“Daddy, you talk funny, like Donald Duck!”
— The kid

Saturday, after hitting a book sale at the Sunnyvale Library, we took a vote and decided to trek over the hill and take a leisurely drive along Highway 1. The girls were going to show me some of their favorite haunts. Once over the hill we stopped off in downtown Half Moon Bay for a short walk and some lunch.

From there we were off to the tide pools with hopes of taking advantage of the low tide and spotting the ever elusive octopus.

The kid got to see plenty of of seals, hermit crabs, sea anemones, and assorted other tide pool dwellers (though alas, no octopi.)

From the tide pools we drove along Highway 1. Is there anything more relaxing then driving along the coast with no need to get anywhere in particular and little to no traffic?

We turned in at a lighthouse to see some sights.

After the lighthouse, we were off to do some strawberry picking.

Yep, it was a pretty good Saturday.

“Wubie is dressed in his best catsuit and cat shoes.” - The Kid

Yesterday it was blisteringly hot in the valley, so we escaped to the cool coast.

First we went to the beach, built a sand castle, and played in the waves…

Then we decided to take a drive down the coast to see the sights. We saw a lighthouse, surfers, lots of little beaches that we had never been to before…

and ended up at a u-pick strawberry patch. The patch was organic, with a neat little store that had tasty treats and a cool place to sit or play.

The kid loved picking strawberries. She kept going back for just one more strawberry. It was like a treasure hunt!

After our long day out she still had energy for more, and asked ‘can we stop at any other cool places we see?’ It felt like we were on vacation…even though we were right near home.

When we got home she was very proud of her basket of strawberries and told her Daddy all about it. He too was excited about the possibilities of playing tourist in our own backyard, and we decided we will try more of these day trip adventures near home.

Last week we had our first adventure in kite flying, on a big hill overlooking the valley. Madame was a natural!

The weather was warm, wind was blustery, and the view was spectacular…you could even see the water of the bay and the hills in the distance. What a perfect day.