Carpinteria!

I forgot that I have not yet told you about our stay in Carpinteria! After our long weekend in Santa Barbara, about which you may have read here and here, Number One's Aunt graciously allowed us to stay in her ocean-front condo in Carpinteria for a few days.

It was a perfect place to stay, everything we needed, although just a bit chilly at first as there was no heat. We managed to stay warm by piling more blankets on the bed and baking a sheet of cookies to eat with hot chocolate each night. (you didn't hear H-Bomb and Sawed Off complaining about that!) After the first night, we acclimated and it was actually fine without the heat. And we had plenty of warm clothes with us since at home it was still winter!

The ocean was cold, of course, but that didn't stop our boys from playing on the beach every chance they got! We were within walking distance of the charming town of Carpinteria, so we walked to the grocery store and discovered the best little succulent nursery.

I already told you about the dinner we made, which was excellent. It was so nice to be able to extend our vacation in such a beautiful place.

We then drove up to Solvang, bought some books for H-Bomb and Sawed Off at Aunt Kathy's bookstore and stayed with her for a night in her lovely new pool house, and had a delicious pizza dinner with one of Number One's cousins and her family. It was a perfect vacation! We would love to return to Carpinteria when the weather is a bit nicer.

Thank you, Aunt Kathy!
You're the best!