Knott's Berry Farm (Day 10 in California)

One of the things I really wanted to do while in California was visit Knott's Berry Farm where my Mom took me often while I was growing up. We weren't a Disneyland family, preferring instead to go to the smaller and closer Knott's Berry Farm. I remember going to the petting zoo to feed and pet the animals often while growing up and it remains one of my favorite childhood memories. I originally asked Rebecca if she and Gavin wanted to join us, but they had another commitment. I asked my niece, Melissa, and her 17-month old daughter Grace to join us and they agreed. We planned to meet at 10:30am, so we woke up, ate breakfast and hung out with Grandpa Joe for a bit before heading out.

We met up with Melissa and Grace and headed into the park. Luckily it was a temperate day and didn't feel too busy, so we looked forward to a fun day. We headed to Camp Snoopy and Sofia rode the race cars, which she rode with her cousin Sam three years ago and loved. She had pretty much the exact same experience this time and it was fun to watch her have so much fun. Olivia and Grace sat in their respective strollers and kept looking at each other. Grace seemed much more interested in Olivia than Olivia was in her, which I was surprised by since Olivia usually loves little ones. After the race cars, we tried to go on several other rides within Camp Snoopy, but were surprised to find that there is a minimum height requirement for the rides and our girls are still too short. Melissa was very gracious and told me that she can go to Knott's anytime so we should go on whatever rides we like. I took Sofia on the Mexican Hats while Melissa held Olivia, which was fun except Olivia very clearly wanted me, which made me feel bad for Melissa since once she held Olivia, Grace wanted to be held.

Next we rode the train and then we rode on the stagecoach, two of my favorites that have been there forever. We had lunch and decided to take the skytram, which just gives a view of the park. On the way over, I decided to get a caricature drawn of both girls. Unfortunately, Olivia was asleep in her stroller, so the artist used a photo from my Iphone to draw her. He did a great job and drew both of them on a extra long horse! It was so adorable! While he was drawing, it actually started to rain. We were under the umbrellas so we didn't get wet during the 15-20 minute shower.

After the skytram, we headed to the park exit since both kids, but especially Sofia, seemed to be finished. She was tired of walking and kept asking for stuffed animals. I did take pictures of the girls with the 'Knott's ladies' just like when I was a kid and then we headed out. We said our goodbyes to Melissa and adorable Grace and drove to Grandpa Joe's to get ready to go to church at St. Joseph's Lutheran. He told us that morning that he prefers to go to church on Saturday evening, so I told him we'd be back in time to go. Of course, we left Knott's later than expected so we had about 20 minutes to get changed and cleaned up, which both girls did quickly. We drove to church and just as the service started Sofia leaned over and said "Mommy, I'm hungry." I promised we would eat after the service. Both girls did very well during the service and it was interesting to be in a church-setting since our Sunday morning Meeting's are very different than sitting in a huge, ornate church and listening to the organ and minister speak. It was an interesting juxtaposition that I hoped wasn't lost on them.

After church, we went to Polly's for dinner which was excellent comfort food. Both girls had pancakes, which kids can order all day! After, we headed back to Grandpa Joe's for baths and bed.

Grandpa Joe pushing Olivia in the swing

Feeding and watching the koi

Sofia in the the swing

All set for a fun day at Knott's Berry Farm

Our "official" photo

The girls

Grace and Olivia

Sofia having a great time on the race cars

The Mexican Hats

Someone wants their Mommy....

On the train

Melissa and Grace on the train

On the stagecoach

The view of the park

The caricature artist at work

Sofia and one of the Knott's ladies...

THe Knott's ladies with Sofia and Olivia

At the end of a fun day!

A Long Day in the Car....(Day 9 in California)

The next morning we woke up and were sad that we had to say goodbye to head back down to SoCal. I really would love to stay for a few more days, but unfortunately I didn't plan the trip very well and was limited on our visit with Becky, Rob, Margee and Kathleen's cruise in Alaska on one side and Sofia's birthday and party on the other end. So, that meant I had a short two nights visiting Becky and Rob before I headed back toward Southern California.

Rob and Margee came over and we hung out until our car was packed up and we were ready to go at 11:30am, which I knew would mean that we'd get stuck in traffic close to Los Angeles. We said our goodbyes and got on the road. First, I had to drive through Los Alamos, the small town where I went to elementary school from 1st grade and we moved away when I graduated 8th grade. The town hasn't grown much since my family moved away in 1988 but it has become much more of a tourist locale with antique shops, cute cafes and shops. All of the places I remember when I was little are still there but have changed. The gas station/convenience store at the far end of town is still there and looks much the same. We used to rent VHS movies and get basic groceries there when I was growing up since the closest real grocery store is 30 minutes away. The butcher and meat market is now Los Alamos Market and looks really nice. Next, we drove to Olga Reed Elementary School where I was a student from 1st through 5th grade. It looks so small! It was fun to drive through town and show the girls where I grew up. Next, we went to the entrance of our ranch, but there was a gate up and our "Fulton Ranch" sign poles are still in place but our sign has long since been taken down. I would really love to be able to visit our old house and ranch, even if it's all vineyards now.

