Sea World

This was our first visit to Sea World. Of course the thing we most wanted to do was see the Shamu show. That was one hot wait. I'm glad we could sit.

The performance was being recorded for the DVD of their new show: One Ocean.  They don't allow the trainers in the water anymore so instead they stood on the side and did some non-synchronized clapping. (I wonder if they will make them re-do that for the DVD, it was pretty bad).

It is amazing that they can train the whales to do what they do.

We were sitting in the "splash zone" and really hoped to get a few refreshing splashes. The row in front of us got wet.

Instead, this is a good way to cool down or freeze to death.

You can't really see in this picture, but the penguin exhibit was my favorite. They had several different kinds and they were very entertaining, especially the little guys who could kind of fly.

We were hoping the dolphins would swim closer, but they didn't like this end.

The kids all thought the dolphin show was better than the whale show. There were acrobatics, people swimming with dolphins and the kids got soaked in the splash zone.

Solvang

We took a little detour on the drive from San Luis Obispo to Oceanside because we wanted to check out the little danish-ish town Solvang. In order to sell the boys on our plan, we told them we'd stop for ice cream. We picked the first place listed in the navigation and hit the road. The ice cream shop was closed. Foreshadowing?

Solvang is a very quaint little town. I am going to be honest here, it was a little weird. Even though it was Wednesday it felt like a Sunday afternoon in Provo--a ghost town. There are lots of shops which we explored. But it was SO HOT  and none of the stores had air conditioning. We went to a two level store that consisted of a whole bunch of little rooms all filled with clothes and nick knacks. They smelled like a grandma's attic, stuffy and a little off and there were no employees. None. Their system is to bring purchases down to the bearded man who works in the cafe. I wonder how that is working out for them. We could have taken any number of tacky t-shirts and random statues except that we couldn't stand to be in the rooms longer than a few seconds because they were so smelly. Also that would be stealing.

We did stop at one of those places that "researches" your family crest and motto and history. The boys were so excited about it we made a purchase.

 Nice work Francis family crest designer. As for the McGarry crest, well, I had higher hopes.

Weird vibes aside, there were windmills in Solvang and windmills are always cool.

It is not my intention to trash talk Solvang. It's just it was so dang hot (see what I did there?). I think we were all a little hard to please. We also didn't really immerse ourselves in the culture. If I would have known what aebleskiver was I probably would have dared try it and I think that could have changed everything.

Would we go back to Solvang? Maybe. There is a Hans Christian Anderson museum we didn't check out. And if you are wondering how hot it was,  Zack and I predicted at least 98 degrees and were shocked to discover that it was only 84. The hottest 84 degrees ever!! I get what they mean about dry heat.

July 4

How to celebrate the 4th of July.

1. Find a barn.

 

 

2. Get a whole bunch of family and friends.

3. Spend hours to fill up HUNDREDS of water balloons. 

4. Five minutes later (when they are all used up) fill up some more. 

Grab squirt guns,

and show no mercy.

5. Get a DJ and have some contests.

Just be prepared for kids with serious skills. Ben could do this all day.

So could Gavin.

But in the end there could only be one hula hoop champ.

Congratulations Ben! We don't even own a hula hoop. 

6. Have a kids talent show. This dance troop has some interesting moves.

7. Finish up with a patriotic parade 

and fireworks.

Happy 4th of July!!

Taking it S.L.O.

Ryan and Leanne recently moved to San Luis Obispo.  Some call it the happiest place in America. It's pretty great. We spent a few fun filled days there and can't wait to visit again.

The property is so pretty with lots of space to run around and explore. 

How about this hot tub view.

Watching the sunset with Papa:

There is plenty of room for a pretty intense paint ball battle.

This was Noah's first combat.

This spot downtown reminds me of a story: A few years ago, my mom gave the boys a quart size (QUART size!!) bag of gumballs each to enjoy on the drive back home. The boys loved it. They were chewing it up the entire way. I thought I had made it clear about how to dispose of their a.b.c. gum, but they must have been confused because instead of spitting it out in the provided container they mostly spit it out on the floor. True story. That's why this is a place my boys can really appreciate. Gum Alley:

 

Yes, the walls are covered with chewed up gum. Finally, a place for the lazy kid to get rid of their flavorless gum! 

Isn't it disgusting?

We spent a little time on Morro Bay.

The cliffs behind the boys were filled with birds.

Ice cream break.

The kids (mostly Zack) liked feeding the animals at Avila barn.

Henry has been here before and was excited to show the others the "mysterious turkey."

This place was noisy and crowded, but when Zack's done...he's done.