Labor Day Weekend in Cali

Simon and I took up the offer from my cousin and her husband to come cool off at their place in Orange County, CA.  Conveniently enough, Labor Day weekend was approaching.  Road trip!

Here are some highlights of our weekend away...

We brought the dogs!  

Thanks to the little bed we set up in the back of the SUV, they were happy as could be on the 6 hour drive.  

After a quick and quiet drive from the desert to the ocean edge, we arrived at Anna & John's beautiful new home.  So welcoming and homey!

What a cute little welcome we received!  Love the house rules, especially the last one about corn... I'll tell you about that one a little later.

We got in around 9:30 so we didn't do much after we arrived.  Our first attempt introducing our dog's with Anna & John's, Astro, wasn't very successful... In fact, we had to keep them separated for the first night because we just really had no clue what we were doing.  But we did some research, learned some tricks and were optimistic that we would do a better job in the morning!

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Driving separately, we met on a hike along the beach, determined to walk until they were acquainted and playful. A beautiful view with cool, ocean air and serene setting so we were pumped!

So we walked...

...and walked and walked.  A few miles, lots of sniffs, and few quiet growls later, we thought we'd check out the dog park and let them do their thing, off leash and in a neutral space.  Success!  This was the way to go and we all learned that the biggest problem was us, nervous and anxious tugging on a leash.  So back to the house we went and Astro was way more open to the idea of our dogs in his house and yard and our dogs were still reluctant but overall feeling much more comfortable...  Still not ready to spend too much time with Astro, though.

Yum!  This cornstalk is a perfect chew toy!  Destructive doggies anywhere they go...

  

Love this face!

Poppy's favorite place to sun - in an empty garden bed!

 

These pups were pooped!  Nap time before everyone arrives for the family bbq

 Now it was time for a BBQ!  And for me to tell you about the little inside joke we have about BBQing corn...

Rewind back to our family reunion last year in Convict Lake, CA when Simon picked a fight with my mom about how to cook the corn after he and John enjoyed pulls from a bottle of Red Stag during a game of horseshoe.  The debate? Shuck the corn, coat in butter, salt & pepper and cover in foil before grilling versus my mom's way of leaving the corn in their husks, getting them wet and grilling as is.  Now, Simon knows to always listen to my mother, and the guys have nicknames of "Snaky Simon and Jerky John" when they are misbehaving.

So can you guess how these guys grilled the corn?  You're right!  As nature intended in their husks!

Me and my Aunt Carol - the previous generations version of me.  Us girls all say that Anna is the younger version of my mom, successful business-woman and sporty as can be and me more like my Aunt Carol, artsy and into all the good stuff in making a home. We all really have all of that in common, being Seidlitz women and all - creative, driven, and determined to keep things in order, but it is uncanny some of the similarities between the Aunt/Niece pairs.  :)

FAMILY PHOTO TIME!

Samatha, Edward, and their new baby Miles, John, Aunt Carol and me enjoying this perfect afternoon.

Hoping for scraps...

And what goes perfectly with a backyard BBQ? Games!  We all played a little corn hole and enjoyed Anna & Johns fantastic backyard.

John, my cousin Edward, and Simon enjoying patriotic Popsicles!

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Sunday and time for the DOG BEACH!!!!  Here the three dogs had the time of their lives together.  Prepare for photo overload...

Me chilling with Jack and Poppy, in the background John and Astro

It was a beautiful day in Huntington Beach! 

We brought along a bottle we picked up on our honeymoon and it was the perfect end to a day at the hot beach!

Then out to dinner for our last night in town to enjoy some amazing seafood!

We were sent on our way with bellies full of a family tradition of Dutch Puff for breakfast.  We love our food!

THANK YOU ANNA AND JOHN FOR A RELAXING, BEAUTIFUL AND FUN WEEKEND RETREAT AT RANCHO ARAYA, now dog friendly.  MUCH LOVE!! x

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Finally, a pit stop in Redlands, CA on our way home on Monday to visit my brother and his (big) little family.  Love getting to see all my neices and nephews growing up so fast - 3 in high school can you believe it!

After a visit with the fam, I took Simon to a couple family spots in town.  First to my grandparents old grocery store where my mom, aunt and uncle worked their first jobs and my brothers spent their early years making memories with Grandma and Grandpa.  The Olive Avenue Market.  It is now a trendy little coffee shop and deli, a hotspot in the old side of town. Sadly, they were closed but I grabbed a shot through the door window.  They sold the store before I came around so I have never been inside but I have heard dozens of stories from so many of my relatives.  This was a huge part of their lives!  Someday I will go back!

Next stop is Grandma and Grandpa's house on Cypress.  Picture a dirt driveway lined on both sides with palm trees and open fields on either side.  The most grand entrance I had ever seen, and as a little girl it felt like you were going to a mansion.  The kind of porch you dream of and a pretty little garden out front. Inside was a huge front parlor with sliding doors to the formal dining room.  The kitchen was lined with floor to ceiling cupboards on one wall, where I would sneak from the bottom cupboard my favorite cookies of all time - unfortunately I don't know what they were and no one can seem to remember either.  They were sweet and white and looked like a sugar cookie but had a unique flavor I just can't pin.  The most popular suggestion is persimmon but I don't think they were after reading her recipe for them... 

Upstairs was a huge landing with books, a checker board, and other games we loved to play.  

Probably the coolest house I have ever been in - wonder if the current owners are thinking of selling anytime soon. :)

 There is something about a trip to California that always brings me back in time, grounding me to remember the simplest pleasures and life as kid.  Always makes me want to move back.