The Lee Family: 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