In the rush of dotting all my "i"s & crossing all my "t"s, I forgot my camera. These photos are all compliments of Darrin & his iPhone.
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| Darrin loves Salt Water Taffy. One of his favorite places was this Bodega Bay store that has been around for over 35 years. You can choose your own flavors in any amount. Darrin was excited to share it with Charley who was thrilled that she could pick handfuls of the candy for their bag. |
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| You can see the boat behind Charley with baskets of Salt Water Taffy. It is wonderful that Darrin is now experiencing things with Charley that I did with him as a kid. |
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| Charley was really excited with her big bag of Salt Water Taffy. I noticed Darrin sneaking pieces of taffy from the bag every time Charley wasn't looking. I'm pretty sure the treat was just as much for Daddy as for Charley. |
On my dad's previous journeys, we always made several stops at places that brought back special memories for our family. My mom's ashes are scattered along a trail she & I discovered 30+ years ago. On my dad's trips to Sea Ranch he always placed a flower on the hillside below our trail.
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| Due to my dad's inability to climb the hillside we had Charley place the flower for her great grandma. It was an emotional, but beautiful moment for all. |
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| This is the home they often rented inviting us all up for weekend visits. It is across the hillside where my dad always left his flower & below the mile long trail our family hiked for many years. |
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| Darrin took this photo of the trailhead that has become my mom's final resting place. My dad's wish is for his ashes to end up there, also. Darrin & I will make it happen. |
One of our favorite stops was at a tiny, nondenominational meditation chapel that is constructed in the form of a conquistador's hat. It is a unique place that young & old alike seem to thoroughly enjoy.
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| Look closely on the lower right & you will see Charley expending some energy after being cooped up in the car for a long while. She took every opportunity to climb or leap off of something during our long day trip. She was a real little trooper & I was really proud of her! |
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| Another snapshot to add to our four generation photos. Thank you, John, for being our photographer! |
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| The interior of the meditation chapel. My dad was lost in thought & Charley was thrilled that she could sign the guestbook by herself while Gaga looked on. |
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| Here is her completed signature (third from the top) with an assist from Daddy with the date & home town. |
Charley loves the California coast & we promised her we would find a beach for some exploration. It was a long walk from the car to the ocean. We were able to park in the shade, roll down the windows & let my dad enjoy reading the local newspaper, the "Independent Coast Observer" which he has always found interesting. The local news is exactly what you would expect - inconsequential events & happenings.
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| Charley & Gaga have really gotten into Monster High dolls. She has close to a dozen now so I told her that she could bring a few with her on our road trip. John surprised her with a new one that Gaga helped him buy for her! Here are the four "ghouls" enjoying the beach while Charley played. Of course, we sprayed all of them with sunscreen so they didn't get sunburned! |
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| Charley immediately found a friend, Ashley, with whom she could enjoy her love of the beach. |
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| Charley getting her feet wet in the frigid water. John went in over his ankles & said it was so cold that it was almost painful. Yeah, our oceans aren't for swimming unless you are super hardy. |
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| Darrin has always loved the ocean & the Northern California coast. As Katy Perry sings, "Nothin' comes close to the golden coast." |
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| Letters in the sand. |
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| The end of a long, tiring & magical day. My dad was genuinely grateful for all our efforts to make his day trip special. It is such a gift to share treasured memories with your children, grandchildren & now great-grandchildren. |
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