Sunday, May 3, 2020

Ventura

The day after Christmas was a Thursday. The girls and I drove with Tutu and Papa up to Ventura to spend some time with Dee and Shan and fam. (Jim had to work.) We hung out that afternoon, and Shan made us chicken marsala for dinner.

The Deetrixes had just discovered a super lit-up neighborhood and were kind enough to go again so we could experience it. They said some people had taken their lights down already, but it was still incredible. I had been debating taking Mamo and Papo out to Candy Cane Lane in Poway (about 30 miles away from our house) but was afraid it would be really crowded and not worth the trek. I was very glad we got to do this instead.







We had a slow morning Friday but eventually made it to the big park in downtown Ojai, where we ate lunch and the kids played. Then we found a nature trail (Ojai Meadows Preserve, I believe) and went for a lovely walk. We did a flat loop, but there are more trails that head uphill we'll have to explore sometime.


Ever hit a phase of incredibly unfortunate posing for pictures. Not my flave. Pod tried to follow her lead.


We went by a giant hill in the beginning of the loop. Tiny had a hard time climbing up. She just kept sliding. Ever helped her up the last little section to the top.  



My girls would have played on that hill forever. Ever was distraught when I made her move on with the rest of the group. I promised we could hit the hill again before we left.



Another fun place for the kids to play was this giant log:



Again with the posing:


Can't remember why Ever got grumpy. Maybe I tried to make her stop posing.


I had to put Tiny in a time-out by the log for terrible behavior while the rest of the group went on. We caught up to them and watched the ducks on the pond.


I tried to take a picture of the kids, but they hid.


Fence climbing is fun.


I had thought we'd come back by the hill on the way out, but we didn't. I had to keep my promise to Ever, so Pod (who was going to ride to Ventura in our car) returned to the hill with us. Turns out it wasn't as fun the second time around, without all the other kids there, so we were soon on our way.

We went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Tiny had to stop to go to the bathroom during the drive (oh, that tiny bluster of hers!), so we were last getting there. I took her to the bathroom before we left the restaurant, and then she had to go again between there and Baskin-Robbins. Ridiculous. So we were late getting to BR, and then Tiny was doing the smallest little licks of ice cream. I thought we'd be there for hours.


We were there a while. The Deetrixes went home. Finally we left, and Tiny ate her ice cream in the car.


Saturday the 28th, we went for a little hike by a park. The landscape was very brown and the weather unseasonably scorching, but it was nice to get out.


Pod and I tried to hike a little longer than the others, but the trail we thought would take us up and around didn't connect as we were hoping. We got a little extra time out there, though.

Down in the park area, the kids had much fun riding bikes and skateboards down the hill. Ever on a skateboard: 


Wren on a skateboard:


Ever on a bike:


We must have eaten dinner together, but I don't remember. Then we said goodbye to the Deetrixes and drove back to Oceanside with Tutu and Papa.  

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