Cali continued

So, on Tuesday we had a lovely lunch with Boompa. The gal who helps Boompa is named Jaseenya (I am sure I butchered that) made shrimp salad that was amazing. Of course she gave us enough to feed an army. After some wonderful chocolate cake we chatted for a bit. Claudia met us at Boompa's and we headed to Morro Bay where we walked around and had ice cream.

Tuesday night everyone came over to Luci and Joe's house and we ordered pizza from a wonderful local place. It was called "Pizza Place". The amazing thing about this place besides the pizza is the amazing business sense the owner has. When I went to pick up the pizza I assumed they would accept credit cards (doesn't everyone??). Well, when I reached for my credit card the owner said "we only accept cash or check". I wondered what I was going to do.....then he said "Just bring the money or check later". I assumed he meant that day, or go somewhere get the money and then come back for the pizza. Nope, he said, "just bring the money in the next couple of days". HUH? WOW. He even said "don't bring the money tonight, just enjoy the pizza and bring the money on a different day". He also said that if he wasn't there to just slip the money under the door. CRAZY but much appreciated. I think other businesses should take lessons from this guy. Of course it helps that his business is in a really small town. I brought the money the next day and when I walked in he said "Hi Chris, how was the pizza". Amazing....

On Wednesday we took our time getting ready and ultimately headed back to Claudia's. It's about a 2.5 hour drive. It isn't a really exciting drive either. Before leaving we gathered the family one last time for a lovely lunch at Ocean Harvest which is a family favorite and tradition. Fernando the owner is amazing and the food is amazing as well. He always provides great service and makes sure we are well taken care of. My grandparents were some of his very first customers. After leaving and arriving at Claudia's, we made burgers and had a lovely dinner and relaxed the rest of the evening.

On Thursday we got ourselves up and moving so that we could head up to the cabin. On the way to the cabin we shopped in Oakhurst and got some coffee. We then walked next store to the cemetery to visit my dad's site. Most importantly is was great that Emma could enjoy a beverage with Grandpa!!! After the visit we headed up to the cabin where Steve and Marcus were already. I had to immediately assess the storage room and determine if we could turn it into a bedroom for Emma for the night. It was no problem which was nice because it meant that we could stay the night. Jessie made a lovely lunch for us. We then relaxed before having a nice dinner. Both meals were outdoors on the back deck. There isn't a better place on earth to enjoy a meal. The trees, sights, sounds, and smells make it amazing. After we put Emma to bed we sat on the back deck and enjoyed some beverage. The star show was amazing and we got to see the Milky Way, lots of stars, satellites, and shooting stars. Marcus, Jessie, and I slept on the deck, like my dad taught me!

We woke up on Friday and had breakfast and then got ready to head back to Claudia's. We were pretty wiped out so we lounged around Claudia's and watched Emma in her pool. Then we had dinner before watching a little TV and then headed to bed to get a good nights rest before flying back on Saturday.

We woke up on Saturday, had a nice breakfast, and got things packed. We then had to say goodbye to Claudia and Sierra. The trip home was nice. Emma slept most of the flight and before we knew it we were back in Portland. Nana (grandma Jo) was there to pick us up. All of luggage made it and we headed home.

All-in-all it was a great visit. Jessie and I both talked about how it was nice that we got to spend lots of time with everyone. We don't feel like we didn't get to see anyone as much as we wanted. The food was great and it was fun to see Emma interact with everyone. It was truly a special trip.