We had a really nice time with our family and some new friends we made while at our daughter’s house. She and her family have done an excellent job of coming back from the devastation of the fire and have picked up their lives and moved on. They have a strong faith and now know more than most of us, just how unimportant material things are to happiness. Although, I think my Grandson James is still clinging to his Airsoft shooting guns for happiness as tightly as before the fire.
James shooting his new sniper airsoft rifle he got for his birthday
There were a few things we had to get accustomed to while we were staying in Oxnard with our family. If you are in Florida, you will find this hard to believe, but they can leave their windows and doors open, day or night, because there are no bugs to speak of. If we did that in Florida, the people would have to move out and leave the house to the bugs. The other things that was so different was barking night and day. But this barking was not dogs, but seals and sea lions in the harbor right across the street. ALL NIGHT.
We left on Saturday morning and stopped in Solvang, about 2 hours north of Oxnard. This is a delightful little town whose name means “sunny field” was founded in 1911 by 3 Danish immigrants. To this day, it retains its Danish flavor with all things “Denmark” including candy, bakeries, shoes, clocks, and shops of all kinds. Walking through this town was truly a different experience. We had a wonderful lunch with fresh sourdough bread from one of the bakeries and fresh vegetables from the area. This central part of California is where much of the agriculture in the State comes from.
Stores in Solvang
Lunch in Solvang
Windmill added some charm to the town of Solvang
We didn’t leave until we had found a candy shop that made their own Polkagris which is a Swedish stick candy originating in 1859 that is the basis for our candy canes of today. Unfortunately, what has evolved is not nearly as good as the original and of course we didn’t leave without having some for the road.
We stopped in Santa Maria known for its BBQ Tri Tips and pinquito beans. Like all foods, it depends who makes it and I guess we picked the wrong place. We also tried to go to Pismo Beach and so did everyone else in California. We decided to postpone that stop for when we leave on Monday morning. The beach is no place to go on a weekend in California.
There was a huge accident on the Pacific Coast Highway, which is how you get up the coast, so we stopped in Arroyo Grande instead. This quaint little town is known for its swinging bridge built in 1875 suspended over the Arroyo Grande Creek with a weight limit of 5 people. Believe it or not, it is still in service as well as still swinging.
Swinging bridge over Arroyo Grande Creek
Garden along the street in Arroyo Grande
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