La Jolla...or, Seals, Sea Lions, and Surfers, oh my!

Is it clear yet that we've been reveling in our proximity to the ocean?!

On Wednesday last week Jesse left work a couple hours early since he had a conference coming up all Friday night and Saturday that was going to keep him away from home. We decided to drive 15 minutes north to La Jolla. It's a beautiful resort-y community...seriously upscale (standard family houses there cost in excess of $2M - gah!). Once we got past the Bentley, Ferrari, and Maserati dealerships, we arrived at the beaches. Thankfully they're free and open even to common paupers like us.  :)

Maybe we ought to be used to it after nearly a month, but we all were blown away once again by the huge, powerful waves and the amazing views. Adding to the effect in La Jolla are the sea lions and seals that have taken up residence in some of the coves and beaches. Even though it was a gray day (for  once), it was captivatingly beautiful.

 

William and I "hung out" while Jesse and Josiah explored some caves and rock pools. 

The sea lions (above) were barky and funny to watch. The seals were all sleepy but super cute (below).

 

We all loved peeking into the crevices in the tide pools. We saw little fish, snails, crabs, and all sorts of other things. Some sort of anemone in the picture above? We haven't looked it up yet but took the picture so we could do some research for next time! 

 

In-N-Out Burger

I think we've made our residence in California official: We've eaten at In-N-Out Burger. Yum! The folks at HOPE gave Jesse a gift certificate for us to use there, and the boys are pretty psyched that it'll cover another visit or two.  :)

Ummm...do I have something on my nose? 

Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach is just a couple of miles down the road. We're really enjoying being part of a church plant / fellowship there on Sunday nights (Josiah enjoys it so much that he asks daily "How many more days until Sunday?"). And the OB vibe is about as non-east-coast as it comes! Last weekend we spent a couple of golden afternoon hours at the beach itself, enjoying the hippie-surfer-laid-back environment. We shared a shake and some fries from Hodad's, which we were told was the thing to do. We'll need to get a burger next time!

 

The Warrior...

Josiah played his first ever basketball game last Saturday! We'd been telling him for the last two years that he could play Upwards basketball in our church's program the winter he was in kindergarten. And fortunately, months before leaving home we successfully located a church (down in Chula Vista) running the program so we could make good on our promise. Only problem: they start with first graders, not kindergarteners like at home. Oh, and a second problem: they start their practices in November, not January like at home. They agreed to take Josiah since he's an old kindergartener, but the bottom line is that he's the youngest, smallest squirt out there, who also had the luxury of only one practice before the opening game of the season. Jesse and Jim say that playing with bigger, more capable kids is what makes you good. Personally, I want to know where the bubble wrap is.

We were so proud of him on Saturday, though! It involved the confusion and lost expressions one expects from a court full of 6-8 year olds, and wow were there ever skill differentials among the kids. But the Upwards program is great for "doing it right" and really helping all kids along. This church also runs the Upwards cheerleading program, and it was kind of hilarious watching Josiah run out when his name was announced in the dark gymnasium through a bunch of little girl cheerleaders. Ha!

If you squint a little at the picture at the bottom of the post, you can see a serious gap in Josiah's teeth. At his one and only practice two days before the game, he took a ball in the face that busted out his remaining top front tooth (which wasn't particularly loose yet). Yikes! Jim, who had taken him to practice, has nicknamed him The Warrior for coming back through the tears and pain to carry on.

 This one shows what a squirt Josiah is compared to several of his teammates...  

Here he is running onto the court at the start of the game (totally blurry since the gym was darkened for effect...)

Mr. Gappy, the Warrior

Oh, and for the record, during the game Josiah got the ball a few times. He made a couple of reasonable passes to teammates, and twice he made shots at the basket although neither went in. (Fortunately in one case, since it was after the half and he shot toward the wrong basket. Oops! A teammate helpfully blocked it. So confusing how the goal changes halfway through, right?)

Daddy's Office

Despite the fact that I don't have a great picture here, I hope it nonetheless reveals that the office Jesse has the privilege of using here is none too shabby. It's huge (including a seminar table, two big desk areas, a couch and TV, counter and sink). But really, size and amenities are nothing in comparison to the windows and view over the Pacific. Amazing! I'm only too happy to be taking up residence in a corner most days to work there too.  :)

The other day I brought the boys in for a lunch picnic. Just a few steps from Jesse's door is a great area for picnics, clambering around, and enjoying the views. I have a feeling we'll do this often!

Bad habits

For the past couple of months, William has spent a regrettable amount of time with one of his fingers up his nose. I think it started when he had a cold and he wanted to fish little snots out, but now it's pretty much just a habit. Some people put their hands in their pockets...William tucks a finger up in his nostril. It's more nose poking than nose picking, one might argue. Seeing as most of our days involve one struggle / battle of wills / meltdown after another with this child, I've opted to leave it on the "let it go" list for now.

