California Dreamin' Day 2 - Santa Cruz and Freedom

I don't even know how people can leave California. Seriously! I suppose the saying about grass being greener would come into play here.

Today, we woke up to this:

You won't hear a single complaint from me! I love the dark, rainy, dreary days with thunder and lightning, so waking up to an overcast, quiet, deserted beach was wonderful. I watched the water come in and seagulls finding food, while my guys slept. M, my son, slept outside on the deck under 3 king size blankets doubled, but he loved it!

When M and C woke up, they went and walked on the beach while I sat and listened to and watched  the water, the birds, enjoying an unfamiliar, tranquil feeling that I don't experience at home.

When they finished with their walk, we headed to the Santa Cruz Wharf and Boardwalk.

This little guy was enjoying the sun! 

These two guys were watching the boats, the people fishing, and the sea lions swimming and playing. 

From the Wharf, you can see the Boardwalk. We were headed there next. To the left (out of the picture) is the beach.

This Wharf is where my son started his cap collection. By the end of the trip, he had 8 or 9.

There were many things to take pictures of, but this made me laugh! I'm Texas-born and -raised, and I've NEVER seen donuts this big!!

This was great! After walking around the Boardwalk, we walked further down and found a beach volleyball tournament, so we sat and watched. The stereotypical blonde, perfect body beach bunny was nowhere around. We, and the others around us, sat on the benches and watched them play for about 20 minutes. 

When we go on vacation, a couple of things are givens: we each get to choose a meal and we can't eat at any restaurant that we would normally find/eat at when we're home. M chose a pizza place for Tuesday's lunch called Pizza My Heart in Santa Cruz.  I chose lunch on Tuesday, and it turned out to be a great choice! California Grill served fresh Pajaro Valley foods!!

This was the salad that we all got before our meal. Onions, cabbage, tomatoes, lettuce, and the pink and orangey cubes are.....BEETS!!! It was such a good salad! We ordered deep fried artichoke hearts, because we'd seen them around on our drives and on menus quite a bit. Those were pretty good, too.

My guys being beach walkers.

The end of our second day... Tomorrow (Thursday) we head to Monterey!

Sincerely, 

Reluctant Writer