Vacay Day 1

Friday, July 24th, 2009.


We boarded our plane for LA (that's Los Angeles, not Louisiana) early in the morning. The kids did great on the flight, thank goodness. We actually had an awesome pilot who pointed out interesting landmarks as we flew over them. We got to see the Mississippi (yes, I totally sounded that out letter by letter in my head as I typed it), Shiprock New Mexico, the Grand Canyon, and the crater just outside of Flagstaff.

We landed in LA, rented our car*, and headed for the beach. Aunt Barbara told us to head to Dockweiler State Beach right near the airport. If you read down the info on Wikipedia, it says it's a famous beach for both the waves and the rush of being so close to the airplanes as they take off. There is also a famous incident of a jet losing parts onto the beach as it took off.

The kids with Aunt Barbara. She made us feel so welcome. It's funny how blogging can bring families together. I feel as if I know Barb better than Sean does, and she's the aunt on his side of the family! We were pleased to have the Presidential Suite to ourselves, and thanks to So Cals mild evening temperatures, we slept quite well.


The kids with Grandma Mary. She is getting on in age, but you'd never know it. She's as spry as ever, and I think she looks great. She always has great advice, and sees life from a very valuable perspective. She's pretty much been there, done that. After raising 12 kids, I believe it! Gretta was in love at first sight, and I think Grandma was too!


Here we see footprints in the sand. Or my version thereof. Also in this picture was supposed to be a refreshing beverage. We had set it with our shoes. When we turned around to get it to quench our salty thirst, it was gone! As we left the beach an hour later, we realized the family behind us had helped themselves to it. We decided it was best left with them, obviously they needed it more than we did.


Gretta loved the beach. She wasn't too sure of the water, but then again, the waves were pretty big. The sand was just her speed. She dug and dug, and sifted and sifted. She buried my feet several times, and was surprised to see my toes emerge each and every time. Like a game of podiatrical peek a boo.


And finally, the big girls. They didn't want to change into their swimsuits, but we sort of forced them. I mean, changing in the car is never fun, but I knew they would be glad they did. And they were. Maggie was the first to fall in the water. She was shocked by the saltiness (I always am at first, too), but she was so brave and just played and played. Emma was also shocked by the salt, and she was brave enough to get in up to her waist, and even more when the really big waves would wash in.

We saw a couple of rescues while we were there. It was interesting to see how dumb people can be when it comes to water safety. We love the beach, and LA is such a cool town. Aunt Barbara lives 2 houses from the house where part of Father Of The Bride was filmed, one of my favorite movies ever! Her street is so quaint, and as a bonus there is an Old Spaghetti Factory right down the road. I was pretty tempted to smuggle some Mizithra back home with me, since we can't find it anywhere out here.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more pics and words. I know, you're waiting with baited breath.

*Speaking of rental cars, what's the difference between a 4 wheel drive and a rental car?





Rental cars can go anywhere.