A Little Adventure

It might surprise all of you (well, especially Scott) that I’m writing this post, but I thought I should at least mention it.  The World Cup starts next Friday (June 9th) in Germany.  The US doesn’t play until Monday (June 12th).  I’m definitely going to try and watch all of the US games.  All of the games will be in the morning or during the day, so I figure that since Scott is working, I should at least try to watch the some of the games (at least the important ones).  Scott will be able to watch some, but not all of them.

I filled out my guesses as to who will make it out of their groups and so forth.  It is much similar to the March Madness brackets that everyone fills out.  I am the first to admit that I know very little about soccer, so my paper is probably very wrong, but that is the joy of filling it out.  Anyway, we’ll see how I do.  I have Germany listed as winning it all.  Scott tells me that historically, when the World Cup is in Europe, then a European team wins it.  So the way that I filled out my paper, Germany was my choice.  I’m not sure if that is a good choice or not, but then again, Scott told me “It’s the World Cup you never know what is going to happen…maybe they will win…who knows.”  So we’ll just see how it goes.  And of course it is all for fun, so what difference does it make.

Today was the first time we’d tried going to the swimming pool this week. I asked Milo if he wanted to take a walk outside this morning and he said yes. Our walks always lead us to the swimming pool (at least here in the temp housing place) and so I told him he could get his feet wet, but if he got his clothes wet, then we’d have to put on his swimming suit. Well, he (not to anyone’s surprise) got his shorts wet and so we came inside. I was putting on a “swim diaper” and after I had it on he told me that it was “too big” which it really wasn’t, but you know…. I thought I might have had it on backward (I have a hard time knowing if there is a front or back on them) so I took it off. When I tried to put it on again he started to cry. I told him that he couldn’t go swimming with out it and he continued to cry and throw a fit. I got him dressed in his normal clothes and put him in bed for a nap, because my philosophy is that if he is crying like that over something so minor, he must need a nap. He slept for about 20 minutes and then got up and seemed better. He didn’t want to go swimming again at that time. He decided to test the waters yesterday and not take a nap which caused him to be very tired last night and then tired again today. So that probably had a lot to do with it. Anyway, I’ll see what I can do about the situation and see if I can get him out there again. I hope by summer’s end, that he is doing better with the swimming pool.

Well, I quite enjoyed our Monterey trip. It was great to get to the aquarium before all the people came. It was hilarious to watch Milo interact with the fishes. We then rode the trolley bus into Fisherman’s Wharf which was very fun. I don’t think that I had been on a wharf like that before. It was great. Lunch was pretty good, I liked the bread bowl. The clam chowder was pretty good, but I don’t really like fish much. The best part was the peanut butter fudge that I got us for after lunch. It was excellent. We then went down to Pacific Grove and that was a beautiful place. I liked seeing the lighthouse. I had wanted to get a cool unique picture for my cell phone and so that will be it for now. We had fun there. Then we went on the Pebble Beach drive and that was beautiful as well. There were a lot of people, but it was fun. The one thing about that was that it as cold and windy. I had forgotten to take a hair thing and so my hair was a big mess by the time we got done. I liked being on the beach at Carmel, except again it was cold and windy and so we didn’t stay long. We did have a fun time. The drive to and from Monterey wasn’t bad either. It was fairly scenic and so things have worked out there. All in all, I enjoyed the trip and wouldn’t mind trying it again to see a few things again.

After going to Costco last week and getting a big fat chocolate cake for Milo’s birthday, we decided to start celebrating it early. We sang Happy Birthday to him several times while we were having cake. He has this sheepish proud grin each time that we sing. He enjoyed the cake so much that we had it after lunch and dinner. We had a few gifts for him. He got a lego Thomas the Train set and some swords, and a music CD and some clothes. I’m sure he’ll be getting a few other things as the summer goes along. We also went to the Monterey Aquarium for his birthday, as well. He seemed to enjoy himself and has been asking to go back to see the fish. So I guess that we’ll have to do that again. Anyway, he seemed to have a very good birthday.

I am looking for a little user interaction. I have some guidebooks and ideas of my own about places I want to see this summer, but I am wondering if other folks have ideas for us. Our thought right now is that we will try to travel somewhere approximately every other weekend (this may change due to World Cup games on Saturday that I can’t miss or visitors, etc.). We are also planning to take 7-10 days to drive home stopping along the way. We probably don’t want to go much more than 3-4 hours away for a weekend trip and even that is pushing it. The sky is the limit for our longer trip. What suggestions do folks out there have for us? Is there anything that is a must see? The more detail the better. You can send me e-mail or comment on this post.

