Vacation, Leg 3

Saving the best for last...

Look who drove all the way over to hang out with us for the last couple days of vacation?

My dad said they'd keep the kids so that we could go out to dinner with our friends.  So to celebrate, we did some serious eating at the Artisan restaurant.  Starting with this beautiful little fig appetizer.

We decided we couldn't decide on just one app, so we went ahead with this dish of meatballs, ricotta gnocchi, piave, and guanciale.  Do I know what those last couple items are?  No.  Were they terribly good?  YES.

Also this mushroom toast with crème fraiche, bacon, and poached egg.  Phil laughed when he saw this picture and said it just looked like a white blob.  But would I eat this white blob again?  Yes.  And twice on Sunday.  Because hello?  Bacon?

And this pizza which was a special that night so I don't remember what all was on it.  But also so good.

We initially said we'd just go with a bunch of appetizers and maybe one or two main dishes, but then decided again that we couldn't decide on just one.  Or two.

So we went with a trio!  Serious eating.

The cute little cocktail I started with was also very nice.  But something sure was making the room start to spin.  I was totally fine, mind you, but someone really ought to do something about that spinnyness.  ;)

And finally, this.  We were all more than a little skeptical when our server was adamant that we try this dessert.  A s'mores dish with a graham cracker sherbet.  C'mon, s'mores?!  But one bite in and we were all believers: this was the dish of the night.  Ridiculous.

We were stuffed after all that so we tried walking a little of it off around tiny downtown Paso Robles.

 See here?  This is how a sweet couple poses for a nice, normal picture together.

But us?

We can't seem to attain normal.

Ever.

Good thing James and Jami managed to overlook our abnormal selves and we all had a wonderful night out in small town Paso.  Or, at least I did.  But my nice little cocktail might have, uh, colored my experience just a tad.

J & J opted to stay in a nearby hotel (can't blame them- we can be kind of A LOT on a 24/7 basis. Ha.) and came over the next morning to hang with the family.

That's when we busted out the we-went-away-but-now-we're-back presents for the kids.  Christmas in June, y'all.

Pro bowler in the making?

Check out that follow through.

Be back soon for the final vacation post!

Vacation, Leg 2

And then we headed over to the grandparents' where once again we were shooed away so that they could have the kids all to themselves.  Who were we to argue?  So away we went for a little getaway.  You knew this was coming, right?  ;)

On our way to our final destination, we stopped over for lunch at the Apple Farm Restaurant.  We got there just in time to dine with the senior crowd.  But it's a very cute location, the food was good, and there's something very sweet about seeing an older couple sitting together over a quiet, companionable meal.  I only hope that we will be blessed with so many years together.  :)

Thanks to Grandma's full breakfast, we weren't totally hungry for lunch and so decided to share a couple "smaller" dishes.  This Shrimp San Luis Salad turned out to be Phil's favorite and I have to agree that it was pretty tasty.  Except for the black olives.  He got my share of those.

Along with this yummy little number (turkey pot pie).

It was in the chilly mid-60s when we were at the beach with the kids, but suddenly zoomed up to the 90s mid-week.  Phil went with the hot spiced cider in spite of the heat.  Also really good, but likely even better in the days leading up to Christmas.

So here's our standard m.o. when it comes to vacations/getaways/date nights/what have you- Phil makes the plan, I pack us up, Phil loads the car, we enjoy the drive/flight/trip, and end up where we end up.  I am perfectly content not knowing where we're going until we're there.  Why?  Because that guy up in the picture has yet to let me down when it comes to planning something for us.  And this time was no different.  We ended up at the Avila La Fonda hotel, which is just a few miles down the road from Pismo Beach.

A peek into our lovely room.

Where we were greeted by this basket of complimentary snacks and drinks.  Woo!  But see that "Kirkland" brand fruit bag?  We quickly discovered that this hotel might well have been called the "Costco Hotel" since everything from the towels, the coffee maker, and the items in the "chocolate pantry" were all Costco items.  Not a bad thing since we love Costco and especially enjoyed the fluffy towels, but still...  Costco everything.  Pretty much.

Ready to step out and do a little exploring.

But first a quick stop to sample some of the hotel's "Wine Reception" offerings.  Again, unmistakably Costco.

The hotel's entrance.

We found ourselves back in San Luis Obispo (a ten-minute drive) enjoying an evening stroll and doing what we always do- window shop then ultimately end up in Ross-for-less (as Phil calls it) to pick out new clothes for our dinner date.

Dressed and ready for our kid-less date night.  Please excuse our giddy expressions.  I did mention kid-less, right?  ;)

 By the hotel fountain.

There was a bit of a wait even with a reservation, so we did a little more strolling.

Most of Avila Beach is just that one street behind me so it didn't take too long to walk it.  Very cute little area, and mostly empty while we were there.  This is in STARK contrast to the weekends when it's completely packed with nary a parking spot to be found anywhere.  Ask me later how I know this.

We ate dinner in the outside patio area of the Custom House restaurant.  No pictures though because it was dark by then, I was hongray!, and was too busy enjoying the delicious food.  And the delightful company, too.  ;)  (And yes, Phil's going to love that I called him delightful.)

After enjoying the luxury of sleeping in, we took our time checking out of the hotel and returned to Pismo Beach for lunch at the Spyglass Inn.

Cheers!

Oysters are best enjoyed alfresco.

Another tasty seafood salad.  (But Phil thought yesterday's salad was better).

And a final walk along Shell Beach before heading back to begin the final leg of our vacation.

Vacation, Leg 1 (cont'd)

So the next morning, I was greeted with the same sign I'm greeted with every morning.

"Eat, eat."

So we took 'em to one of my favorite places to eat as a kid.  And this is Phil... being Phil.

"Dear God, thank You for this food.  I don't know what it is yet, but I am sure I love them and so I am very thankful for them.  Amen."

These two in particular enjoyed the giant cinnamon rolls and gooey cream cheese frosting.

Girls after my own heart.

It was fun showing the kids my old stomping grounds on this trip.  After breakfast, we drove by the motel where I grew up (which yes I know sounds really weird), my old high school, even the old frozen yogurt store where I worked.  Which still happens to be there and still has the same orange "It's Really Yogurt" sign in place.  Amazing, since so many other things have changed over the years.

Then it was back to the hotel for a little play time before packing up and moving on to Leg 2 of our trip.  These two didn't go easy on me at all.  Especially that little one there.  Fierce.

They loved this giant chess/checkers set.

General horsing around, if you will.

Then they played a game for reals.  Twice.

There was intense concentration.  Daddy won the first game.

This was the thrill of victory when he won the second game.  Never mind that Daddy told him what move to make in order to get checkmate.  Minor details, man.

Allie my sweet.

Action shot taken by Daddy.  Although pictures sure can be deceiving- we all were very ungood at the badminton.  We blamed it on the windy conditions.

Then we checked out and hit the beach.  These two jumped into the water right away.

And stayed out there even after this happened.

He was torn.  Water or sand?  Water or sand?

Once again, sand prevailed.

With her too.

This time with him, too.  As he said, "I think I like our beach at home a little better.  I'm used to that one.  This one is a little new for me."  Which is his way of saying he didn't like feeling the little sand crabs digging around under his feet.  Can't blame him, since that's not exactly my favorite thing, either.

He wasn't bothered by them at all.  Thought they were fascinating.

Apparently, neither was she.  Especially after I offered $10 to anyone who would pick one up.  I actually meant a live one though, not just the shell of one.  The look on her face after I clarified my meaning?  Pretty much the exact opposite expression you are currently looking at.

Will be back again with Leg 2!