Santa Barbara - What a great location!
The Wilson family, what a terrific group; Father Bob, Mom Marilyn, Son Bob, Wife Linda, Grandson Robert (are you seeing a pattern here?), Grandson Kevin, Son Greg, Wife Pam and Granddaughter MacKenzie!!
We spent fun filled days enjoying the lovely home and beautiful surroundings in the Santa Barbara foothills boarding the Los Padres National Forest, We hiked the trails (met a hunk or was it chunk?), thoroughly checked out the biological gardens, the beach and art galleries. Shopped at a fab thrift shop at the Santa Barbara Academy of Music and lunched in Montecito at the Cava (great Tapas). Dined with the Lawlors (Wilson relatives) at their gorgeous Montecito home with a great ocean view.
We explored Los Olivos and Los Alamos with family and Bob's cousin Jan. Marilyn and company even produced a full Thanksgiving dinner complete with cranberry sauce and candle light on our last evening and had Bob the landlord as a special guest. It was really great!
Some of the highlights were Marilyn and Diane's excellent adventure at the grocery store, the BOB-A-Link photo - five Bob's linking arms, the ride home from Montecito where Bob missed the turn and Bob beat him, Bob's lunch with the homeless guy on the pier, Bill Lawlor's beautiful home, all the laughing and most of all, the Wilson's hospitality - whole family included.
The question that remains is when will we see their smiling faces in our neck-of-the-woods? Well it didn't take long to answer that question. At the end of their Santa Barbara visit they decided to come north and stay a few days with us before returning home.
They spent the day driving up the coast highway and arrived at our house late evening for dinner and some B.S.'ing before hitting the sack. The next two days were jam packed.
After breakfast Tuesday April 6th, we headed out for a nostalgia trip around the neighborhoods around Palo Alto where Marilyn & Bob spent their youth getting to know each other. We checked out their old digs and then did a tour of the Stanford campus We had lunch at Dinah's Pool Side Cafe and then headed over the hill to play along the coast. The newest site is the Ritz Carlton resort and golf course. Of course we took a tour.
From there we drove up the coast highway thru Half Moon Bay, over Devil's Slide cliffs to view the huge tunnel and on to Pacifica. On our way back to Half Moon Bay we stopped at a new Peruvian restaurant for dinner, Pisco Sours, and to celebrate Marilyn's & Bob's 47 wedding anniversary. As we toasted their anniversary we watched the sun fall into the ocean.
Next day we were up early and off to visit the giant redwoods in Muir Woods. Our first stop was Queen Wilhelmina's Tulip Garden in Golden Gate Park by the North windmill. From there it as a short trip over to Louis' cafe for breakfast. Louis' sits atop a cliff overlooking the old Sutro baths. Louis' happens to be on the Park property and has been Mom & Pop owned for 37 years. The Government has changed the bidding rules and the owners may lose their popular restaurant to some chain with deep pockets. We all signed the petition asking the Park Service to reconsider. No answer yet.
After breakfast we walked over to check out the San Francisco Cliff House, the beach and the gift shop before visiting the San Francisco Presidio and stopping to walk around Crissy Field. After the short break we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and entered liberal bastion of Marin County and headed for Muir Woods to seek those big trees. Marilyn & Diane did some magic and got us a cool parking spot. We spent the next few hours hiking all over the mountain and just enjoying the scenery.
Next we stopped at a quaint restaurant called the Pelican Inn just to check it out and take pictures of the surroundings including a row of colorful mailboxes. From there we stopped at the Muir Beach overlook to stretch our legs again and take some fantastic scenery photos. It was a spectacularly clear day. Next was a stop at Stinson Beach for an ice cream cone and a look at the town. On our way back we took a little detour up Mount Tamalpais for a spectacular view of the coast line and Stinson Beach. Marilyn was a good sport in spite of her fear of high cliffs. We got out and found the spot where I used to launch my hand glider.
One last stop before crossing the bridge was an old fort nestled at the north end of the Bridge with wonderful views of the city. Fort Baker is now a National Park. Part of the barracks have been converted into a fine hotel and restaurant. We sat out on the porch and had a cocktail as we watched the shadows move across the city and the big ships pass by.
We crossed the bridge into San Francisco and went to dinner at one of our favorite little restaurants, Park Chow. From there we headed for home after a very long fun packed day. Marilyn and Bob packed and we all hit the sack.
Today we had breakfast, great California fruit, helped pack the car and said goodbye to our good friends, Marilym & Bob. We had a great time playing tour guide for a couple of days.
