Day 4, part 1

So Thursday we didn't get up early. We took our sweet time getting out and about so by the time we got to the grocery for our food for the day and then on to our first stop (Evenstar park) it was 10:30 and HOT. Poor Pie had sunburned his stomach and the tops of his feet so badly at Zuma that sitting out in the heat, even under a big shady tree, was misery. The park had really nice play equipment but since it was so hot and sunny we only stayed a little while. You can see in the picture of Tommy on the slide that his cheeks are all rosy.

After we left the park we went to visit Michelle and Ken. We haven't seen them since Sid was almost 3, so we had lots to catch up on. They are exactly the same. They are so fun to hang out with. Super cool and mellow, with lots of funny stories to share. Our kids were horrified to learn we would NOT be swimming in their backyard pool (Thursday turned out to be the only day we didn't swim in a pool, so we told them to quit their crying). We LOVED their house and for me this trip was a little hard because it was the first time in a long time that I found myself really missing Cali. I love Colorado and we are here at least until 2020--I like to say I am happily stuck. But being back in beautiful Westlake/Thousand Oaks/Agoura, I realized how Colorado really is a highland desert (read: mostly dry, open land with only the occasional pine tree. I am so over pine trees.) . And don't even get me started on our complete lack of beach......

After leaving the Daurio's, we headed to the Carl's Jr. in Westlake to enjoy yet another fast food feast. While there, we ran into Barbara Lang. What a happy surprise! I worked for her for years, cleaning her house, wrapping Christmas presents for her grandkids and just generally chit-chatting our way through many an afternoon. And what luck! Her beach house was going to be empty for the next few days and we just happen to adore her beach house. It took us about zero seconds to decide to ditch our Calabasas motel for our own beach front condo. Thanks, Barbara!

It was mid afternoon before we were all packed an out of our Good Nite Inn and on our way to Leo Carrillo, following behind the Everloves. John and Apryl had taken the afternoon and evening off from their crazy Rock and Roll lifestyles to hang out with us. Things were looking pretty good, but our kids were already starting to turn on us during the drive to the beach, complaining that they wanted to go back to Zuma. I suppose this should have been our first hint. But we naively thought, "What kids wouldn't love hunting for starfish and hermit crabs amongst the rocks of Leo?" Our kids, it turned out. (Stay tuned for the next gripping instalment of our family trip to California. Otherwise known as Day 4, part 2.)