We got back onto Hwy 101 and headed south toward Santa Barbara. We ended up stopping in Summerland to grab lunch and swim a bit. Sofia has been craving fried shrimp since we arrived in California, so stopped and asked a woman walking her dog where we should go. We found a parking spot and walked to Stacky's Seafood where we ate excellent fried shrimp and Sofia's craving was satisfied. After lunch we headed to the public access beach where I promised Sofia she could swim and play for 30 minutes. Olivia and I camped out on our towel and enjoyed the sand while Sofia swam and played. Sofia loved it and kept begging for "10 more minutes" which meant we stayed and played for over an hour. I knew we'd be stuck in traffic, but it felt worth it. We finally left the beach and changed into dry clothes. The girls played on the nearby swings and play structure before we loaded up and continued south. Of all we've done this week, Sofia's very favorite part has been the visits to the beach, so I was happy that we were able to stop once again.

The girls both slept for awhile and before we knew it we were in Los Angeles traffic at 5:30pm. We crawled along and finally made it to Mimi and Grandpa Joe's house at 7:30. We were all tired of being in the car and were happy to get out of the car and so excited to see Grandpa Joe. It was our first stay with Grandpa Joe since Mimi passed away three years ago and prior to our trip I had mixed emotions about going back. On our drive, Sofia started talking about the dogs Max and Maggie, Hootie the turtle, the koi (even mentioning some by name), and the elephant and I was so happy that we decided to stay with Grandpa Joe so she could remember Mimi through the things she loved. As we drove I told the girls a few stories about Mimi and Sofia remembered some of our last visit with her.

Once we arrived and unpacked, we ordered Mariscos for dinner and Sofia headed off with Grandpa Joe in his convertible to pick it up. It was so cute to watch them drive off together. It was excellent dinner after such a long drive. It felt great to catch up with Grandpa Joe and he seems to be doing well and keeping busy. I put both girls to bed and Sofia was excited to be spending the night in my bed with me. I stayed up for a while catching up with Joseph before heading off to bed myself.

Olivia with her cousin Megan

Sofia reading to Aunt Margee

Entering Los Alamos

The Los Alamos Market

The Union Hotel

Olga Reed Elementary

The view from the school

The drive toward Fulton Ranch....a drive I remember well!

Fried Shrimp! Yum!

The beach in Summerland

Sofia having fun!

Olivia on the sand

Sofia playing in the sand

Nap time!

Fun Day with Aunt Becky and Cousin Megan (Day 8 in California)

We woke up and Becky made us all pancakes, which the girls loved since it's all they ever want for breakfast. We got ready, with Becky packing a great picnic and the girls in their swimsuits and we drove to Lake Lopez by Arroyo Grande. Megan and her best friend Athena came with us and it was fun to have them, especially for Sofia who loved being "one of the big girls". Rob's wife, Margee, who I haven't had a chance to really get to know, went with us too. We are FB friends and I think Rob might be the luckiest man in the world since Margee is so incredibly thoughtful and kind. It was so fun to talk to hear and learn more about her.

I hadn't been to Arroyo Grande or Lake Lopez since I was probably 10 years old, so it was interesting to go back and see the area again after so many years. Arroyo Grande is quite the cute town with lots of unique shops and fun little restaurants and it's a great size. Plus, it was maybe 75 degrees out, so very comfortable to walk around and explore.

We made it to Lake Lopez and hit the water park, which is on the far side by the campgrounds. The water park is really small with a kiddie pool and slides below and two big, fun slides that Sofia could go down on her own above. I figured Sofia, Megan and Athena would beat the big slides and we wouldn't even see them until lunchtime. However, Sofia stuck around with Olivia, Becky, and me. Also there was a girl at the lower slides, Teddy, who wore the same swimsuit as Sofia, had the same length and color hair, and they immediately hit it off. Teddy would even help Olivia down the kiddie slide and I would think it was Sofia every time! The girls had a great time and Olivia loved hanging out with Becky, who helped her get up the stairs and not get run over by the older kids and encouraged her to try new slides.

