California Beaches                                                          May 11, 2012

I forgot that this kid learned to drive on the freeways and mean streets of LA. YIKES!!!

In addition to the death defying golf cart tour of the island’s hinterlands, there are a number of much safer activities available such as submarining, parasailing, zip lining and, the ever popular, bird watching (or vice-versa)…

Another of those things which has become a tradition during our stays in LA is the weekend barbecue with Uncle Dan.   Although I went all out for this one and rustled up a bunch of my soon-to-be world famous barbecued oysters, Dan skimped a bit with fresh salmon, ribs and filet mignon…

I had never realized just how short Jenny is until I saw this picture of her with Jeff who, himself, is only a fraction of an inch above the minimum height required to get on the “big people” rides at Disneyland.  But it was nice to have them around for a spell to distract the other kidlets and allow us a few minutes to recoup before the next onslaught of one-on-one grandkid face time…​

During our final weekend in LA, we were treated to a visit by our youngest, when she drove down from San Francisco with her boyfriend…

Our grandson is actually getting accustomed to working in front of a camera since landing a couple of roles in commercials on both the Internet and television.  So the next time you find yourself irresistibly drawn to a sales pitch for either AT&T or Gannett Investments, the chances are that some curly headed little gremlin belonging to the Bryan clan has grabbed your attention.

One of the really nice things about staying on the beach in LA is the miles-long bicycle path running along the ocean.  My Bride, a fanatical devotee of Lance Armstrong, recently upgraded her two wheeled transportation from a Pee Wee Herman lookalike bike to a sportier Electra Townie…​

The Giant Dipper is still the crown jewel of the Boardwalk and our favorite SC restaurant, The Crow’s Nest, is still here serving great meals from their location perched above the Santa Cruz Harbor…

Their playtime got off to a somewhat rocky start until Devin was finally able to out maneuver Jeff and re-claim his sand slider.  Having our kids scattered throughout the far reaches of the Golden State makes it somewhat difficult to get them together in the same place so it is always a treat to spend time with a couple of them when the opportunity presents itself…

I was unaware that Ellen Degeneres had been hawking this bike on her show when we bought it but we are now more acutely aware of who is selling what since we have become peripherally connected to the whole Hollywood show biz advertising environment via our soon-to-be major motion picture star grandson.  I suppose that he will soon be riding around in limos and dating 5-year old rising starlets.

While in LA, Kasper and I went out for a “Daddy-Daughter Date” to Catalina Island…

The preferred mode of travel around the few paved roads is a golf cart which you can rent by the hour and either drive yourself or hire someone from Kasper’s Kamikaze Sushi and Island Tours to guide you…

And although I may be getting a bit long in the tooth and slow of step, I still enjoy a leisurely stroll along the Boardwalk and stealing a kiss from my favorite gal…

Happy Mother’s Day!   See y’all next time.  Hugs, CC and Zook

In addition to our usual marathon of visits to a cadre of medical specialists, during which I was pronounced dead by three of them including my dentist, it goes without saying that any visit to LA will include a picture or two of our favorite El Aliens who are always anxious to visit “Granma and Granpa at the beach”…

Since departing Texas last month and making a speed run through the southwest and into California, we have become a couple of beach bums.  Beginning with our usual stay at Dockweiler State Beach in beautiful downtown Los Angeles to the present day, the scenery through our windshield has been pretty much the same…

And in hot pursuit with camera at the ready can usually be found one of these guys…

This is the first time we have been to Santa Cruz since hitting the road 12 years ago and we were somewhat surprised that not a whole lot has changed during that period. 

Well…he is just a kid and still has so much to learn.

Our flight from LA took us north on Highway 101 with stops in Santa Barbara, Atascadero and Watsonville before alighting in Santa Cruz…