Saturday, September 13, 2008

Ocean Pacific

All reservation from days earlier gone, Hannah was at home in the sand on the beach, and she scampered around with a big smile on her face while barking/grunting at the seagulls and pigeons that dared to cross her path. Next stop, the ocean blue! Here is Hannah being touched by the cool waters of the Pacific for the very first time! Sweet!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

My First "Sandwich"

Hannah was cautious when she first faced her new sandy landscape. When we tried to hold her in the upright position so she could stand barefoot in the sand, she crossed her legs Buddah-style and held her pose mid-air with the strength of an Olympic gymnast! So we put on the beach towel to take it in at her own pace. Eventually, Hannah prodded and poked the sand of her own accord, and soon she was grabbing and sitting in it... Predictably, she went right in for a full face-and-mouthful to sample a taste. Her almost happy reaction surprised us - she seemed to shrug off any unpleasant aspects of eating the gritty sand and was content to focus on her interesting new "toy"...

Exploring Rick's MB Pad

As these pics illustrate, Hannah is now cruising swiftly along in the crawl-mode, and here she conquers her first mini-set of stairs...

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Days 3 & 4 - Santa Barbara

It wouldn't be a vacation if there weren't Bloody Marys, crab claw included... The Tupelo Junction Cafe in Old Town SB was an immediate hit - everyone got to drink just what they wanted....
Well, almost everyone...

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Day 2 - San Simeon & Solvang

Check out our swank hotel!!! The grounds were isolated, but decent views.




Ok... not our hotel... these shots are of the incredible Hearst Castle, the palatial estate built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. It is located near San Simeon, on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Donated by the Hearst Corporation to the state of California in 1957, it is now a State Historical Monument and a National Historic Landmark. Hearst formally named the estate La
Cuesta Encantada ("The Enchanted Hill"), but he usually just called it "The Ranch". Only Hannah seemed unimpressed by its grandeur...



Saturday, September 6, 2008

My Daddy's Birthday

Happy Birthday Daddy-O... You are the best!!
Love, Hannah & Kristina

Day (Night) 1 - San Luis Obispo

My first night out and dad takes me to Mo's BBQ for dinner? Um... remind me to stick with Mom for the rest of the trip... All in all, the place was great - I banged on a lot of metal railings, lots of people smiled and said hello to me, and I got to pose under a radiant neon hamburger sign while wearing my watermelon outfit, which should help me in 20 years if I ever want to work for PETA.