Charlin in September

So the busy season at work is over, which means it's time to pack up and roll out for unfamiliar territory.

My home for the next 6+ hours

After a bout of LA traffic...a really long bout of LA traffic, we got to the hotel. It was beautiful and much closer to the beach than I realized.

This is the view outside the hotel

 

Strangely enough, I went to sit down again shortly after taking the picture. A fishy sort of dinner made a compelling argument.

Sanddabs! And foliage!

 

While I ate, some others were getting their fair share of fish as well.

 

 

I also made a quick visit to my very favorite bakery. Per the cashier's recommendation, I got a napoleon.

No words, just loads and loads of cream

 

The next day, I got to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a haven for fish lovers and employer of some of the nicest people in California.

 

Taught me about cetaceans

 

 

 Cool guide

Cool lady with cool jellies

 

I got to see tuna, sharks, squid, sea jellies, octopus, sardines, sea otters, and a whale feeding off of one of the biggest bait balls seen in the area in the past ten years. Afterwards, I wanted to buy a souvenirs. Jerome was troubled.

 

 What sick kind of joke is this?

Personally, I think he was still upset I did not buy him what we found earlier.

 Seriously, he's 11 years from even getting his learner's permit

All in all, it was a brief but fun trip.

And now we're a thousand miles from home...

 

...or, you know, already there.

Until next time, peace out, mah ninjas!

 

Something's coming...

Yum!

 

Update incoming!

Charlin's Challenge

So, time to dust off this blog and make a new entry.

First we check the car...

Fluids are good

 

...then we fuel up...

Fluids are really good

 

...and then we grab the siblings and head to Arizona and back in less than 14 hours!

Why not?

We drove off and made great time, but we ended up riding a horse in a seedy, seedy gas station.

Run! Run away!

We also made a wrong turn at Tatooine.

Beware the Storm Troopers

 

The crazy locales and sore legs were worth it though, for at the end of the road...

This is the real reason we traveled. The nearest Cracker Barrel is a state away, but we have not had a chance to visit one in years. While I love my home state, I miss the taste of country biscuits. The sibling's solar-cycle anniversary is as good a reason to travel as any, and it was well worth the trip.

 Country food?

Country food!!!

 

We had a waitress from central casting. Her name was Ruby, and she was thrilled to discover we came from far away. She even gave us extra biscuits so we would have something to eat on the way home. 

And home we went. We had obligations the next day, so we had to get back to the native state before the next day.

So after refueling...

Caffeine and sugar everywhere!

Woohoo!

 

 

...we hit traffic. Lots and lots of traffic. So much that we decided to pull over and re-stock our fried food supplies.

Traffic.

Traffic never changes.

 

Despite it all, we made it home with few arguments and full bellies. A random trip with good family and great food. 

Until next time, peace out, mah ninjas!

A New View from the Zoo

So we had a little breakfast...

...took a last view of the beach...

...and went out to a new place.

It's a zoo!

The animals were already up and active. Jerome liked the birds.

I sees a parrot wid a tail like a carrot

We then saw a lizard in a position he really should not have been in.

So Jerome decided to go some places he should not have been in.

 Oliphant

 To Naria!

We also discovered that flamingos sit weird.

 You are a sad, strange, not so little bird

We also got to learn about elephants. Jerome even got really close to one named Susie.

We also got to meet a bull snake, which is the coolest thing since king snakes.

The day was rapidly fading, but we did get to see some flamingos go for a walk. I even got to pet one. It felt much softer than the one in San Diego.

So, with one last look at the Disgusted Trout...

 I hate you all

...Jerome and I set off for a dinner of ravioli.

C.E.O. Mosasaur is very important

Until next time, peace out, mah ninjas!

Charlin at the Beach (For Real)

Who's (finally) ready to talk about their adventure?

Bad Wi-Fi be cursed

Jerome and I got to go to Santa Barbara for a few days. The hotel was about a block from the beach, and our room was across from the pool.

Not that it was warm enough to go swimming

 

Actually, we arrived before the room was ready. So we decided to search for some lunch and do some shopping. The surrounding area was busy because of the holiday, but it was also very beautiful. Some parts looked more like a scene from a movie.

 

There really should be a woman with a tiara and a 

ballgown somewhere in this photo

 

 

Anyway, we walked around for about an hour. After much deliberation, we settled for Chipotle.

Were you planning on eating that?

 

Chugging right along, I found a new hat to replace my poor, sad, bleached one. I also found a really nice little jewelry shop and picked a few items. We then made our way back to the hotel.

Time to rest

 

After enjoying the wonders and horrors that exist within cable television for a bit, we decided to look for some dinner. The harbor was close by, and one of the restaurants looked really promising.

It is a cold fact of nature that lopsided restaurants at the 

end of a pier contain the very best food

The wait took some time due to the holiday crowd, but the restaurant did not disappoint.

Crab! It's a crab! And it's on MY PLATE!!!

 

As I tapped into my inner sea otter (and spilled all the melted butter everywhere, including on my book) the sun steadily set. I was facing the west, so I got to enjoy it. 

 

I am not sure if my readers ever had the pleasure of seeing the ocean at sunset, but the water shimmers in a brilliant, glowing manner. Sadly, no camera I ever encountered could catch that glow.

Anyway, I was full, but I wanted to make one last indulgence, since it was my vacation.

Ice cream forever!!!

 

Truly stuffed, I went back to the hotel for some rest, cartoons, and a queen-sized bed. I also lost my battle with the Internet, but I do not want to talk about that now.

Focus on the good

 

Until next time, peace out, mah ninjas!

Charlin at the Beach

Who's going on another adventure?

We are!

Jerome and I are going to use some time off from work to go to Santa Barbara. Our hotel is across the street from the beach. Unfortunately, the hotel's Wi-fi is misbehaving, so I will have to update later.


 

Charlin's Trip Home

The trip home was pretty nice I made one more stop...

...but I am very tired. So I think this entry will just be a slide show, more or less. For the full experience, please imagine me murmuring the captions to the following tune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMYN4djSq7o. So, with out further adieu:

 Here's a flower

There's a flower

 And a pretty water flower

 Flower

 Flower

 Flower

Flower

Truck

I stopped at Tip Top's

I ate some food

But I think I ate to much

Now I'm feeling rude

I am going to leave now

But I have one wish

I want to show you all

A flower like a fish

Until next time, peace out mah ninjas!