The second trimester of pregnancy is our last (reliable) opportunity take a vacation, so maybe this is our last vacation (for a while) as a twosome!
The pregnant lady requested comfortable digs and lots of food! That and budget constraints made Las Vegas the obvious choice. We ended up being very comfortable at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.
Watching the lions in their habitat at the MGM Grand was about as "wild" as this vacation got.
Yes, it has been a long time since our last blog posting, but here's the latest update: The last several months have been busy and, uh, let's say "productive". We're expecting twins!
Intense color of Bougainvillea.
The fog hangs low over Shell Beach. What isn't visible is the long path winding its way on the bluff next to the water. A lovely walk.
Unnamed beauty. Anyone know what these are?
Looking over to Avila Bay from the bluffs of Shell Beach, somehow a patch of sunlight usually breaks through the fog over Avila.
Hard at work!
A fine place to sit and listen to the ocean.
Left to Right: Case, Denise, Darrell, Jillian, Heather and Megan
Girlfriend time with Heather and Denise!
Once the entire museum, the J. Paul Getty Villa houses only the oil tycoon's collection of Greek and Roman antiquities since the museum's expansion into the Getty Center in nearby Malibu.
The renovated Villa is as lovely as the art itself.
Ponds and pools,
sculptures and reliefs,
fountains and frescoes,
and gardens blend into a harmonious whole. 
Case thinks this guy has had his eye on Jolene,
and then this picture...it seems Case's attention has gone elsewhere...and it's time to take him home!
On the way (well, a little out of our way, actually), we stopped to eat in "Little Ethiopia". Jolene hadn't tried their cuisine before, but having previously seen her chow down when we visited "The Banana Leaf Restaurant" in Singapore, Case knew she likes anything eaten with just her hands.
Traffic on the 405 Freeway. We so don't miss this.
We happily purchased seats up in the "nosebleed section" with a great view of the bowl, the Hollywood sign, and the surrounding hills. Fewer people, too! We had enough crowd getting here!
Thanks to our high power zoom lens, we could see the symphony, and as the music began, we forgot the traffic, relaxed, and enjoyed the Tchaikovsky violin concerto.
Taking in a 3D movie at the Discovery Science Center in Orange County.
Our discovery at the Discovery Science Center was that mid-summer means lots of sugar-hyped kids screaming and running from exhibit to exhibit, pushing buttons. It was NOISY in there!
Many of these cute electric boats cruise the harbor around sunset.
The rays of the setting sun warm the colors of this picture, but the air is already quite cool and you can't see the warm blanket Jolene has wrapped herself up in!
Lazy sea lions take over a vacant dock.
Individual sail boats race each other back to the dock, hoping to beat the setting sun.
While admiring the extravagant boats moored through out the bay, we noticed lots of silly names. Boat names seem to attract bad puns. However, all three boats moored at this dock, which services one of the most palatial homes on the bay, were named "Mr. Terrible". Ya' gotta wonder about that owner...
As we round the far end of the bay, the moon rises from behind the hills.
Darkness settles in, leaving a lighted path across the harbor waters -- a beautiful end to a wonderful evening!
While waiting in line at the cinnamon roll shop in Pismo Beach we entertained ourselves with the local paper Coast News, Police Blotter section, and we're reminded of why we moved to AG from the LA area:
A night drive around Lopez lake, (if you look really hard) a lone cloud drifts across the lake highlighted by the moon. I guess you had to be there!
We're out for our Sunday morning run. We like running during low tide on the long and flat stretches by the surf. (It's about 6 miles from Pismo's cliffs at the north end to where large signs and large fines protect nesting plover at the south end.)
During the week it's more efficient to stay home, put our shoes on, run out the door and around our neighborhood,
but it is fun on the weekends to run while watching the fishermen pursuing their catch. The miles go by more easily
watching the surfers play on the breakers. Occasionally, our paths cross as they enter and exit the water.
We come across sandcastles in varying states of construction or destruction, depending on the change of tide. I snap pictures on the fly, never knowing for sure what I've gotten till later at home.
Like this one of a legless Case, some how making strides down the beach!
Another kid surfer crosses our path as we near the Pismo Beach pier.
We continue under the pier a bit further before turning around,
now heading back we notice more traffic on the beach as the sun gets ready to break through the fog and the tide begins to rise.
Completing our goal distance, we kick off our shoes,
and cool off our hot feet in the very cool Pacific! I love running here!
The back of the book reads:
Bill, Angela, Mia and Mika Baskin drop by for a few days stay, on their road trip from Anthem, AZ, to San Diego and north along the California coast.
Bill and Mika try out the roasted corn at San Luis Obispo Market night.
Mia and Mika select pieces of fine balloon art.
I joined them Friday for a visit to Hearst Castle. Here is one of the two fabulous pools that Mia and Mika would have found much more fun if they could have spent the afternoon swimming, rather than on the adult tour were they must not touch anything!
A glimpse of the gardens on the Estate.
Angela, a long time friend from dental / dental hygiene school era at Loma Linda University,
snaps a picture of William Randolf Hearst's home and work of a life time!
Mika feels a bit bored but was a trooper, making it through the whole tour.
