My day began at 5:45 AM when the freaking alarm in the hotel room went off. Seriously? It was still dark outside for goodness sakes. After dealing with that little mishap, I went back to sleep and woke up at 6:45, and 7:30. At this point, Milo was up also and I decided it was time to get out of bed. Liam was less than thrilled with this early start. I am a bit jealous of people who have children who sleep in.
This was a non-mission, kayaking and beach day. And lucky for us, it was a bright, sunshiney day. Our kayaking tour was led by a cool guy named Mike at Channel Island Kayak Center. He does a fun tour of the harbor where we saw some wildlife...diving pelicans, frolicking seals (Milo asked if it was mating season), tons of sea stars, and a huge, orange jellyfish. We all paired up: Milo and Liam (who were very helpfully towed by Mike since steering was a bit problematic), Lisa and Cameron, and Grace rode with me. We had a good time...even when Cameron decided to lay down and Grace really didn't paddle much. ;-)
Lunch in the harbor came next. Lisa and I decided we deserved a cocktail for our endeavors. Kayaking with four kids is tough work! Once lunch was finished (Liam did NOT have shrimp this time...weird), it was off to the beach for boogie boarding and castle building. The kids were in and out of the waves. Cameron tried to teach Liam and Milo how to boogie board. Liam gave up early and started building sand pyramids. Milo hung in and almost caught a wave or two, before he just body surfed and helped with the pyramid. Cameron stayed in the surf the longest and was a pro! Grace just hung out in the sand with Lisa and I as we read and fretted about how far out in the water the boys were going.
We dragged our tired butts back to the hotel to clean up for dinner and then went back to Ventura Harbor for a really great dinner at Surf and Tacos. Milo tried shark! And Liam had...wait for it...shrimp tacos!!! The kids wanted to go to the arcade, so Lisa and I gave them each $5. No amount of begging or pleading got any of them more than that so our time there was mercifully short. Then it was back to the hotel for bathing suits and an exploration of this hotel's pool which is actually at the hotel next door. Everyone ended up in the hot tub before going to our rooms to watch a movie and pass out!
The boys are asleep and I should be, too, once I put on a little more after sun gel (apparently, my sunscreen wasn't water proof so my shins are crispy critters!). Tomorrow, we move onto San Fernando Rey De Espana and San Gabriel Arcangel before checking in to Dana Point. Susan and Trevor Griffin with Antonio Verrico join at the hotel tomorrow afternoon and Gavin will fly in at night. It will be good to see them!
Milo
Today was my favorite day so far. I've liked some of the missions, but nothing beats kayaking and the beach. I liked being on a kayak and think that next time I'd like to have my own boat. Cameron taught me how to boogie board and I liked that, too. Liam, Cameron, and I built a sand pyramid. We had a good day.
I tried a new food today, a burrito with shark in it. Shark is delicious and this was one of the best burritos I have ever had. I'm okay with eating shark as long as the whole animal was used and not just the fins. I think wasting parts of animals that were caught for food is wrong. Every bit should be used or the animal should be left alone.
Tonight I am really tired. I will sleep well.
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