Goin' Back to Cali

I love everything about the ocean.  I mean everything.

The beach, the sound of the waves, palm trees, sand between your toes, the breeze, the sun, the carefree attitude of coastal living,  watching my kids play, watching my husband surf, seagulls, pelicans diving for food, dolphin watching. 

Every. Single. Bit. 

We drove to Southern California, threw our house in park, and stayed . . .  and stayed . . . and stayed. 

We spent most of our time in San Diego, but also made some day trips to Los Angeles and surrounding areas.

CBR doing school through the Mojave Desert.

We slept at a truck stop in Barstow, California so we could watch the presidential debate.

And there it is.  Home sweet home.  We found an RV Resort right on the beach.  This is livin’.

We pulled up to our new home about seven minutes before this picture was taken.

All the kids playing.  Three young, and one young at heart.

PADDLE!  PADDLE!  PADDLE!

Oh to find seashells again!  Just like home.

Once, when my children were ages 4, 2, and 10 months old, I took them to Legoland while Mr. Fix-It went surfing for the day.  I can’t say that I remember a lot about it, other than the girls got their faces painted like butterflies.  Now, because we happened to be in the neighborhood with them at 9, 7, and 5, we took Mr. Fix-It along for our second trip.  This is a great park if your kids are into Legos.  Ours aren’t.  No matter, a good time was had by all.

LAR and CBR with a Lego guy.

If I hadn’t caused all of Mr. Fix-It’s hair to fall out, it would be blowing in the wind.

Everything at Legoland is made out of Legos.  Except her.  She's real.

Legoland has an entire RV Park made out of Legos!  How silly.  Who would live like that?

Log ride.  Got wet.

Lego Factory Tour

We literally shut the park down.

Billie Jean at the dog park in Del Mar, CA.

****************  Health Update:  Billie Jean has been diagnosed with Giardia  ****************

Who knows where she picked up Giardia - maybe some National Park along the way?  She’s been on several different antibiotic treatments, and (as of the time of this writing) has been under the care of veterinarians in three different states.  She’s been pooping in the RV for two months.  TWO MONTHS.  As of this post, she is now fine.  Our wonderful vet from Charleston never gave up on Billie Jean.  He has now diagnosed our problem and restored the harmony in our household.  Thank you Dr. G!

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Excursion number two – LA.  Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica – we saw it all. 

First stop, Hollywood Boulevard.

In honor of Billie Jean.

The world famous Chinese Theater.

The HOLLYWOOD sign!

There is a great dog park at the base of the Hollywood sign.  Billie Jean made several friends.

The glitz on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.  Notice the Bugatti in the premium parking space.

Walking Santa Monica Blvd.

We spent the evening in Santa Monica.  We saw the Santa Monica Pier, watched the street performers, shopped a little, and had dinner on Santa Monica Boulevard.  This was one of my favorite nights.

Water Cycle Project.

Aunt "A", Mr. Fix-It's sister, is a scientist.  Before we left on our journey, she gave the kids a wonderful binder full of great information about water.  It included all sorts of information on water sources, how it's pumped, how we protect and treat it for safe drinking, and even some fun projects.  The above picture is a water cycle project we made in California.  We layered rocks, then sand, then soil, then a plant, and put in a sea shell filled with water.  Put a lid on top and set it in the sun - BAM - you can watch the complete water cycle before your very eyes.  The kids LOVED it.  Thanks Aunt "A"!

Because of our perfect beach side location, we spent nearly every afternoon at the beach.  I enjoyed jogging around the area, and Mr. Fix-It adapted easily to his twice-a-day surf schedule.

I loved sitting on the beach, calming down after frustrating days of home school.  I'd watch Mr. Fix-It surf, and scout the water for sharks simultaneously.  The day after a surfer was killed by a shark north of San Diego, I spotted at least a 12 foot shark that surfaced right behind Mr. Fix-It.  Praise God, he spotted it too, and immediately headed for shore.  Whew.  I had two nightmares over that image - my husband in the water with the biggest shark I've ever seen.

We also took a day trip to Sea World.  I remember going as a kid, and being fascinated by the whale trainers and how they would ride on Shamu's back.  However, since the fatal incident between a whale and its trainer at Sea World in Florida a few years ago, the park has changed their operating procedures.  Now, no trainer enters the water at any time.  Still, this has always been a favorite of mine, and the kids LOVED Sea World.

We saw three different shows, rode rides, learned about mammals, and spent the ENTIRE day at Sea World.

Stingrays at Sea World.

CBR petting the bat rays.

Somebody, quick, look at the size of that orca.

Here's the deal.  I can't get my dog to come when I call her.  This gal got three killer whales to come, then pose on a platform.

Another change at Sea World since my youth is that the Shamu show is no longer the "must see show."  The Sea Lion Show is the new crowd pleaser.  It was this hilarious spoof that pokes fun at the Shamu show.  It was thoroughly entertaining. 

Headed out.

This RV Resort was different than most.  At most RV parks our neighbors are retired couples.  This place was full of people our age.  There were even a lot of kids.  Everyone was very active in sea kayaking, surfing, paddle boarding, etc.  It was such a different atmosphere.

Every day after playing at the beach, the kids would play in the pool and hot tub.

So, we'd planned to leave San Diego on a Tuesday, but I mean, we're practically gypsies - anything can happen.

I only meant to do laundry.  My "on-board" washer/dryer is way too tiny to wash sheets.  So, I usually take the opportunity to wash sheets when we're at a place with nice, clean laundry facilities.  CER was helping me in the laundry room, where a poster caught her attention.  It was the week before Halloween, and the city was hosting a costume parade, trick-or-treating, and  . . . .  a Halloween Blood Curling Scream Contest - open to all ages.  BUT, the event wasn't until the upcoming Thursday night.  CER suggested we stay for the contest and let CBR compete.  Parenthetically, my sweet son has a scream so piercing we refer to it as his "siren."  We have household rules restricting the use of his siren.  He's only allowed to use his siren in emergencies, or if he's been given special permission.  It's that loud. 

