Moving Along

Mom had been to Mission San Juan Capistrano before, albeit 20 years ago, so we took the morning to explore the historic downtown area of San Juan Capistrano instead.  
            
It was a gray day, but we made the best of it, starting at the old train station.

                
Frankly, the historic homes weren’t all that impressive but at least the gardens were nice.

                
We had a bit of fun at the old jail cell, then stopped to wave at the trains before getting some lunch.

A quick peek over the wall at the Mission caps it all off before we head home for naptime.

                          
The following morning (I think?  It was a long time ago.) we headed out for one of our classics: whale watching.  Some good bird watching at the harbor as well.

The sea lion station was extra-crowded that morning.

   
It’s not the greatest picture of the whale itself, but it does give you an idea of how close the whale is to the boat.  And the paddle boarder should give you some idea of how close we still are to shore.  Also, can you imagine paddle boarding and having a whale pop up next to you?  (Or worse, under you?)

Jackpot!  These guys got an even better view.

          
It’s hard to really tell, but there are two separate humps there: a whale and her calf.  They were easier to distinguish when you saw them in motion.  The kids saw them clearly though!

Then there’s always time for one more story.

Finding Marshall

             
This is life around here.

                               
Until it's time for another field trip.  There’s a Marine Mammal Rescue and Rehabilitation Center up the road in Laguna Beach.  That seemed like it would be worth a look.  Of course, we got there and the kids were immediately entertained by the colorful rocks in the landscaping.

Admittedly they were really pretty.

Eventually we (Mom and I) convinced the kids to head over and see what all the noisy barking was about.  Yep, sea lions.  They can also host various types of seals and dolpins, as necessary, but the current crop was solidly sea lions.


There were several different enclosures where the animals were grouped based on health.  The cage closest to the viewing area contained those who were nearly ready to be released back into the ocean.  A couple of very friendly volunteers were on hand to answer questions.

The kids enjoyed observing feeding time.

It’s very rare for us to purchase souvenirs of any sort, but there was no admission here and they collected donations at the souvenir cart, so we ended up with a stuffed sea lion.  It was immediately christened “Marshall” after one of the sea lions we had heard the volunteers talking about.  I have to say, Marshall has been well-loved around here; he still frequently winds up in Logan’s bed and/or comes on adventures with us.
  On the way out, literally in the ditch between this place and the parking lot, we witnessed another round of wildlife feeding time.  This appears to be a Great Blue Heron, not at all a small bird, meaning that the frog was also massive.

                                      
Random shots of Laguna Beach life taken from the car window on the way home.

As soon as we got home, Marshall had to be properly introduced to the rest of the crew.  And now you’ve met Marshall too, congratulations!

Remember this Place?

We actually haven’t been back to Legoland in quite a while.  The annual passes that Logan and I had (Naomi didn’t require one last year) expired in August so I think the photos here were from our next-to-last trip.  Disney passes will be coming up next but so far we’ve kept busy doing other things and haven’t made that one happen yet.  In any event, here’s Legoland with Grammie!

      
We made a point of checking out something new every time that we went—yes, as many times as we were there, we still managed to find new things to do every single time—and this trip was focused on water adventures.


We begin with the world monument tour of the big boat ride.

      
Take a quick swing around the land-view side.

Here’s a fun Vegas detail I hadn’t noticed before.

                 
Then we head over to the wet and wild area.  The scene that ensued is not at all unusual: Naomi jumps right in and loves it immediately; Logan starts off a bit more timid.

As they continue exploring . . . 

                       
Logan warms up to it all and is having a grand time, while Naomi has tackled a bit more than she was really up for and is definitely done playing.

Aaargh, never fear!  The wee lass recovered soon enough.

                             
This ride doesn’t look like much, but it was a surprisingly big hit with both the kids.  You “drove” your vehicle a very short way, hopped out, put out the fire, jumped back in and “drove” your vehicle back to the starting point.  Weeee!

Then you stop and pose for goofy pictures with Grammie.  That’s a must-do!


         
A few more shenanigans and we’re out.

Until the kids discover another water feature.  See?  I told you Naomi had recovered from her temporary water fright.