WARNING: MANY PICTURES!!
I forgot to bring cups for the Sparkling Cider, but we didn't let that deter us: we just drank out of the bottle, lol! Ashley had fun pretending she was drinking wine, and little brother Carlos had to follow suit:
We never go on day trips, but this week (to take the kids' minds off the fact that Daddy is gone--in the Philippines), I took the kids to Santa Barbara. I made it a surprise (which I don't often do), and we had a relaxing day together. And, of course, I took a gazillion pictures (actually 64). So, after a lot of painstakingly difficult choices, I have narrowed the pictures I will post to "only" about 10. So, family, sit back and enjoy, and friends, skim through them quickly :)
The day started with the L-O-N-G ride (2 1/2 hours to be exact), and the proverbial "Are we there yet?" with a little twist: Ashley would ask "Are we halfway there yet?" Are we 3/4 of the way?" etc. You get the picture. They were great in the car until the last 20 minutes or so.
We started our time there with a nice little picnic at this really neat park. Here are some pictures:
This picture doesn't really do the park justice, but it will give you a general idea of how beautiful it was.
This picture doesn't really do the park justice, but it will give you a general idea of how beautiful it was.
We sat on a bench to eat.
I forgot to bring cups for the Sparkling Cider, but we didn't let that deter us: we just drank out of the bottle, lol! Ashley had fun pretending she was drinking wine, and little brother Carlos had to follow suit:
The tree was calling to them so they had to climb it (something they don't get to do here at home).
They enjoyed climbing on the rocks and exploring I'm-not-sure-what.
There were turtles sunning themselves on the rocks, and Carlos got to touch one (that was actually the highlight of his day, lol!).
We then moved on to the Santa Barbara Mission. I especially enjoyed seeing the artifacts. I could spend a good hour or so there reading the pamphlet and the signs they have posted.
After visiting the mission, we went shopping on State Street. I agreed to endure about 1 1/2 hours of shopping torture so Ashley could enjoy the shops. I'm generous to a fault, huh?! ;)
Next was a stop to the wharf, where the kids really tripped out on seeing a very detailed sand sculpture. I took a picture, but wouldn't cha know, it didn't turn out. Oh well. That just means we'll have to go back again :)
They really enjoyed playing on the beach. The sand is so ultra fine, and Carlos was fascinated by the rocks and driftwood.
He enjoyed collecting rocks. I told him he was allowed to choose one to bring home. Did you know that collecting rocks on the beach is like American Idol? I, too, was confused until Carlos explained that on American Idol they pick which ones they don't want (according to him), and he had to do the same thing. Seriously, he cracks us up all the time.
This is Ashley's creation while we were relaxing at the beach. Very cool, huh? (WWJD) I "helped you" by darkening the letters in Photoshop because they were hard to see. 
While walking along the street and boardwalk, we saw these and thought they were so cool. We want to rent them the next time we come.
We ended the day with a trip to Italy ... well, that's what we thought when we went to this quaint authentic Italian restaurant. It was so Italian ... the cafe-type setting, the elegant but very simple table settings, the excellent food--even authentic Italian pizza and Italian bottled water (like Perrier). The only thing they were missing was gelato--Italian ice cream (and authentic Italian ice cream is the best in the world--I promise!!)
This is a picture of the kids at the restaurant.
We had such a relaxing and fun time exploring Santa Barbara. I feel like we were on vacation for the whole weekend. It was very refreshing. What a blessing to be able to do that.
Oh, and one more picture for your viewing pleasure, lol! Every once in a while all the elements of photography magically come together for me at the same moment: the subject, the lighting, the angles, the camera settings, etc. I say "magically" because at this point I don't know enough about my camera's settings to purposely set them for a particular shot. Plus, part of photography is "magic" in the sense that there's always some stuff beyond your control and sometimes you just get lucky. I didn't pose this shot at all. In fact, I was in a huge hurry to get it because it was supposed to be a candid. But, I wasn't sly enough ... just as I was about to press the shutter, she looked at me, but didn't smile. This is my favorite photo of the day. It has a very edgy beach feeling, in my opinion, and there seems to be such an intensity in her expression. SHE hates the picture, but I love it. It captures so much of what I like about the beach: her hair is wind-blown, the lighting is a little harsh, especially against the backdrop of the sand, even the color (and style) of her shirt. 
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Michelle