Time to Go Home

Sunday-

My weekend away is over. How did it go by so quick? I wonder if my sisters missed me. I realized I missed my family, but it was still nice to get away. I know my dad is thinking it would be good to move up here and live close to my uncle. On the other hand, he also said he really does not want to drive over the mountain every day for work. I can understand that.

Even if we don't move, it is still nice to come over the hill to the beach. I remember coming here when I was little. Santa Cruz is where I fell in love with be outside. I never realized that until now, as I wrote it.  It will always be my favorite place to spend time.
         

Butterflies, Beach, and Whales

Saturday-

I got up early, and got dressed fast. I ate breakfast quickly then waited around for everyone else to get ready. We were finally headed to the beach. My cousins and I were excited to be going to the beach and  boardwalk. There was some discussion about which beach we were going to, but Auntie want to go to Natural Bridges. My cousins and I want to go to the Boardwalk. Since the two were right next to each other it work out perfectly. It had been a little while since I had been there. It is closed during the winter months and opens in the spring. The butterflies should be migrating soon since it is spring. If they have not left yet, we might see them. Further down the beach is the lighthouse then the pier, and the Boardwalk which is an amusement park. You can walk from one to the other. Auntie planned to put a blanket down at Natural Bridges and spend the day there. We were told to come back for lunch.
Anissa and I went to see the butterflies first. We went straight to the trail and avoided the park office in hopes to avoid the park ranger. They always seems so willing to take you on a guided trail. We wanted to walk the trail on our own to chat and view the butterflies. It was sunny and the sun shined through the trees lighting up the butterflies wings. It was beautiful. It is incredible to see so many butterflies in one place, up in the tall trees. We did not throw a rock in the trees to make them come out. There were signs up asking to not disturb the butterflies. There were so many flying around anyway. It was so peaceful. We spent about an hour there, then went to the tide pools.

At tide pools the waves were high, so we had to be quick. We visited the sea stars and urchins that were in the pockets of the rock. I liked picking up the sea stars but the urchins were to prickly. the water was cold as it splashed against our legs and feet.

Next, we decided to walk to the pier.  We had to walk past the light house to get there. The main reason for walking down the pier was to see the sea lions. At the end of the pier, there is big square that has been cut into it with a railing around. The sea lions lay in the rafters that support the pier. They bark at anyone who looks over the railing. For a couple of dollars you can get a paper boat with small raw fish to feed the sea lions or for the fisherman to use for bait. Of course, we had to get some to feed the sea lions. We walk the half mile back to the beach. We continued to walk and find our way down the beach until we got to the the boardwalk. The happy screams from the people on the roller coast began to sound clearer. After going on many rides we decided to get back for lunch. I stopped at Marini's to get some saltwater taffy for my sisters. Marini's is a candy and ice cream shop on the end of the boardwalk, close to the pier. They were advertising a bacon sensation sundae. Gross. The taffy is the perfect end to a day at the beach. We were a few hours late for lunch. Auntie was not mad or surprised. I shared some taffy with her to make up for being late.

While we were on the beach eating lunch, someone walking by, mentioned seeing a humpback whale. They pointing toward the ocean but to the right of where we were. All of us stood up to get a better view. Then as a whale came up for air we saw it. It looked like there were three swimming not too far out. Every now and then they came to the surface and blew air threw their blow hole. They were beautiful. It is hard to imagine how big they are from the shore. We were so lucky to see them. I have only seen them here a few times. Now that is the perfect end to a day at the beach. 

Finally Friday!!

Friday-

I am packed and I can't stop smiling. I have not been away from my parents or sisters for the whole weekend before. My cousins house is always fun. They have five kids. I am closest in age to Joe who is 6 months older than me and my cousin Anissa who is two years younger than me. My auntie is picking me up after she is done with work at 4 pm. My auntie Sharon is so cool and easy to talk to. She said when she left the house it was overcast. Sure enough, when got over the mountain the fog was very thick. You could not see more than 10 feet from the house. It was as if a cloud had come down and landed on the hillside. I spent the rest of the day exploring the house.

My cousin Joe had his two friends overs. They asked Anissa and I played tag outside. It wasn't really tag, it was more of hiding game. We had been play this for as long as I can remember. The three acres were unkempt, and wild. As I ran around looking for a bush to hide behind, the fog made an interesting element of fun. I quickly learned if I stayed very quiet someone could run by and not even notice me. There were many times where I was just out in the middle of a hillside and I could not see anything except trees, bushes, and fog. There was something so neat about that. It was a little scary too. I did not want to get lost. Joe and or one of his friends kept finding me so there was little chance of that. When we got bored we walked over to the property next to theirs to say hi to their new neighbors. They were kind people, and like most of the people that lived here, they had a hippie vibe about them. 

My uncle had mentioned the other house that was for sale was three houses down. Even though I would have to change schools, I still wanted to do it. I love it up here. Was it the cool mountain air or the closer to nature feel that I love so much? Or was it just getting away, like being on vacation. I don't know, but I did know, I would love to live here. I would miss my friends but not enough to not want to move. Life was slower here. It seemed like everyone's priority was to get to the beach. 

It was great to have dinner at my cousins’ house again. We often went over for dinner when they lived close. There was always lively conversation going on as we ate. We made plans to go to the beach tomorrow. Afterwards, we watched a movie and went to bed. It was nice being away from my sisters and parents. I wonder what they are doing. 

Life in California from a Teenager's Perspective

 

Wednesday-  

My cousins bought a new house in the Santa Cruz Mountains. They were living just three houses down from us. They moved last weekend. I am sad they moved but my dad said we might move there too. Their new house has three acres of land. I'm super jazzed about going. I love going to Santa Cruz, so I am hoping we will go there more often. Right now, we go there occasionally on the weekends. To get there, we have to take highway 9, which is a steep, two lane, road that wines over the mountain. My dad hates driving over the hill, but my sisters and I beg him all the time. It does not take long to get there. It can take 30 minutes, if you time it right, and there is no traffic. We usually spend the day there but try to leave early before the traffic. If you get stuck in it, it can take two hours to get home! It would be nice to if we lived there and then not have to deal with that. My cousins asked if I could come up on Friday and stay with them until Sunday. I am sure we will go to the beach at least for one of the days. It will take forever for the weekend to get here.