Thanksgiving Staycation

We debated going somewhere for Thanksgiving break, since Dave and the boys were off the whole week. But then we decided we'd really rather stay home and do local stuff, i.e., a "staycation."  

So one day we packed up the kayak, surfboard and boogie boards and headed over to Cayucos. 

It turned out to be a beautiful day there! Sunny and warm, over 80 degrees. The next few days were stormy and cold (remember our anniversary trip?), so we definitely chose the best beach day. I love Chloe's overlapping reflection and shadow!

The kids ended up spending most of the time gathering sand crabs. There were tons of them! We couldn't see anything from the surface, but as soon as they dug down just an inch or two, the ground was crawling with them. 

Another day we went rock climbing at Cabrillo, which is between Morro Bay and Los Osos. We've been there lots of times, but this time we climbed a different rock. They all seemed to really like it.

Great view of Morro Bay from up there! 

Have I mentioned how happy I am that Spencer does half the belaying now so I don't have to? My fingers get sore and I can't take pictures.

It was a beautiful day, but it was much cooler than our beach day. In other words, perfect for climbing. There's no shade there, so it tends to get really hot.

Often I'm tempted to just send Dave with the older boys while I stay home with Levi and Chloe, our non-climbers. It can get a little boring for us, and I have to spend a good bit of the time making sure they don't get into poison oak. But everyone seems to want me there (I feed them and take pictures, so I guess I'm useful). This time I agreed to hang out at the rock for a little bit and then leave to take the little ones over to Morro Bay. I liked this way better. Sure enough, after a short time, they both had to go potty. That was our cue to leave.

Levi found a fishing boat for sale. He was convinced we should buy it. Chloe was not in a picture-taking mood, but at least you can see her cute french braids. 

We walked along the Embarcadero and went in a few shops. Of course our favorite is the Shell Shop.

As you can see, he is listening to the ocean.

There was a little bit of a hike from the car to the rock. Here's a great view of the whole rock they climbed. There were several anchors up above and a few different climbs for each anchor.  

I love this picture! I walked up the side of the hill next to the rock a little bit to get it.

They all got to do several climbs. They also did some mountain boarding around all the trails.

Afterwards we drove back to Morro Bay for fish-n-chips at Hofbrau. We decided I wouldn't have to cook dinners that week (except Thanksgiving dinner, of course), since we were on vacation. It was lovely.

Afterwards we walked around to kill some time before heading down to San Luis Obispo. There's the fishing boat Levi thinks we should buy :)

Then we went to the Drive-In to watch 2 movies: Peanuts and The Martian. This is the best time of year to go because it gets dark early. That way we don't get home TOO late. 

 I sat outside and froze (I need to dress warmer next time), but it was still a fun night. It just feels so classic.