So we left the beach house today with little fanfare and a seagull that somehow reminded us of Kirus. I'll be missing it, in a way. It's a nice place to vacation, and it's a very pretty city, but I can feel how crowded it is more keenly than in Kelowna. So, in short, happy to be heading home.

( Anyway, I promised you a tour of the house way back, so here... )

( And, of course, the trip today... )

Tonight is our last night here on the beach... Tomorrow morning (sometime...) we'll be on our way back to Canada, so we spent most of the day just sitting in the sun and doing some cleaning.

It's been fun! Lots of stuff was done, lots of relaxing was to be had, we haven't killed each other yet (and it's doubtful we'll get there, even though all three of us are at or just passed the moody part of the month....) but i'm really ready to come home now. :3

Nothing more to see here,

Cheers guys!

-Jess

There were a number of options for the day 11 tagline, but Carmen hit it on the nail with the general screaming. See, today we actually went to the boardwalk. Yeah... Sam... you know what I'm talking about. ^_-

( But lets back up a bit, shall we? )

I decided to sleep last night instead of post, so this is a bit late. :3 One of the things I had been really looking forward to on this trip came up yesterday, and I at least had a whole pile of fun.

( Though I can't stop apologising to Clara and Carmen about the cold... )

TRAIN!


....



To tell it in a short way... today we went to see trees and go on a train.

( Of course, there's always a bit more to the story... )

There's this log down on the beach that has been smoking for two days now. Every once in a while we get the smell of burning. It's not unpleasant... just smokey.

The sunburn has receded somewhat... It's just in my armpits that it's bad. I have armpit burn. D: As such, Clara ordered me to stay out of the sun, so I did. We forewent the Redwoods and took today as another chill day...

( At least until I ran out of books... again... )

No pictures today. I mean... I could take pictures of my sunburn, but you don't want to see it (besides, tomorrow there will be pictures enough, and I'm sure to still be a nice pink color.)

We sat and read all day today. It was brilliant. I didn't wake up until the cement truck started doing it's thing, and managed to do a load of laundry. The fog cleared off toward the afternoon, but since I got such a late start, that was perfect. The only time we left the house today was to resupply, and that was just fine with us since it meant bbq and more lemonade (I was running low. WOE!)

Carmen sat in her reading spot in the living room, and Clara and I donned the lotion and occupied the middle deck. That 's where I slow roasted over the rest of the day despite suntan lotion. I'm looking pointedly at you here, mom. At least I know there will be a nice tan under this somewhere. *l*

I jokingly mentioned earlier that Day 7 should just consist of book reviews. Carmen's read through two (I think? It could be three...), I'm almost through my third, and Clara's almost done her second. At least I'm reading a new series I like.

Anyway, I'll head off. Tomorrow will be more entertaining (It's looking like Redwoods and Steam Train!). I have more Aloe to slather on, anyway.

Cheers!

-Jess

Sorry I didn't get a post up yesterday, but we got back late and everyone decided to go pass out. :D good times. Hopefully I got it up in a timely manner.

The fog was thick yesterday morning, which was perfect, because we were going to Monterey to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The drive is comparable to the drive between Vernon and Kelowna, and the city itself is like driving around the Cannery area of Victoria. The water also shifts from beaches to Kelp forests (at least where we were) so it was Not A Good Kate Place. :D

( But I'm getting ahead of myself... )

We have very few things actually scheduled during our time here (though as the week progresses, we find that's changing. Boat cruises are being booked, dates are being checked, democratic talks about when we're going to the Aquarium are being had... ) but Shadowbrook was one of them. Clara mentioned earlier about how they stopped doing brunch...and it was so late in the day... and we're hella lazy...

( So we meandered over to the Crows Nest, on the Harbor )

Carmen here. Jess has been amazing and been keeping up with posting the day by day adventures but I thought it was about time I hopped on and wrote a little bit.

I have never really been outside BC. Alaska and Jasper yes, but for very shortly and I was much younger. Santa Cruz has been a facinating experience, and such a good one. It is so easy to forget oneself here, and easier still to understand why people flock to it so easily. The place is beautiful, and its not just the ocean front. People take obvious pride in their city, the gardens are incrediable, well maintained and in full bloom with flowers that leak out of their front yards and grow wild on the ocean cliff sides. The people are friendly, smiling and greeting you as you walk by, eager to help with a question you have. There is a culture here I havn't quite defined it yet but it is rich and you can see it in the way people dress and the stores, festivities and decorations you walk by.

In short you could live your life here and I doubt would  want to wander very far. I understand why clara was so eager to bring us here.

And I wish you could all see the house. I could die happy here. The ocean is just outside the main window, its been incrediable listening to the waves crash deep into the night, and smell the salty dawn as you wake up. There are the sea lions of course making a ruckus but considering I have never seen/heard one before in the wild I am thrilled to experiance them to. I have made camp in a cushioned wicker chair by one of the open windows overlooking the beach and have eaten through a thick novel and a number of carmel baily's coffee already. Later this week we whale watch with the chance to see a blue whale. A blue whale! All right very LOW chance but still! (something to cross off on my bucket list if it does happen!)

I miss elements of home, mainly the people left behind, but already I realise it will be very hard to leave this place.

Anyhow cheers. Miss everyone and wish you were here :)

CHEESECAKE!



And now that the deliciousness is out of the way... Day four!

( Which was definately made of adventure... )

Day three dawned foggy as hell, but pretty nonetheless.  Because I'm a whiny bitch, I can't recollect much sleeping (I won't bore you with details. seriously) but I got to sit and watch as it got progressively lighter. The sun didn't so much rise as appear suddenly at 11:00... but that was way after the day had started.

( I was the first one up, but joined right quick... )

Jess again, I'm the big LJ person anyway, so I'm not surprised I'm the most egar to update this thing. But be assured, Clara will most likely wrest this thing away from me sometime soon. Sorry for not updating last night (mom.) but we got here, and ate food, showered, and passed out (in various different orders)

( Day the Second... )

Well, hello gentle readers.  Jess here for the day 1 recap and picture post. As you can probably guess, thirteen hours of driving does not for interesting story make, but we have a few tidbits for you.


( SOOPER IMAGE HEAVY ADVENTURES!!! )

Two weeks from tomorrow! Tanktops are bought, funds are planned, various things are serviced (cars...toenails...) and music is mixed.

Ahh. The music mix.

I insisted. Clara acquiesced. And the Playlist From Hell rears it's beautiful, horrible head once more. Classic Rock lovingly peppered with Epic Soundtracks and the occasional gem (Yackity Sax? The Unicorn Song? Albie the Racist Dragon?)

Having fun, regardless.


Need a new bathing suit.


Yuss.



Totally off topic, Carmen and Erin provided the art team (and some people who just wandered in) with rootbeer floats. WAY TO MAKE THE NEXT TWO WEEKS AWESOME, GUYS.

OK!

Long over due update

It has been a long time since I last posted here. There is a new trip to Santa Cruz in the works. This years guest list is Jassica and Carmen. It will be my roomates first trip to the US of A. It will be there first time at Seabright!

We all have out time booked off and now it is just a matter of planning out the journey and getting excited!

What needs to be done?

Car need to get ready. This will be Tinkerbelle's (my VW beetle) second adventure and this time I know what I need to do and more importantly what not to do.

we are at just under two months away from take off date. From this point on there will be updates!