Easter

It rained on Easter Morning this year, so we had our annual Easter Egg hunt indoors in the front room.  The kids didn't seem to mind at all.  The kids each got a new book in their baskets.  They had fun looking at them in the morning.  We ate yummy eggs the kids had colored for breakfast. 

 Ready for the hunt!

Spring Break - New Brighton State Beach

 We went for Spring Break down to New Brighton State Beach.  It is southeast of Santa Cruz on the Monterey Bay.  We were there for 3 days, most of which was spent at on the beach playing and having fun.  Our campsite was perfect.  No one was around us and we had lots of green grass.  The bathrooms were a little bit of a walk, but not too bad.  We had lots of fun exploring and telling Wampus Cat stories each night around the campfire while roasting marshmallows.  Everyone had a good time.  The kids are all at an age where we can enjoy camping much more.  No more crying babies at 2 am, which is a big relief for mom and dad.

 Walking down to the beach on our first day.

 We had great weather for all 3 days.  In the morning of the last day we woke up in a low cloud with a little bit of mist, but that cleared up and it was perfect again.  

 Alex was the first one in the water. 

 Alex and Lily going back out.

 On our second day we walked after breakfast down the beach about a mile and a half to the neighboring beach where there is a sunken ship called the Palo Alto.  It was built of cement and sunk on purpose to become a restaurant, but the investors when bankrupt in the Great Depression and sold it to the State of California for 1$.  It was nice to look at from a distance, but up close there were lots of flies. So we took some quick pictures and then kept our distance. 

 

 

 We went to the nearby visitors center.  They had pretty California poppies growing out front.  Inside they had some neat information on all of the fish and wildlife at the beach.  Each kid got to pick out a souvenir.  Lily picked a butterfly necklace and wore it "to remember the pretty butterflies" .  Alex picked a humming bird puppet that he had seen in the visitor center at Mount Diablo and really liked.  Sarah couldn't decide what to pick and so we ended up going to Santa Cruz surf shop later and found a cute shirt for her.

 

We spent the rest of the day at the beach playing in the water and flying kites.

 After a full day at the beach, everyone was tired and hungry.  We went back to camp, took showers, and cleaned up for dinner.  There was sand EVERYWHERE.  Then we drove to the best restaurant we have been to in a long time.  It was called La Perla del Pacifico (The Pearl of the Pacific) and we were the only gringos in the whole place.  After we were seated we noticed the line for dinner kept building up until it went out the door and down the street.  That is a good sign when you want good Mexican seafood.  We decided to go there every time we are in the area.  It was so good.

We had a wonderful family vacation.  It was a nice break and fun for everyone.  We love living close to so many beautiful places.  We LOVE California.

Our Visit to Mount Diablo Summit

We drove to the top of Mount Diablo, the prominent peak in the East Bay. You can see across the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys to the east, and over the Bay to San Francisco to the west. It's not tall by Sierra Nevada or Wasatch standards, but because of the lower mountains, valleys, and Bay around it, you can see for a long way at the summit.

Mark and EJ came with us. They live in Walnut Creek, so they look out at Mount Diablo every day. EJ's birthday was the next day, so we went to an Indian restaurant in Walnut Creek to celebrate afterward.

This is the visitor's center at the summit. We weren't sure what all of the things on the roof were for. Yes, those are tires hanging from ropes.

Looking southwest toward the Bay.

 The view toward the northwest, at Walnut Creek, Concord, and Vallejo. It was a little hazy, but we could still see a long way.

 In the visitor's center you could look out the windows to the east. It wasn't clear enough to see the Sierra though.

 Alex liked the view from way up high.

 And there is San Francisco way off to the east. We could just make out the Golden Gate Bridge.

 Here is Dave with the kids standing on a rock outcropping. Lily and Alex are really close to a steep drop-off, so this moment didn't last long.

 Looking out west to San Francisco and Walnut Creek.

 There's always time for a family portrait!