Where the mountains meet the water

I really dislike summer. Isn't that just un-American, or what? But, it's true. Summer, especially summer in our town, is just too hot. I'm a 72 degree kind of person, and in order to see those sort of summer temperatures, escaping to the coast or the mountains is a summer necessity for me.

In order to make summer pass quickly, we have many mini trips planned. Our most recent one involved a mid-week camping trip south of Santa Cruz. The temperature difference? Almost 40 degrees.

We selected our campground based on its close proximity to the beach. We had never visited before, so we didn't know what to expect.

We were totally taken aback by the beautiful mountain scenery.



Given that this was our first camping trip that involved only Josh, Lola, and myself, it was a lot of work for Josh and I. Josh pretty much set up camp, while I supervised the bean. Within thirty seconds of setting her feet on the ground, she had a dirt goatee. She repeated this look, over and over again all weekend. It was lovely.

Then, we realized that we forgot to pack the air mattress. As I type this, my hips ache. I can't remember the last time I went tent camping without an air mattress and had to sleep on the hard ground...oh, that's because I'VE NEVER TENT CAMPED WITHOUT AN AIR MATTRESS. Yeah, that totally sucked.

And, we didn't think about the fact that 48 degree temperatures at night equates to being so cold that you end up putting on nearly every article of clothing you brought, and so next time, we will be bringing extra blankets, and hats, and perhaps a dog to serve as a foot warmer at the end of the bed.

Lola didn't seem to mind the missing mattress, but that was because we remembered her baby mattress.


But, that's what distinguishes one camping trip from another, right? The weird and quirky things that go on? Like the fact that on our first day there, Josh took a nap in the beach tent with his legs extended out onto the sand, only to wake up two hours later with shins so red that he winced every time he slipped on his jeans. Or, the fact that we couldn't figure out if our neighboring campers were Quaker or Amish or some religious cult, as the men had beards and all the women wore bonnets and long skirts.

This trip will also be remembered because when we realized that we forgot the syrup for our banana pancakes, we topped them with a small chocolate square, and the results were OMGDELICIOUS. You must try this, I dare you. Also, when I parked the car, I placed the emergency brake on, and when Josh started it and began to drive away, he irrationally started yelling, "What is going on? Is the emergency brake on?" And in his frustration of trying to release the brake, he popped the hood, and we both burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles, like that was the funniest thing we had ever seen.

Yes, all of those things.

As for Lola, she got incredibly excited when cars drove by our campsite (oh, city baby she is), and she would shriek and point, "ca! ca!" She also loved all the birds and squirrels, and would point each time they ventured into our campsite.

And, the beach. Oh, how she loved the beach. Because she was badly sunburned on our camping trip last summer, I was determined to protect her sweet baby skin this time around. Let's just say, she was well clothed and sun screened.








I was excited to try out my new baby carrier, the Ergo. It fit very comfortably, and Lola even took an afternoon nap in it.



Lastly, I had to try and take a family photo. We have so few photos that contain all three of us. This attempt is a bit ridiculous, but it makes me smile.