This is a travelogue in pictures, from our weekend.
We made it to LA early Friday morning after driving all night. We camped in the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains, at Point Mugu State Park, just west of Malibu. It's a perfect Mediterranean climate that can't be beat (while LA was a stifling 95 to 100 the whole time, we never saw it go up past 80). A first for me--I never woke up cold.
Our first stop, our one living relative in the area. It took us a while to find his house only to discover he left the night before for his own road trip. This is Mikie's house.
Oey throwing sand and loving it
Soaking up the rays with my 60 SPF on. Oey was my shadow.
Our water baby
The shell collector
We always like Huntington Beach
Peanut butter and jelly was our lunch for the next three days. And we never got sick of it.
Our campsite. Jarom's off to the side, studying a chipmunk hole. He stood there like a statue, waiting for it to come out.
Camarillo's farmers market, bright and early
Oey downing strawberries
Stocking up on real food
Sycamore Cove, the beach directly across from our campsite
Just getting our feet wet before moving on to LA
Outside the California Science Center
Inside
Scientist at work.
Monkey
Oey whispering sweet nothings in his daddy's ear -- datchee
Outside the LA temple
Part II
Speaks for itself
This is the ride they picked out (Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier). They paid for it with their own money. Jarom had a hard time finding a ride within his budget. Bella loaned him 50 cents.
Leaving. We had a lovely parking ticket waiting for us (meter had been expired for 10 minutes).
Oey says "tree"
The campground host made Bella a pipe-cleaner panda for her birthday. He was very entertaining, to say the least.
He was the Mary Poppins of the campground.
Jarom and Matt dancing on the sycamore tree
Digging in our roly-poly farm
Oey being cute
The best smores ever. Makes my mouth water.
Crazy kids. Jarom's marshmallow's on fire.
Oey taking a break from being held, on our hike to the fire trail overlook.
Birthday girl in all her glory
Bella needed a hand to hold the whole way
At the overlook. Matt rigged the camera to hang from a tree branch. Worked out pretty good.
Point Mugu.
At Point Mugu.
My lover. I imagine this could be on the back of his first novel.
Cool murals under the bridge, on the way to Leo Carrillo beach.
It says "Happy 4th" because she turned four today.
Digging for baby sandcrabs.
A hidden cave we found. Little scary.
My boys
Vegas for Bella's birthday dinner. Bella wanted to eat at the castle behind us, but it was gross so we left. We went across the street to the MGM Grand to eat in the Rainforest Cafe. A first for all of us.
Making a wish on an ice cream brownie volcano
Kisses for daddy
The balloon guy earned his tip
Back home, Monday morning, 5:30 am. One wild weekend.
