to Morro Bay - a quiet area outside San Luis Obispo about 2.5 hours north of LA. Everyone asleep in the car, I could feel the built-on layers of holiday scheduling and social expectations and just LA peel away as each mile of the coastal scenery past Santa Barbara gained in beauty.
We went kayaking - the boys loved it and beached on a sand spit that winds to a big haystack rock. I was aware that, if not for the boys and Carolyn, I would never be doing this.
The first night was actually pretty disappointing as the kitschy motel with good reviews turned out to be just depressing - it was hard to nail down exactly why. No personal element to these sub-conditions? An excuse for trying? A marketing sham?
Anyway, I felt had in beautiful Morro Bay and I promptly switched lodging the next morning and ate the rent. I'm older, have kids, so I just cut my losses and don't look back on decisions like this. Life's too short, etc.
MUCH BETTER
Spirits began to lift, soon recovering that lighter feeling I experienced on the road. Morro Bay is kinda a working class version of Cannon Beach, OR, offering relief to those escaping the central valley's sweltering summers . Not the art galleries or latte possibilities of Portland's urbanites, but more down-home type fare all-around. Found a great American steak/seafood restaurant that you don't easily find anymore: proud, dignified fare, tall leather booths, no nonsense. A great table overlooking the water, M&J in good moods - we knew we were in for a great, relaxing evening.
Meet Lu Chi Fa, a Chinese who was sold as a child slave for several hundred pounds of rice and with amazing tenacity ended up in Morro Bay years ago, starting The Coffee Pot - a local diner we stumbled on for pancakes. He shared our table and told his story. His
autobiography won the Parent's Choice Award and is required reading in local schools. We will go back to Morro bay and eat his pancakes, again, soon.
There is a stunning hike at Montana de Oro state park; a windy trail rides the edge of a low bluff, hugging the wide sandy coast with dramatic views in both directions of a great Californian scene.
Spent the last day letting the boys test their bikes on the Santa Barbara boardwalk, before returning home to begin the Christmas clean-up. Every gift opened, every memory set; this year, the box for the Salvation Army pick-up next to the tree. No apologies. There is a well-documented artificial quality to Southern California that we escaped for a weekend. Not sure if it's the high % of folks employed by the entertainment industry (where the professional ambition - acting - is to convince you they're someone they're not), the domination of the car - luxury car - as the nexus of culture. It's on lease, so it's also an overpaid actor.
Not sure. But we left it for awhile last weekend, meeting this brave Chinese man's life, eating his food, and saw the geography that captivated many about this state that will soon be issuing this year's tax refunds as IOUs.
A 1st grader's science project mostly means mom's science project with spurts of kid involvement.
Why do hot air balloons rise? was the research topic.
The evening began with "kitchen chemistry": balloons filled with baking soda poured in water.
Volcanic reactions that even Jack could ignite.
The backyard test run.
