Shell Beach

Back to catching up on our summer happenings...
In mid-July, we spent four days in Shell Beach with Travis's parents. It was nice to get out of the valley for a while and enjoy the ocean air. The weather was perfect, and the company was great, too!
Grandpa and Grandma Walsh brought kites to fly on the grassy bluff...well, that was the idea, but the kites had other plans. I had never seen kites like these before so I wasn't much help in getting them to fly...instead I stood back and documented the process :)

 It was fun to watch everyone struggle with the kites then rejoice when they were airborne, no matter how short-lived it was.

The view from the hotel was amazing. I don't think we had a cloudy day the entire time we were there, the mornings had a little marine layer, but it aways burned off quickly. 

 (another pic of attempting to fly kites)

 I took a long run out to the point in the left part of the picture above and looked back upon the spot where this actual picture was taken- it was pretty cool to see, but I can't seem to find that picture : /

Of course we went to the beach a few times...

...and we discovered that Shell Beach is only shelly in the morning- which works out well when you're trying to play in the sand, because, really, who wants to post up on a whole bunch of shells?

We went to the Avila Barn and Petting Zoo on one of the mornings.  We had a blast feeding the animals and taking a tractor ride to pick our own fresh peaches.

We had an enjoyable four days in one of our favorite parts of the state. I can't wait to go back when Spencer is a little older and we're able to do a little bit more as a family. Soon enough...until then, I'll keep looking at the pure joy that radiates from my children's faces in these photos :)