Anyway, today I was cuddling him when in the finger went. "William," I asked him, "why do you always stick your finger in your nose?" 

His reply, without hesitation: "But I can't do it with my toes." 

Of course. Not quite the causal explanation I was looking for, but I guess I can't argue with the logic! 

The Pacific Ocean!

For the first few days in San Diego we'd been staying pretty close to home. After all of the change and disruption of the past two weeks, we wanted to give the kids some down days. But on Saturday the boys had their first paddle in the Pacific Ocean!

The sun was glorious and temps were in the mid-60s. We had only intended to put our feet and ankles into the water, but we all ended up totally sandy and wet since every so often a renegade wave would surprise us and come in as much as a foot deeper than the others! The flora was gorgeous, the sky was brilliant blue, there were tide pools and beautiful sand hills and smooth rocks and pretty shells and huge waves and a level beach that stayed shallow for dozens of yards out into the ocean. The boys had a blast, and I think it's safe to say that Jesse and I had a pretty good afternoon too. :)

 

Jim and Tillie were with us for the first little bit. Then they went off exploring on their own. It's so wonderful having them here with us!

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(William loves being thrown high in the air by Jesse. It always makes my heart stop, frankly, but so far Jesse hasn't missed! Here it looks rather like Will is being dropped from the heavens...)

We are HERE!

With internet access just set up this evening, I'm back online for a final post of our cross-country journey. Hooray! We're here!

We left Williams, AZ yesterday morning in bitter, bitter cold. The thermometer read in the single digits overnight, and it was 12 degrees F as we loaded the car for the last time. Frigid. No complaints though, for within a couple of hours temperatures had broken freezing, and in another few hours we were peeling off jackets and layers as the car got downright hot inside. At the end of our 500 mile drive, it was 66 degrees in San Diego, we had our windows down, the palm trees were waving in the breeze, and we had mighty big smiles on our faces.  :)

We had the Hallelujah Chorus (our theme song this year given William and Josiah's obsession with it) blasting as we pulled up to the condo. The trip was over! Jim and Tillie made it into town several hours before us, so they were waving from the driveway as we drove in. They already had picked up a few groceries too, and Tillie had a roast chicken in the oven. Smelled like home.

The boys ran from room to room in delight, exploring every nook and cranny and excited about the many wonderful toys, books, and supplies the Gaileys have loaned to us. We spent the evening getting things unloaded, making our first Target run, and doing some much-needed cleaning.

Today dawned sunny and lovely...Jesse went to the office...and our life here in CA feels like it has begun.

Grand Canyon

We're staying at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams, AZ, a lovely and convenient starting point for our adventures today. (We'd booked this a month or so again, which was why we couldn't bail and find a hotel somewhere else last night when things got late on the road.) What a great day it has been! Yesterday evening's frustrations seem forever ago.

Our first stop this morning was a brief "Wild West" show adjacent to the parking lot of the hotel. It was meant to be more humorous than educational, and I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids, but it was a fun way to set the stage for the morning. 

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Then we made a 2-minute walk to the Williams train depot. We had tickets to ride on the Santa Fe Railroad's Grand Canyon route, a 65-mile journey on a line that has been in operation for over a century. We all were excited to get aboard!! 

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The landscape changed several times en route, taking us through ponderosa pine forests and high desert plateaus. (Photos taken through the windows as we barreled along at 30-40 mph...)

The ride took just over 2 hours, and the time passed quickly with a conductor in the car who regularly provided information and humorous commentary along the way. There also was a guitar-strumming musician who came through and entertained us with both his music and his side comments. He was excellent, and William enjoyed popping a dollar bill tip into the hole of his guitar. :)

 

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And then we were there: The Grand Canyon! 

It was majestic. Words can't do it justice. The frigid air temperature (in the 20s) meant we spent a fair bit of time in and out of buildings to thaw out, but the colors and views were phenomenal and made the intense cold entirely worth it. We carried William much of the time, since it was icy on the ground and there are precious few barricades against one going clear over the edge. Jesse was holding him when we first approached the rim. "Oooooooohhhhhh," he said with 3-year-old awe and big eyes. "Coooooooool." That pretty much captured all of our sentiments.

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Several hours later we were back on the return train to Williams. It was called the Williams Flyer, by the way, which of course warranted yet another photo (with a tired little boy who was not much interested in pictures):

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Between the bitter cold, the walking, and the thin air we all were a little weary by the time we boarded the train, but another guitar-strumming musician, more commentary, and some snacks Mommy had kept in reserve kept us going. So did the train robbery that took place as the sun was setting around 5 p.m.!

So there you have it. We're thankful to have a second night in the same hotel so we haven't had to rush repacking everything again today. And by this time tomorrow night—hopefully!—we'll be in our new "home" in San Diego.

See you on the other side!