Down by the Sea

REPOSTED FROM CR​T 2013

​Our trip to California was mostly to see friends before we set off for parts unknown. For me it was also a chance to see places that I grew up with. Although I only spent 5 years in Santa Cruz I consider it the place I grew up outside of my Grandmother's house because it is the place I remember best. While I know there are far more interesting and beautiful places that my mom now spends her time, the places I remember are the most touristy, so that is what we did.

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We also spent a brief time in the bay area and on a side venture drove by my Grandparents old house. It has changed so much that while I had a twinge of nostalgia it was also all wrong. With all the changes I don’t recognize it reminds me how long it has been since I have been there. It’s too bad I don’t have a picture of how it used to be, maybe my mom can come up with one to compare.
 
Spent some time at places I didn't grow up with. Though I worked on the boardwalk when I was young it has changed so much that only the Big Dipper is familiar now.  Even that has new pictures and decorations inside the waiting area. We spent some time playing mini golf, riding the rides and a brief stint in the arcade. About the only other thing that looks familiar are the sea lions at the wharf!
 
Mom took us to a yummy goat cheese farm. While I am much more aware of and concerned with the treatment of animals in our food production, these guys looked well maintained and taken care of. They had some area to roam. Places for the babies to play and “guard llamas”. Yep I said that correctly, the lamas are there to protect the herd. We got to taste test the cheese and it was awesome.
 
I don’t have pictures of the people we visited with because we were too busy visiting with them! It is awesome to see everyone after three years and while many of our interests have changed there were a few that very much paralleled our own changes and that was fun to talk about. We had an awesome time and then headed back to sunny Arizona. We got a three day break and are now headed north on our next adventure!