Crystal Cove State Park

Yesterday my sisters and I took a hike in Crystal Cove State Park, the Moro Canyon side, not the beach side.



We hiked approximately 6 miles with the first part of the hike up a steep incline with wonderful views from the top. The park is huge and we really only hiked a small portion.



Even though it is summer and it is July there was a terrific gloom settled over the coast which kept us cool. This made the hike much more enjoyable for sure. We did see plenty of people on the trails with it being a holiday weekend and all.

There were still plenty of wildflowers to be seen.

monkey flower




obligatory shoe shot (in first position, no less!)

barbara's lake hike

Do you know Orange County, CA actually has a few natural lakes? Two or three, I can't seem to get a straight answer, but there are at least two, or three, and they are located in the Laguna Coast Wilderness. Barbara is the largest of the three, or two, and is fed by a spring. No swimming or boating is allowed in this tiny lake, but it is nice to look at. I have lived here my entire life and never knew this lake existed until a few years back.





the lake


Well, we met our friends there for a play date/picnic/hike. The hike from the Nix Nature Center parking lot area to the lake is flat and very easy for small kids. It took us about 15-20 minutes to reach the lake. The hike can be longer depending on where you start and end.

obligatory shoe shot (we are looking at an ant carrying food)




The kids found many red ant dens? homes? holes? Whatever you call them. Several small beetles, not the stink kind, a grasshopper, and a plant that smells like peanut butter (do you know what this is called? I don't). Probably their favorite part was running up and down a dirt hill under the bridge.

the little ones are holding up the bridge


We spent two hours out on the trail, walking, exploring, running, eating snacks (of course). The best parts were the exercise, fresh air, views, happy kids, good conversation and the fact we barely saw anyone out there and, luckily, we did not see any snakes, either. I love uncrowded places.

O'Neill Regional Park and some polliwogs

I love spring and so do the girls. The weather has been nice. Great polliwog catch and release season. Not too many wildflowers sighted at O'Neill this weekend, but we didn't mind. O'Neill is one of my favorite regional parks. The park is near Trabuco Canyon and it rarely is crowded. A slice of paradise with lots of pretty sycamores and live oaks to admire.

Laguna Coast Wilderness

The girls and I went on a outing with friends to the Nix Nature Center last Saturday in the Laguna Coast Wilderness. It was a gorgeous day, warm and sunny. First stop was the Nix Nature Center. There was nobody there, which pleasantly surprised me, except a very friendly volunteer...other visitors were out hiking so we explored the center. We saw some art from local plein air painters, mechanical bats, and the girls ground some corn with a stone. A telescope facing the wilderness was also a hit with the girls. A funny sign hung on the wall, "Unattended children will be given an espresso and a puppy." Now that is funny. Julie and I ran over to our children sides right away.





Next we took a small nature hike and then parked ourselves on a picnic bench and the kids played in the dirt and explored for well over an hour. That was my favorite part, just sitting and conversing with my good friend while watching our kids play in the dirt. Just good, "clean" fun.


Hey kids, see that hill over there? Why don't you race up and down it a couple times.

valentines made with love

We are not buying Valentines this year. The girls are making their valentines instead from old cards I have saved and other craft items around the house. The only rules are have fun, use your imagination, and make them from your heart!

Each card is unique and special and I love how the girls have embraced this challenge.

Below is a sampling of each. Julia and Serena put a lot of thought into each card.

Serena cards:




Julia's cards:

so cal fun

Today the girls and I drove about 25 minutes north to Irvine. I have heard the best farmers market around takes place across from UC Irvine every Saturday morning. "They" are right. It is the best around! The market has lots of fresh produce, some organic and some not, live entertainment, some crafts, fish, nuts, tamales, and so much more.



The girls had some money to spend so Julia bought a bag of avocados and a bunch of carrots. They each bought a cute mini bag of shells for a dollar a piece.

We tried all kinds of fruit and veggies, cake, and cookies. Yum. Julia loved the pink oranges, but did not like the blood oranges ( I think it had something to do with the fact that "blood" is part of the name).

I really liked these Turkish Teas.



Next we met Aunt Krist, Aunt Lori, and Kayli at Mason Regional Park. The girls ran and ran.


Julia and Kayli rolled down the hill. Take notice of Julia's rolling skills below.


To top it all off Aunt Kristi joined us for lunch at the Steelhead Brewery.

would you pay 5 bucks?

Twice in two days miss Julia has come up with some impressive entrepreneurial ideas. Yesterday she painted at her grandmas. She called me up at work and left me a voicemail, "Hi. It's Julia. I did some painting today and when you get home tonight can we have a yard sale? I want to sell my paintings and make some money."

Good idea, right?

I like it.

Today Julia built a petting zoo. She asked if she could set the petting zoo up outside because she wants to charge everyone, "five bucks" (not dollars, but bucks) to pet the animals. Another brilliant idea, but I really do not want our neighbors to think we are cuckoo so I told her there are zoning laws and wild animals cannot be kept in a residential neighborhood and we might get a ticket...

She didn't buy it. She said, "Mom, they are TOY animals."

Still, there was no outside petting zoo today.

James and I did fork up five bucks each to pet the wild animals, though.

(well not really, we recycled the money, wink. wink.)

not quite

I took the girls this afternoon to meet up with our friends and get some fresh air and exercise before the rain begins. We are supposed to have 4 or 5 days of rain...in a row!

It took us about an hour and a half to go a mile. Several breaks were taken. One for a snack, climb the rocks, and the other to bring the joy of Chinese jump roping to the lives of our girls. Thanks Julie for that great find and idea!!! Memories.


notice the dog in the background checking out the ducks




We did not quite beat the rain. It did catch up with us the last 15 minutes.

food, fossils, and fun

Did you know Los Angeles has a Little Ethiopia? Well it does.


Aunt Lori suggested a trip the La Brea Tarpits, Page Museum, and a picnic lunch.

Cheers!


Aunt Kristi packed the flowers. Nice touch! Serena and Kayli were a bit stunned by the fancy picnic ware.








names written in tar