We stopped at some point to eat our picnic lunch, which was delicious! After, we returned for more fun on the slides. I finally convinced Sofia to try the big slides by telling her she could go down with me. The walk up the hill to get to the top of the slides was steep and I felt like I was in the middle of a workout class by the time we arrived at the top! Sofia decided to be on the back of the mat and it was really fun! However, she was a little scared by it I think and kept saying she didn't like how much we went up the sides on the curves. She didn't want to go again, until Megan and Athena talked her into going. She rode down, in the front, with Megan, and loved it! She was hooked and went down over and over! Megan and Athena also went down this crazy slide together, which you couldn't pay me to go down! It looked terrifying, but they loved it! I took a video of them which was fun to watch.

After a fun day, we loaded up and headed home. Becky wanted to get us in to the Melodrama that evening, so we raced home to eat pizza, which we picked up on the way, shower very quickly and head to the Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville. Megan and Michael went with us and we had great seats! The show was so much fun and both girls were totally transfixed! I was a bit worried after the long day we'd had that they would melt down, but they were awesome. After the show, we headed to Becky's for a bed. We were all tired from the fun day.

Becky with Olivia (on the slide) with Teddy

Olivia with Aunt Becky

Megan and Athena

Picnic

Ice cream break

Sofia going down the kiddie slide - she figured out how to zip down it

Olivia and Sofia with their Aunt Becky

Megan and Athena going down the crazy slide together

Megan and Sofia going down the slide

At the Melodrama

Megan and Michael

Olivia loving it!

Driving Down Memory Lane to Becky's House (Day 7 in California)

We got up and moving at 7:30am, packed up our car and collected Grayden and Audrey from Joe. We walked down to Libby Park where Alice was finishing up her workout class and we must have been quite the sight - one in a stroller and three little ones walking behind me holding hands. It all worked out though and Sofia loved being with her friends again. We walked over to a breakfast place and had a delicious breakfast before returning to Libby Park for a final playtime. The kids got up on the outdoor stage and had a great time playing and entertaining us. After walking back to our hotel, we said our goodbyes and promised a visit in Honolulu next!

We got on the road and I decided to take San Marcos Pass over the hills from Santa Barbara rather than staying on Hwy 101. It's a drive I took with my parents a million times on our way to and from Southern California and it's beautiful. Both girls were asleep for most of the drive, but it was fun to revisit the scenery and realize that it hasn't changed all that much. We drove past Lake Cachuma, where I went to science camp growing up and was surprised at how low the water levels are. I explained to Sofia all I learned about the Chumash Indians and how they lived in the area, which I learned at camp. We stopped at Dunn Middle School to see my old school and it too hasn't changed much, although looks a bit nicer. We returned to the little Los Olivos Market to pick up sandwiches and it's turned into quite a fancy little market. When I went to Dunn, it was little more than a convenience store. We ate our sandwiches while we continued on our way to Becky's house, since I was ready to get there.

We got back onto Hwy 101 and I felt like I could drive that road in my sleep, even though I've only been a passenger on that road. The drive was just as beautiful as I remember with huge swaths of area filled with vineyards now. When I was growing up they were filled with cattle or just open fields and the vineyards really changes the look of the area. We drove past Los Alamos, where we lived on a ranch for over 8 years with the hope of spending a little time on our way back toward Southern California. We made it to Becky's house and unpacked our suitcases and met their dog, Jack, which I've heard a lot about. The girls were so happy to see Aunt Becky and cousin Megan and loved playing with Jack. After we got settled at Becky's house, we drove over to my brother Rob's house. He, his wife Margee, and their dog Betty moved into a lovely house not far from Becky and are enjoying getting settled into it. Rob has created an amazing garden that is full of gorgeous vegetables! He also built a small garden shed that is awesome. My brother Rob also gave me medication to help my sore throat and how bad I've felt since arriving in California, which I really appreciated. It was great to see their house and visit Rob and Margee and hear about their Alaska cruise, which sounds incredible.

We returned to Becky's house for dinner and hung out the rest of the evening. Sofia originally planned to sleep with Megan in the motorhome, but finally got too tired and fell asleep on the floor in Megan's room where Olivia and I were staying. It was great visiting with Becky, Mike, Megan, and Michael.

On our way to meet up with Alice

Yummy last breakfast together

Driving up San Marcos Pass from Santa Barbara

Heading over to Lake Cachuma

Lake Cachuma

Dunn Middle School

The Carpe Diem tree

Leaving Los Olivos

Lots of vineyards

Sofia with her cool cousin Megan

Visiting my brother Rob, his wife Margee, their dog Betty and their beautiful house

Olivia and Jack