So, CER races back to the RV to beg Mr. Fix-It to stay for the festival.

"Stay at the beach three extra days so CBR can scream in a contest?" he asks.

Obviously, it didn't take much convincing for Mr. Fix-It and me to change the departure plans.  We easily decided to stay in San Diego for the rest of the week.  Why not?  I love this lifestyle - a trip to do laundry can change your week.  We never really know what's happening next, we just  . . . wander.

I took advantage of our long stay in CA.  I worked in a day to myself.  Well, it was really just about five hours to myself.  However, compared to the quantity of "together" time we've logged over the past several months, it felt like five days.  I had a massage, a pedicure, a haircut, and even a makeover at the ULTA make-up counter.  When I got "home", Mr. Fix-It had a big juicy hamburger waiting for my dinner.  The kids were watching a movie in the back of the RV, so we had a nice date in the front of the RV.  I don't know how to explain what a back rub, some toenail polish, and new mascara can do for a girl.  I feel brand new.

California Surf Museum - Oceanside, CA.

We also toured the California Surf Museum.  It was pretty interesting, but we had no idea the surprise that awaited us inside.  At home in Charleston, CER dabbles in surfing.  For a year or so now, she's been a big fan of the pro surfer Bethany Hamilton.  Bethany Hamilton is the Hawaiian surfer featured in the movie Soul Surfer.  The movie depicts her true story of losing her arm in a shark attack.  Well, Bethany Hamilton donated her surfboard and swimsuit from the day of the attack to the California Surf Museum.  This girl's courageous story is mesmerizing.  She is an inspiration and a hero.  I'm thankful for the example she is to my daughters on life, adversity, and how to keep your eyes on God - no matter what.

Bethany Hamilton's surfboard with the shark bite, and behind, her custom made and hand stitched swim suit worn on the day of the attack.

Then, we made it to the Halloween Festival.  It was so gorgeous, right beside the Oceanside Pier.

The Oceanside Halloween Festival.  We scrambled to put some costumes together.  LAR went as a rock star, and CER and her brother were a cowgirl and cowboy.

Then the time came for the contest.  The Blood Curling Scream Contest was judged on audience applause.  There were several entries, and each got their chance on the microphone.  The speaker system blasted these screams throughout the festival.  Long story short, they narrowed the contest down to two finalists  . . .

Yep.  He won!  CBR is the reigning champion of the San Diego Halloween Blood Curling Scream Contest.  See, it's like I always tell my kids -- everyone is gifted at something.

Scream Champion -- the winning purse included 15 market bucks.

He blew his market bucks on chocolate covered strawberries with sprinkles, kettle corn, and a few blocks of fudge.  His sister's were so proud of him -- I think they were hoping he'd share his winnings.  He did.

What a fun evening we had in San Diego!  Our family will always cherish this night.  We knew we were moving on the next morning, and we seriously considered just staying another month.  We delayed as long as possible putting the motor home in drive, but in the end, we rolled away from coastal living.

Our next stop took us to Joshua Tree National Park -- half of which is in the Mojave Desert, and the other lies across the Sonoran Desert.  There's an obvious shift in ecosystems as you cross the desert lines.  The Mojave desert is full of the peculiar looking Joshua Trees, which completely disappear in the Sonoran Desert.

Joshua Tree is full of mountain climbers and these funny little Dr. Seuss looking trees.

Cholla Cactus Garden.

After we left Joshua Tree, we continued east and stumbled on the Salton Sea.  It was a gorgeous blue as we were passing by, so I gave my personal driver the cue to pull over - time for some paddle boarding.

My first impression of the Salton Sea -- view from the sofa.

Salton Sea, California.

The Salton Sea was such a mysterious place.  You've heard of Ghost Towns.  Well, if there were such thing as a Ghost Lake -- it would be here.  The Salton Sea looked so pretty from the road, but as you approach the beach, the place gets weirder.  Almost creepy.  The beach is COVERED in tiny shredded fish bones.  In fact, that's what the beach is -- fish bones.  Sharp fish bones.  They were like tiny shards of glass, and would get stuck in or slice your feet.  Shoes are a must.  I was ill prepared in my flip flops for the contents of the "beach", so just getting my paddle board to the water was slow and painful.  This place was such a unique find!  The Salton Sea is actually a huge, but shallow, rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault.  It is one of the world's largest inland seas, and is the lowest spot on earth at 227 feet below sea level.  It was formed quite by accident from flooding of the Colorado River in the early 1900's.  In it's heyday, it was a popular recreation area with a huge tourist draw.  Fishing, swimming, boating, and even a yacht club could be found here.  However, a mixture of irrigation and pesticides led to sharp increases in the saline content, and overall toxicity.  It soon became too salty to support the freshwater fish, which began dying and washing up in droves along the shoreline.  Now you see why the beach is just plain old fish bones.  Today, it is so polluted and toxic that it's dangerous to eat anything that comes from it.  It's smelly too.  But it sure was pretty from the road.

Fish bone wasteland on the Salton Sea.

After a paddle through the "Ghost Lake", we loaded back up and kept going . . . onward to Arizona.


Our time in California was a perfect stop.  It offered us a little slice of the things we enjoy so much back home.  Being near the water is strangely therapeutic for our gang.  We all felt recharged by our time here.

Goodbye California.  We'll miss you.  (San Diego, CA)