Disclaimer: Not all of the images in this post have been selected because they are technically sound. Some of the images are pretty bad, but they do tell the story. I am sorry for the subpar images. The light wasn’t great, I didn’t get out my tripod everywhere, and I didn’t have my best shooting day.
Yesterday we decided that to celebrate Milo’s birthday a little bit early by taking him to the Monterey Aquarium and to see the ocean/beach. We didn’t know what the traffic would be like on a Memorial Day weekend Saturday and we wanted to hit the aquarium before the crowds, so we left our house about 8 a.m. We hit very light traffic and made it to the aquarium by 9:30. We didn’t think that they were open, but we they let us in. We were very happy to get started before the crowds came.
Milo was quite excited and wanted to see the sharks first. Luckily, right as we walked in the door we saw the shark exhibit. The first tank contained 3 medium sized sharks that basically swam in circles. The circles of course took them right near the edge of the crystal clear aquarium glass. Milo was quite frightened. He claimed that the shark wanted to eat him. He loved to watch them, but wanted to keep his distance. He was that way for most of our time at the aquarium. For a few minutes in the middle of our visit he decided it was okay to touch the glass and get close. Then a largish ray decided to flip on its belly and swim by the glass (they look quite menacing when they do that). That frightened Milo enough to keep him away from the glass for the rest of the visit. The aquarium was large, but not gigantic. It was fun to watch the fish swimming around. They even had some Dori (from Finding Nemo) style fish that Milo liked. Sorry that the photo isn’t great. The lighting in the aquarium is a bit tricky.

The aquarium of course caters to children in many ways. They have a few play areas with hands on displays. Milo was brave enough to play with a few of the displays. He wasn’t into the displays that involved touching fish (Dad took advantage of those for him), but he sure did like to turn this wheel.

Overall I really quite enjoyed the aquarium. I think that the fish are nice. It is pretty amazing to see such big fish so close. Tuna can be gigantic in case you didn’t know. I would wager than they can get a few hundreds cans/fish. It certainly isn’t a one can for one fish operation. Sharks are always intriguing. I have an odd fascination with jellyfish. I find them spectacularly beautiful and mysterious creatures. I was very impressed with the assortment of jellyfish at the aquarium. It is the best selection I have ever seen (not that I have been to many aquariums or anything). They even had a Jellyfish exhibit. They were all very nice, but my favorite jellyfish didn’t look much like a jellyfish. They did however have running lights. Yep, fluorescent red and green lights in their bodies that appeared to blink or “run.” Very, very cool little guys. The light was horrible there so I don’t have a picture. I do have a picture of a few jellyfish. The blue and white spotted one in the photograph was my second favorite one. I didn’t get a particularly good image, but they were really beautiful. Okay, that is my jellyfish rant. I also quite liked the otters they had there. Very cool little animals.

We spent a few hours at the aquarium and saw mostly everything that was there. We even saw a few places more than once because Milo like them. We went to the shark exhibit twice. They had a small exhibit with some marine birds which Milo liked that we saw twice. You also had to go through a revolving door to enter and leave the exhibit which I personally think added to the fun of that one. They had a cool little place where a wave would wash over the glass that surrounded you. Milo liked that although it of course frightened him a little bit.

After seeing the aquarium, we were hungry. We hopped the free shuttle down to the wharf to get some grub. We decided that it was best to do the traditional thing there and had bread bowls of clam chowder for lunch overlooking the marina. The clam chowder was pretty good, but the sour dough bread bowl is what made the meal. Milo of course finished early and proceeded to find rocks and throw rocks into the water while Monica and I ate. I guess we are bad parents but it was his birthday, so I just let him do it. As per our usual we decided that we needed a little something sweet after lunch. We stopped by a little candy store where Milo waiting patiently on the plastic horse outside the store while Monica went in and grabbed us an expensive chunk of peanut butter fudge. We all thought it was worth every penny

During lunch we could hear what sounded like sea lions barking. I knew that the guidebooks had mentioned that you could see seals in the area. I didn’t quite think that they would be close enough for us to hear, but I didn’t know. We debated about whether the noise was artificial for atmosphere or whether it was boat sails creaking or just what it was. We never came to a good conclusion but decided we would take a walk down to another pier where it looked like people were out watching seals on a rock. We made it about half way to the pier when we saw a few people gathered at a picnic table off the side of the little bike trail we were following. As we approached we realized that they were looking at seals on the rocks. From a distance (and even from quite close) the seals just look like extensions of the rocks. It was fun to watch them sun themselves for a little bit. I am still surprised that we saw them so close to civilization.

