Pacific Coast Highway

Now it was time to head home and we thought, what prettier way than to drive the PCH. It may have taken longer than using the freeway, but I think it was well worth it. Here are a few photos we took along the way.

It was also a good time of year to travel that way since we were able to see quite a group of elephant seals in the molting process. There were young males and older females... the older males aren't due to arrive for a few more weeks. It was an amazing sight to see such large animals in their natural environment.

A few miles down the road we stopped off a Hearst Castle. We had forgotten to make reservations, so we were not able to take a tour. But we were able to see it using the telescope at the observation area.

Then we headed back to the freeways inland and we were on our way back to Edwards. The trip was definately worth it even though we ended up driving about 850 miles in about 3 days.

Monterey

We started off our trip to Monterey with a visit to Dennis the Menace Park. The kids had a lot of fun playing on all of the equipment. They had something for everyone there. It allowed the kids to burn off some energy after being in the car for most of the day.

The next morning while waiting on the Aquarium to open, we took a trip down 17 mile drive to see the golf courses of Pebble Beach. The views of the ocean and the other scenery were wonderful.

Once we finished the loop that is 17 mile drive, we headed to the aquarium... Glad we got there pretty early, since when we were ready to leave there was a line that stretched almost a full block to get in. The expressions on the kids faces were priceless. They really enjoyed the touch tanks and the jellyfish. Thank you to those that told us not to miss that exhibit.

In this photo we were able to see a seal basking on some rocks outside of the aquarium.

After the aquarium we were off to find something for lunch and get the kids down for a nap. That evening we had dinner at the Sardine Factory in Cannery Row and then went to play indoor glow Putt-Putt. A very full and fun day in Monterey.

Sequoia National Park

After Spouse Appreciation Day, we loaded up the car and drove to Visalia, CA for the night. The next morning we were off to see Sequoia National Park. The day started off really well-- the hotel had a nice breakfast and the weather seemed to be okay, the kids seemed happy.

As we start to twist and wind around the curves in the park, I look back when Jason started making strange noises and... he must not have appreciated the racecar driving that Daddy was trying to accomplish. Luckily we did have a change of clothes handy and that was the only time that the poor thing had trouble. As we continued up the mountain and got out we noticed that it seemed pretty cold and we forgot to bring coats (the only reason Emily has hers is we forgot to take it out of the car the last time she wore it). Didn't think it was cold enough to snow!!! But it was... and it did... quite a bit. Needless to say we had to skip a lot of the park. It was still neat to see the trees that we were able to see. Then we were off to Monterey....

Spouse Appreciation Day

This was something new for me--the Air Force thanking me for my support. Some pilot and other aircrew spouses may have experienced this before, but as an engineer's wife it was pretty special. I had to choose between a ride on a C12, Glider, or High-Speed taxi on a T-38 (the option for the tanker ride fell through). My first choice was the KC135 tanker, but was happy to take the T38 taxi. I woke up on Thursday morning and put on a borrowed flight suit (for some reason Kirt's was a little big for me) and Emily asked, "Mommy are you going to work today?" Daddy was able to stay home, so that made the day a little less stressful. Off I went to the TPS building for a morning welcome briefing. They gave us the general safety information-in the slight possiblity that we would need to quickly escape the aircraft. Then off to get my(borrowed) helmet and gloves at Life Support. Once all of the necessary equipment was acquired, I did the typical military thing of "hurry up and wait." There were several groups and I was in the last group, but once on the flight line I needed an escort to go anywhere. We decided to wait in the Life Support building for our turn. After the taxi ride was over, the booster club provided lunch and we talked a little and then back home to see Kirt and the kids. All in all a really great experience.

30 Days left in Base Housing!!

We had our pre-move out inspection this morning... We have 30 days until we give this house back to housing. Hard to believe that is all the time we have left, but it's true. Now to find someone to clean it for a reasonable cost. I have heard that the housing inspectors are very picky about how clean the place has to be and for a couple hundred dollars we could pay someone that will guarantee it will pass. Seem totally worth it to me. Just have to find the one with the best deal and get them scheduled before they are all booked up.

Happy Mother's Day

This year we did something a little different for Mother's Day. Saturday morning some of the ladies went down to Hollywood for a day away from Edwards. We started off the morning with some pampering (manicures and pedicures). Then off to the hotel to check in and grab some lunch. It was nice to have a relaxing lunch, I have to say. We then went shopping and see the Grauman theater where the stars place their hand/foot prints. From there we went back to the hotel to prepare for a night out. We went to dinner and then to Howl at the Moon for some drinks. The next morning we enjoyed a late breakfast and returned home to see our hubbies and the kids. What a nice Mother's Day!

Jason's New Bike

Making sure the tires are all pumped up!

Jason is getting too big for the tricycle that we had for him, so he got an early birthday present yesterday. I think he was a little excited about it.