School is Out!!

Here we are again...finally!

Being short on time and long on responsibilities

coupled with being lock out of my blog and having to find 

 a new browser to open it, has kept me away.

To celebrate the end of another school year,

we spent the day soaking in the sun at the ocean.

Santa Cruz, to be exact, well known for its beach and boardwalk.

During an educational program put on by a wildlife organization,
Tiana turned to me and said, "I already knew that because I learned
it on Wild Kratz."  So, I guess edu-tainment programs are beneficial after all.

Our first ride...

As seen from the air...

Built in 1924, The Giant Dipper is the 5th oldest roller coaster in the U.S.  The roller coaster and the carousel have been designated as National Historical Landmarks.
It reaches speeds up to 46 mph and I had forgot how exciting it was to ride.
One ride was enough for me.

Tiana went on it and it was her first large roller coaster ride.

One ride was enough for her too.

So, while the older kids visited some of the very exciting rides,
her and I were content to spin around on ones that didn't
have so many drops and loops.

One of my favorites was the Ferris Wheel.

This one was pretty exciting, according to Tiana,

who thought she might fall out at any moment.

All of my kids rode on this one and if you look closely you can see

both of the boys on the left hand side.

Wesley is trying to not be sick and Nathan is bending his head forward

a little because this was his second round and he was trying to avoid getting sick!

Tiana decided she never needed to go on this one again.  Ever!!

When we had enough of the rides and noise, we ambled over to the quietness

of the pier and slipped into Woodies to enjoy a peaceful late afternoon meal.

The view from our seats...

To finish out the day, we decided to head over the hills to shop at the outlets.

At one point on our curvy journey on a fairly deserted road we came across

 these stop lights out in the middle of nowhere.

The road narrowed to one lane and only one side was allowed to go at a time.

Obviously, no one is going either way at this point.

The outlets were kind of a bust; nothing great and wonderful was purchased.

We did appreciate the fact that they were fairly empty, which was somewhat surprising 

for a Friday night.

We headed for home 12 hours after leaving it that morning.

Daddy was eagerly awaiting our arrival not quite knowing what to do

all by himself in an empty house.

Summer break was finally here and we had dropped the routine

 and were headed into the excitement and busy times

 of the season.

************************************

I hurt my back so I have been walking around telling

everyone else what to do.  I can't really bend so I have the nearest 

person get what I need out of the cupboard.

One boy was complaining that this was as bad as the time I had surgery

and that I was acting like an old lady.

I told him I was just preparing him for when he gets to take care

of me in my old age.

That was enough to make him consider moving out...promptly! :-)