After the seal watching, we hopped in the car and headed down the road to Pacific Grove. We parked the car near a spot called Lover’s Point and walked around the beach area. The beach doesn’t have much sand, but we did notice more than a few signs warning us to not enter the water. Apparently the bacteria content is high enough for the CA health department to issue a warning against contact with the water. It didn’t seem to bother most people. We found it humorous. Pacific Grove seems to be a nice little area. I really enjoyed the beautiful purple flowers that lined the rocks along the beach. They made the place very photogenic. We didn’t take the time to enter the downtown area. Maybe next time…

The next stop on the agenda was the Point Pinos Lighthouse. Monica loves lighthouses, so we decided that we should try to see a few while we are close to the coast. This one is supposed to be pretty good so we gave it a whirl. It was a nice little spot. It isn’t very big and the signage helping you arrive isn’t very prominent, but they have taken the time to restore this little place. It was worth the visit. Monica was just happy to have a lighthouse picture to use as a background on her cell phone.

I had voted that while we were close it would be worth it to do 17 Mile Drive through the Pebble Beach area. We reluctantly paid the fee and hit the road. It is a very interesting section of road. The rugged beach is juxtaposed with beautifully green golf courses in some spots. It makes for some very nice scenery. We enjoyed the views but not the tour buses full of people. I was surprised at the popularity of the area. We saw more tour buses here than anywhere else. We did manage to find a place to park everywhere we wanted. I took the requisite shots of the beach and golf course as well as The Lone Cypress which “is revered as the eternal symbol of Pebble Beach Company.” Milo slept through most of this drive so he missed the chance to see all of the BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche SUVs and sports cars. Monica and I took turns getting out to see the sites on a very windy day. It is a beautiful spot despite the fact it is overpriced and crowded.

Milo did wake up in time to see The Lone Cypress and continue on toward the beach. We decided that we would end the day relaxing on Carmel Beach. It is my understanding that it is the best sandy beach in the area. Our problem was that it was a cold and windy day to be at the beach. We didn’t bring coats (weren’t we going to the beach in California?), and Monica had forgotten to bring something to tie her hair back. We played around the beach for a little bit but didn’t stay too long. Milo and I took the opportunity to get our feet wet. Milo found out that waves come in different sizes and can knock you over if you aren’t ready. Throwing rocks at the beach is a bit more challenging because the water moves on you

It was past dinner time when we hit the road back toward home. Monica thought it would be nice to stop and grab a bit to eat. The problem was we had no idea where to stop. Monica noticed that a sign indicated there would be some food off the exit for Marina, CA. We exited the freeway and didn’t see too much. We saw a sign for Isidro’s Taco Shop Taqueria. I thought it sounded like a great idea. It turned out to be a great decision. We walked in and Isidro was sitting behind the counter watching Mexican comedies with some friends seated nearby. He greeted us with an Hola as we walked through the door. A very nice younger Mexican girl who of course spoke perfect English seated us and took our order. Monica had a gigantic chicken burrito and I had 3 chorizo tacos. Milo was content with the chips and salsa that were provided. I thought it was some pretty good and very authentic Mexican food. The entire meal of course cost less than one bowl of overpriced chowder. It just made me laugh. I felt it was a fitting end to our day. It somehow made me feel like we had the complete California experience that day.
It was a long day. It was a fun day. More importantly…we learned a few things that will serve us well in the future I hope. California can be cold even in the summer. My grandfather warned us that a friend once told him, “The coldest summer I ever spent was in San Francisco.” I keep repeating that line to Monica. I think she is starting to believe me. The beach itself is fun but unless we travel south to warmer water we need to bring some non-water related items for entertainment…and coats. I also presume that the probability of wind on the coast is pretty high. We should keep that in mind. The temperature at the beach wouldn’t have been bad if the wind wasn’t blowing.

Wow, I am quite surprised at how much Monica has been posting to the blog. Ever since her sister started blogging she has been mildly interested in starting her own blog, but didn’t quite know what to say. I guess that moving to CA has given her something say. Apparently she is the one with the free time these days, so I shouldn’t be so surprised that she is posting so much. I would like to at least give my perspective on a few things…

I do spend most of my time at work, but work related issues are NOT going to find their way to the blog. I think it is a recipe for disaster, and I am not even going to attempt it. If you want to know what is going on with me at work you will have to talk to me in person. Sorry about that, but it is just what I am going to do.

