Return to the SB Zoo

Of course we stopped by the Santa Barbara Zoo. The indoor exhibits and some of the outdoor attractions, like the playground, were closed, but it is still worthy of a visit.

We usually get a photo of the kids climbing on this turtle statue for some reason. It was fenced off this time, but we're not going to let that stop a tradition.

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Arroyo Burro Beach

Arroyo Burro (also known as Hendry's Beach) is a favorite of Santa Barbara locals. I've never been swimming there or ever seen much swimming there, but it's a great place for a walk. Back in the day R and I used to have bonfires with friends along the rocky cliffs. I shot one of my backdrop videos for Threadspinner there (which looked like this and this). I remember an incredible moonrise and a few moments when zillions of little white crabs took over the place.

This time we did some tide pooling with the kids and they had endless fun with the waves.

 

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Finding our bearings

Okay, the posts from our trip to Santa Barbara are going to be a mix of Canon and iPhone shots. I may post some of my film shots later on, whenever they happen to get developed... it could be a few months.

Ready to fly:

Soaking up the sun at our Airbnb cottage:

The back porch, a favorite spot for eating croissants:

We spent a lot of time at Kid's World playground. It was a short walk away.

The kids were really into a game called Base Quest that we could play at the park.

We could also easily walk to some downtown locations like this:

Veronica had the photo bug for the first part of our trip:

Got to stop here and check out the turtles:

Hey, I'm in a photo... with Ben Franklin. (I've been reading his biography since Hawaii.)

So many great trees around here:

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Low-key trip to SB

After a good amount of thought, debate, and discussion we decided to go away for spring break. Honestly, our mental health has been suffering during the past year and we needed the change of scenery, so we rented a small house in our favorite town of Santa Barbara. We didn't pack this visit as full as usual or advertise to our old friends that we were there. The plane ride made me a little nervous, but being there felt safe. We took a lot of meals to go and kept our masks on, even outside a lot of the time. The kids are quarantining and testing before returning to school later this week.

I haven't decided how to organize my photos yet. I think you'll see they are a little less ambitious than usual. In an effort to keep things lighter in weight, I only brought one fixed lens for my digital camera (and also my film camera). I missed being able to zoom in and out, and I didn't really go on any dedicated photo walks, other than maybe 10 minutes around the neighborhood. There was also a lot of direct sunlight, which was great for our spirits but not for the photography.

Anyway, we had a fun time. Thanks to R for all of her efforts in planning the trip and prioritizing adventures for us as a family!

 

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Took the day off on Friday to hit Afton Alps with R:

 

Beautiful weather for skiing!

Also, beautiful weather for bike riding!

Had our last cross-country ski lesson (R and I coached). The snow was a bit slushy in some places:

Omri and I have been playing chess together.

We re-watched La La Land. I think it is fueling V's dreams of moving to California.

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Food play

We are working through a multi-month program to help the kids expand their diets. Part of this process involves playing with food. Here Omri is moving some edamame around with the help of some trucks:

   

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