Ventura Coast - Saturday 4/4/2009

Just some Gerbera daisies we saw in a gas station we stopped at. Love the colors.


We started out our visit to Ventura with a meal on the pier. Hydra had the mussels. I had a seared ahi sandwich.



Unfortunately, the restaurant's logo is better than its food.


The view from our table was pretty great, though. This is the Ventura Pier.


Hydra gives Flat Brayden his first look at the Pacific Ocean. Later, we helped Flat Brayden pick up a piece of a shell and a small smooth stone for souvenirs.


The water at the end of the pier. Beautiful color, huh!?

There were lots of people fishing. We noticed someone using shrimp as bait, which prompted me to ask Hydra, "What can you fish for that's better than shrimp?"



Looking back at the shore. Honestly, if I could choose any coastal Southern California town to live in, it would be Ventura.


The tracks the water leaves behind.


Yes. This is when my foot got wet. Right before I leapt onto this rock.


These little guys amused us by hopping away while never putting the other foot on the ground. Hee!


Just a cool shop sign in the shopping district of Ventura.



We stopped at a fruit stand on the way back so Flat Brayden could check out the orange groves. He's growing up in a farming community, like I did. Figure he'll be interested to know that California produces something like 75% of all the domestic fruit the U.S. eats.

Flat Brayden Learns Some Chords - Sunday 3/22/2009

Hydra took some time over the weekend and showed Flat Brayden a few chords. He practiced quite a bit and seems to have a knack for music.

Here he is on our last day of camping, playing When the Saints Go Marching In for the camp manager, who is very cool.

Flat Brayden Has Landed! - Tuesday 3/10/2009

My cousin's son is participating in a Flat Stanley project in his second grade class, and they asked me to host his flat self!

If you're unfamiliar with the Flat Stanley concept, you can click on the link above or trust my explanation in a nutshell. It's based on a 1964 children's book by the same name, in which a child is flattened but not hurt, and decides to mail himself to a place he would like to visit but can't otherwise.

I am absolutely thrilled to host Flat Brayden! He arrived today and we set him up in the guest room. Even though it was a long trip, he was too excited to take a nap, but he was very nice about lying down for a bit and having a little apple juice.

We get to have him for a couple of weeks, so I'm looking forward to taking him camping, and to the rocks, and the mountains, and maybe Hydra will teach him a few chords on the guitar.

Hydra and I had our first argument about Flat Brayden. Hydra said it would be okay to give him a Coke, but I thought apple juice was more appropriate for a second grader. I mean, caffeine on a school night?

You have to set some limits. And who's going to stay up all night with him all hyped up? Huh?

This raising kids thing is as hard as everyone says it is!