I have to admit that leaving the SLC was much more emotional than I had expected. I was pretty excited for the change of pace and new opportunities afforded by the internship and the move. I was a bit nervous about things, but I thought that I was more excited. I guess that leaving the SLC was very bittersweet. Friends had just come back into town, the summer was just heating up, summer trips were getting planned…and then we left. It would be fun to be hanging around SLC and participating in those activities, but we are also having fun here. I think the start of all the emotion really came when I went down to pack the car with my father. He said something along the lines of “Scott, I am glad it is you going and not me. I don’t think I could do what you are going to do. When I was younger I probably could have but not now. You are certainly leaving on an adventure.” That really started me thinking about a lot of things. When we told people that everything we were going to need for the summer was coming with us in our car we did get a lot of surprised looks. Yeah, I guess we are a bit crazy. At the same time I think it is teaching us that we don’t really need that many “things” to be happy and enjoy life. We can certainly get by w/ less. High speed Internet doesn’t seem to be one of the things we can do w/out, but I think we will do just fine w/out our arsenal of fancy appliances, TVs, DVD players, etc. We may even learn a new skill or two. That conversation started the downhill slope, but the wheels all came off when Milo asked in his own way, “Are we going to our new house in California?” Then the tears started flowing and the discussion about how much we had really come to love the SLC broke out. It was a good cry coupled with some good memories. I think that was the last time any of us have really missed home. Hopefully it will continue that way. Sometimes we think it would be fun to be back there, but we aren’t really missing it yet…

It is interesting to finally be in CA and Silicon Valley. I have always heard a lot of stereotypical things about the area. It is fun to actually be here and experience it for myself. We have only been here a week, but I will give you my initial impressions. Yes, the weather IS spectacular. It is really growing on me. That may be one thing that is hard to leave. I don’t know what to think about the traffic. It certainly does take a long time to get around, but I don’t feel like I am in a perpetual traffic jam. I guess I had really nightmarish expectations for the traffic so it has been bearable so far. There are just A LOT of cars on the road so the traffic lights are long so driving the 4 miles or so to work takes me 15 minutes. I am not embittered by the long lights like I am in SLC though b/c when the light is red for me there are actually cars going through the light in the other direction. It is a novel concept. Drivers here are much more courteous than in UT. They care about pedestrians, let drivers in when necessary, and nice things like that. They do drive pretty fast and follow too closely for me. I was quite afraid I would rearend someone for the first few days. I am still very nervous about it, but slowly learning the style and feel of how they drive around here. The lifestyle and attitude seem pretty laid back for the speed at which things move around here. That is quite refreshing. Overall it has been bearable and even enjoyable at times.

When Milo and I were at the store the other day, I thought it would be good to get some bubbles.  We have a patio at our temporary housing place and also at the apartment we will be getting, so I thought he’d enjoy that a lot.  And yes, he has.  We’ve blown many bubbles on the patio.  I anticipate that we’ll go through many bottles of bubbles before we return to SLC.

The other day I decided to help Milo expend some energy that I’d teach him to play Tag.  It basically turned into a time where Milo runs around and says “tickle me and then says ‘tag you it’.”  We even got Dad in on the fun last night and ran Milo around until he got so tired that he kind of threw up.  We stopped playing and he got upset and wanted to play more.  This morning when he got up, he wanted to play tag again and then multiple times today already.  He loves it.

So Milo is enjoying himself very much these days.  I hope that we can keep up with him.

Well, I just wanted to give you an update on the grocery store hunt. I did find that there was an Albertsons in the area. There are also a couple of other groceries stores which aren’t as common. I realized that whichever store we choose, we need to get their card that is similar to Smith’s fresh values card, because it will help. We didn’t want to get the Safeway card initially because we weren’t sure that were going to continue shopping there. So the moral of the story is to get whatever card they have.

I did go to Albertsons and I liked it much better than the Safeway. It seemed a bit more reasonable on the items that I purchased. I was going to get the Albertson’s card, but there were too many other people complaining about everything with one checker available at the self-serve, that I just got my stuff and decided that I’d deal with it next time.

The gas prices here are around $3.45 or so. We did find a gas station that is $3.23. So I think we’ll start getting gas there. Back in Utah, gas was under $3, so a bit more expensive. But anyway, such is life in a new place.

We went and looked at an apartment yesterday. It was a two bedroom townhouse which doesn’t have anyone above or below you. They have just put in new carpet, paint, countertops, and a vanity in the bathroom. The bedrooms are on the second story.  So we now will have stairs.  We decided that it would work. We got some applications and filled them out and returned them this morning. We heard back earlier tonight that we were approved and so in theory we should have a place for the summer.

The complex has a swimming pool, laundry facility, fitness center and is very close to one of the larger parks in town. It also is in the ward that we attended on Sunday. It is closer to Scott’s work, but still a little bit away. The best part is that they will give it to us for a decent price for rent and also on a 3 month lease. I think part of that is that they want to get it rented. They have 3 of the townhomes coming open in the next little bit. We are thinking that the 1 bedroom apartments in the complex are the hot item that everyone wants. We are planning on moving in late next week. It will be nice to get settled in a little better.