2003

Nick’s latest meet was at Cowell Beach. Running in the sand is really hard, but how many kids get to have a cross country meet at the beach!

Gabe’s been wiggling his front tooth for what’s got to be a week. We were about ready to take him over to his Aunt Val’s house for her patented removal technique, but fate intervened. A handy bump while on a trip in the car did the trick. Good thing he’ll be asleep when the tooth fairy shows up. If she saw some of these faces, she might fly off and never return again. ...

Nick is doing cross country this year. He’s never had any luck finding a sport he can really get into and enjoy, but I think he’s finally found it. He’s been improving very quickly and they seem to go running in some really great locations. This meet was held in an area they call Pony Park.

We decided to rent a boat from the Santa Cruz wharf this time. After waiting for the fog to clear and the sun to come up enough to see, we headed out into the bay. We caught quite a few kingfish, but the unique catch of the day was this starfish. It took some time to get him to spit out the hook. I also managed to catch our first halibut. It’s rather embarrassing how small he was, but he sure was cute. ...

Not a lot of heat this summer, so the tomatoes are ripening a bit late. Its been hard waiting so long for those juicy red devils. We finally had a good crop of sunflowers this year as well. I can see why Van Gogh was drawn to paint these beauties.

One last stop before Lynda and the family head back. Some more marine life and another touch tank at the Seymour Discovery Center. That whale is so cool, but I hear the docent so was so unbelievable boring the kids nearly lost it. Time for some posing before heading off to the beach. One last beach visit, this time to Natural Bridges. Too bad the tide wasn’t out, it’s a lot of fun going through the arch and checking out the sea life. ...

No visit is complete without a visit to our favorite beach. It’s even quiet on Labor Day. George didn’t meet us this time, so we had to make do with sandwiches from Safeway instead of the Garden Deli. Of course any meal on the beach is a great meal. Doug came along for his first visit to this beach. Lynda, Charlotte, and Monica went for a walk on the cliffs. It was pretty warm even though the sun never really made it out. ...

Gabe is in desperate need of a fishing fix. We promised to do some crabbing and fishing, but the Capitola and Seacliff piers were packed with people. Luckily the Santa Cruz Wharf was pretty empty still. We didn’t have any luck with crabs or starfish, but there were huge schools of anchovies. I picked up a jig from the bait shop, and proceeded to catch them as fast as I could get the line down. I think we can count the trip as a big success. Should hold Gabe over until next weekend. ...

Charlotte takes Lynda and the crew out for a long hike at Henry Cowell. There’s plenty of big hills, but the observation post at the top has some great views.

No visit to Santa Cruz is complete without a trip to the boardwalk. If the pirate ship doesn’t make you hurl, I don’t know what will. Monica makes the big transition to roller coaster riding. She’s definitely hooked now. Meanwhile Gabe and Kyle stick to the tamer rides. I always loved those little boats when I was little. Charlotte and Lynda appear to be enjoying themselves. Gabe and Kyle make their own big leap to the scary rides. ...