Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Anya’s 1st Birthday

We were able to celebrate our younger granddaughter, Anya’s, birthday vicariously through pictures. 

Her cake was decorated with chocolate sunflower seeds.  I think she enjoyed it!untitled-1

untitled-49

untitled-33

untitled-41

untitled-18

Kiersten and Anyauntitled-11

We miss Anya and Sophie but we will see them in a few short weeks!

Monday, February 17, 2014

Catching Up

Our younger granddaughter, Anya, celebrated her 1st birthday on Saturday.  A week earlier, Sophie, her almost 3-year-old sister, had fun playing in the snow.  Anya didn’t look too sure about it. Photo Feb 08, 12 25 53 PM

IMG_20140206_141854-001

Anya is on the inside looking out.IMG_20140206_142443-001

We missed all the excitement but we will catch up with them when we return home next month.

We had a quiet Valentine’s Day, but celebrated the day before with spectacular weather and a drive to nearby Port San Luis for lunch on the patio at Fat Cat’s Café.IMG_2390-001

Port San Luis is one of the few places near Pismo Beach where we can see boats in the water.IMG_2395

IMG_2396-001

Thursday was also the day that Dave was finally able to rent a Segway.  We weren’t allowed to share the Segway, so I tried it first to see if I wanted to rent one, too.  I decided that I didn’t since I had trouble balancing on it.  That freed me to take pictures of Dave.

Getting instructions from Kenny at Wheel Fun Rentals in Pismo Beach.IMG_2371

Dave is a quick learner, so he was soon riding on the beach.  These rental Segways have big tires that are made for riding on the beach.IMG_2375-001

IMG_2378-001

IMG_2386

After taking a few pictures of Dave, I went for a walk on the beach.  The sun felt good and there was no wind, which is unusual at the beach.IMG_2379

The Pismo Creek lagoon next to Pismo Coast Village RV Resort was scenic and calm.IMG_2388-001

Dave enjoyed learning to ride the Segway and I enjoyed my walk on the beach.  After Dave returned the Segway, we headed for Port San Luis.

Another day we went for a 3.5 mile hike at nearby Johnson Ranch.  This hike was fun but a stretch for us and we were both tired with various body parts sore when we returned.  The trail is also used by mountain bikers and we were amazed when the bikers whizzed through the steep and rocky sections of the trail.  No, thanks!

Our park was very busy over the long weekend, and today we are watching many of them leave.  The park changes on weekends when all the families arrive, and quiets down again during the week—just the way we like it!

Monday, February 10, 2014

Meeting New Friends, Rain, and Oso Flaco Lake

Dave and I have been avidly watching the winter Olympics, and blog posting has taken a back seat.  To give me an excuse for vegetating in front of the TV set, I began crocheting an afghan.  We’ll see how much I get done between now and the end of the Olympic games.!

While our home area of Vancouver, WA, endured   snow and freezing rain last weekend, here in Pismo Beach, CA, we had rain on Super Bowl Sunday, and then again on Thursday and Saturday, and a bit of rain yesterday.  California is still in drought conditions, but hopefully this rainfall will help a bit to build the snowpack in the mountains.

Last Monday, we enjoyed a visit from new friends, Joe and Betty Graffis from Milwaukie, Oregon.  I’ve been reading Betty’s blog and when Betty mentioned that they would be traveling along the coastal route on their way to Desert Hot Springs, I suggested that maybe we could meet up with them.

Joe and Betty Graffis on a windy afternoon at the Pismo Beach PierIMG_2356

Betty agreed, and we had a wonderful visit with both of them after they got into town.  They were just here for one night, but we had enough time to get to know each other a bit and to agree to future visits when we are all back home again. 

Enjoying a late lunch with Betty and Joe at Cool Cat Café in Pismo BeachIMG_2357

Betty and Joe are a very interesting couple.  He actively participates in horseshoe tournaments, plays pickleball, and when at home, enjoys using the computer to do flight simulation.  Betty is a whiz on the computer and the internet, including social media, and as she puts it, “likes electronic gadgets”.  02-03-14 Joe and Betty Graffis

This fine couple found each other late in life.  They are almost still newlyweds and will celebrate their 10th anniversary in June.  

Betty meets up with an old friend at the Pismo Pier.IMG_2354

Joe took this picture of Dave and me during our walk with them at Pismo Pier.02-03-14 Pismo Beach

A week or so before meeting Joe and Betty, Dave and I went for annual walk at Oso Flaco Lake in Guadalupe.  A boardwalk goes over the lake and usually we can see several types of birds.IMG_2293

As the walk progresses, the trail heads on to an overlook of the ocean.  I never get tired of seeing the dunes along the way.IMG_2299

IMG_2308

As we retraced our steps back across the lake, this is what we saw:IMG_2312-001

There is no more rain in the ten-day forecast.  The high temperatures are predicted to be in the high-60s and low-70s, with lows in the mid-40s to low-50s.  Life is grand!

Sunset at Pismo BeachIMG_2102