Christmas Vacation 2011...On the Road Again.

So on our way back from the Hearst Castle we stopped on the shoreline to take in some wildlife we had spied cruising down the Scenic Highway 1. Do you see him/her...N thought it was the cutest thing ever...we were scared that the thing was going to bite N in the face...seriously it got that close to us. You may be saying "You stopped to see a possible rabid ground squirrel?!", you betcha!

Ok maybe not. We stopped to see these giant sun bathers ;)

Elephant Seals, probably hundreds of them up on the shore line taking in the last of the suns warmth for the day.

They sure were noisy too...loved this guy! Can you just hear him screaming "Stella!"

Awww! Look at the baby...so cute!

This guy was coming up from the water...he maybe moved 5 feet the entire time we were there...and not for the lack of trying. Someone mentioned that the big guys could weigh up to 6600lbs...that's a lot to love!

We all enjoyed getting close to nature and watching the beautiful colors in the sky as the sun slid and disappeared over the horizon.

More Christmas Adventures 2011

So after spending the night at our hotel Portola in Monterey, which we got a really good deal on (can't believe I didn't take any pictures, because regardless of some of the reviews is one of the nicest hotels I have stayed at) we headed off down the Scenic Coastal Highway 1 and the Hearst Castle. 

ok so i found some pictures on their website...and the rooms looked exactly like this!

our room 

J's parents had a king bed and a room the size of our living area in our house...but it isn't listed. From their terrace you could see the wharf and the ice rink set up for the holidays, we could not since we were behind some rather large trees.

Those cows live the life with a great view! We spotted them on the bus ride up to the top, this is about halfway up the hill. Once to the top we started our Upstairs Suites Tour outside with Larry the tour guide ( J and I are at odds as to whether or not this is the same guide we had last time..I really think he is...just sayin')

I still can't get over all the details on the building, the art work that is on display and the idea that I (and my three little sticky fingered boys) am walking this close to it with out any protective glass or ropes

Even though we had visited back in May (doing the Grand Rooms Tour), the boys enjoyed learning even more about the "castle" and were well behaved and even asked questions during the tour.

Apparently M was extra photogenic that day...

N loved the "gatekeeper" statues that were bigger then him.

Christmas Adventure 2011 Stop #2

So after taking in the butterflies and natural bridges we zipped on up to Monterey (more specifically Pacific Grove) and managed to sneak into the Point Pinos Lighthouse before it closed for the day. We learned of Ms. Emily Fish who was one of the few female lighthouse keepers, that this was the oldest west coast lighthouse, and also about the unique light that beamed from the top.

Since we arrived so late in the day the boys were able to participate in the end of the day flag retreat. Lil' J has been studying how to handle the flag through cub scouts and M also had to get signed off as participating in a flag ceremony for his advancements, so the boys were excited to have the opportunity to help.

The docent got a kick out of N and his abundant energy.

If you find yourself in the area I would highly suggest stopping in and allowing the docents to tell you all about the history of Point Pinos. The lighthouse is currently surrounded by a golf course and is also a good spot for spotting whales during the winter migration.

Christmas Vacation Adventures 2011

J's parents flew in on Christmas Eve to spend some of the holiday break with us. We enjoyed having opening presents on Christmas with them and even more excited for having an excuse to go on an adventure and re-visit the Scenic Coastal Highway 1 and the town on it. Our first stop was the Natural Bridges Park. It is one of the wintering sites for monarch butterflies and we had heard it was a beautiful site. It was a warm sunny day, which meant the butterflies would not be clumped together on tree branches but instead flying around and more spread out in the woods. We were able to see some flying around, but personally I was looking forward to what would be described as like Chinese paper lanterns hanging from the trees.

The boys watching the butterflies flying around.

The stop also allowed us to take a pie break...did I mention that J made 5 different pies for Christmas! We had plenty of pie to eat and plenty of extra pounds to be worked off in 2012. After eating our pie...which by the way was pumpkin, apple, and strawberry-rhubarb...we headed down to the beach and took in the remains of the natural land bridges. We were able to watch some surfers and breath in some fresh ocean air, I don't know if I could ever tire of breathing it in.

I think they liked it too.

Had to take a picture of the surfing Santa as we drove past...so clever!

Playing Around with My Camera

So for Christmas I received several new gadgets/accessories for my camera...so bear with me as I will probably be uploading lots of photos just for fun as I play around with settings and adding different lenses and filters ;)