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.