Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Lots of Stuff

Fourth of July - We have a killer view from our very own patio of the fireworks put on by the city. And, since we're less than half a mile from the main park, we could hear the music and festivities the whole day. We had a lovely barbeque and then decided to hop over the patio railing to the hillside, just in case the view was better. There were quite a few people doing the same, but I think we were the only comfortable ones. We set up a blanket and our patio chairs, brought out our really weak solar patio lights, made hot cocoa, and enjoyed ourselves. Ayla did great too. She pretty much ignored the fireworks, though we were plying her with treats the entire time. So, come on out to see us next Fourth and we'll have a really fun time!

August 12 - My dear friend Stef visited us for the day. We spent most of the time talking and laughing, and catching up. We got some take-out for lunch and took it to a park, where we were attacked by bees. That was not so fun. We ended up having to toss the food and get out of there before we all got stung. Later we had a barbeque and enjoyed a nice bottle of wine, and before we knew it, it was midnight. Stef stayed over and got to enjoy Gretel, the cat, walking all over her at night. Good kitty, don't let the guests sleep soundly. :)

The following weekend - More visiting with Stef, but this time we went to see her and her cute little house and yard. Ayla did her best to eat all the flowers, but Stef assures me they are back to normal just a week later. We picked up lunch at The Lobster Shack, where they daily fly in fresh seafood from Maine. Yummy! Then we went to Bay and had a picnic. While we were there a woman with a dog came and played fetch with her dog into the water. Ayla chased that dog over and over, trying to get him to play with her, and getting in the water deep enough to reach her belly. Soon enough she'll be swimming! It was so wonderful to get to see Stef two weekends in a row; I'll have to steal her away from her fiance more often.

August 25 - My parents and little brother were RV-ing this week. They set up camp in San Benito at a Thousand Trails and did lots of things: visiting wineries, going to Monterey, visiting wineries, going to missions... did I mention they visited wineries? On Friday Ayla and I hopped in the car, leaving Chris to fend for himself for the night, and drove down to visit. The RV area made me Feel like I was at summer camp. They had a lodge with ping-pong, two pools, a jacuzzi, a mini golf course, horse back riding, and even a dog park! We hung out at the camp that day and enjoyed each other's company while Ayla tried to get old man Phantom, my parent's 15-year-old lab, to play with her. There were tons of quail right outside the site, and a peacock, and hummingbirds... and flies. We had s'mores that night around a camp fire and the next morning Ayla tried to eat a bush. She got pretty far on the thing too. Mid-day Ayla and I drove back home, and she slept the rest of the weekend. Camping is hard work! It was great to see the folks, and I have some ideas for future RV sites we can all enjoy.

That's it for now. This is a long weekend and we have some plans, so I'll have more to write soon!