Lana is working on a biography of Walt Disney for school so I thought I’d help her out but setting up a tour of the Disney Studio’s in Burbank. We got to see some cool things that I think Lana can use for her report.
Even after seeing some cool things, like going into 3 sound stages and seeing the sets for 3 TV shows (including a morgue for Body of Evidence), I think the most memorable event for Lana was having a squirrel sniff her shoe.
Working for the Mouse sometimes has its perks!
Omg, people of walmart and people of toysrus-same
- text message from Shelly while waiting in line at Toys R Us
Today we skipped church for Muppets at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood then had lunch at the Farmers Market then walked around the Grove.
Had a great time but I really could have had a nap.
Last fall we went apple picking with the Dahl’s at Riley Farms in Oak Glen. It was a fun day that ended with us eating dinner at Bob’s Big Boy and getting caught in the rain (but no piña colada’s). We planned on going again this year but a bad crop yield forced us to find an alternate outing.
Instead of apple picking we went to Corona Del Mar State Beach to walk through the tide pools. I enjoyed watching the kids explore the many tide pools, seeing the sea life in and climbing the natural rock formations. The grey skies kept the temperature cool and added a kind of ‘Goonies’ feel to the adventure.
Before long the tide was coming in but since we had trekked so far down we pushed forward to find another beach access point. We carefully navigated the rock formations, pressing on to find a way out. Kids’ shoes were getting wet as they stepped in tide pools of various sizes. (I wonder how many sea creatures needlessly perished being squashed by a child’s shoe.) The kids feet were now starting to hurt from walking and climbing so far in wet shoes. We were boosting kids up and over rocks, down ledges and over bigger tide pools.
Yes! We found an exit!
Crap! It’s locked!
With no other recourse, we pressed on, carrying on over more rocks and more tide pools and through natural arches, all the while encouraging the kids “Good job guys! You can do it! We’re almost there! We have treats in the car! We’ll find a bathroom when we get out!”
We found a young couple on the beach and they confirmed there was a beach access point up ahead. What we found was an opening in an iron gate that had a few bars missing. We went through anyway and found ourselves in a private, no doubt very expensive, golf course, which, according to Google Maps, only had exits through multi-million dollar mansions. Unsure where to go next, we quietly walked a foot path where little Katie was whacked in the back by a stray golf ball. It was an amazing thing for a rogue golf ball to fly completely off course, sail through a tree and hit a 4 year old child. The older woman who shanked the ball saw (or heard Katie crying) and gave us a warning that we “shouldn’t be on the course with other golfers who don’t know what they’re doing” but totally meaning other golfers. Then she asked if we saved her ball.
Finding another closed beach access point from the golf course, we were let out by a gentleman walking his dog. We were out of the golf course but now in a super rich neighborhood with Ferrari’s in front yard and far away from our cars. We stopped at public park for a brief rest and to squeeze out the water from the kids socks and all of the children crashed on the lawn. A short hike on PCH brought us back to our starting point. The kids pooped & peed and we had candied apple slices as a reward for our 3.46 mile excursion.
The day ended with an awesome sunset dinner at Ruby’s on the Seal Beach Pier.
We don’t have anything planned for next year yet but it will be hard to top hiking on a rocky beach through tide pools then trespassing on a private golf course where a child was hit with a golf ball and children with wet shoes nearly passed out with fatigue in a park as Ferrari’s sped by.
Whatever it is we do, I can’t wait!
