santa barbara getaway

before too much times passes and i forget details,

i am taking a few minutes to post about our

little mom/son getaway to beautiful santa barbara.

 

since we arrived by train and never planned on

renting a car, we packed light, just a backpack each

which meant there was no room left for my big camera.

{i resorted to using my iphone which isn't comparable}

 

the boys brought their cute red beach cruisers on the train,

and amtrak didn't charge a cent....just required a reservation.

apparently bringing bikes along is quite popular for travelers.

 



finn kept a journal (a bday gift from uncle chad}

we stayed at the harbor house inn, a small hotel that
worked really well for us.  some highlights of our trip:

• our room was a cute stand-alone cottage 
• we were just 2 blocks from the water and it's miles of bike paths
• there were dozens of cafes, restaurants and shops right around the corner
  {no car needed}. we found sambos, which became our favorite stop for brunch
• i was able to check out a complimentary beach cruiser, towels, chairs, umbrellas,
  and sand toys from our hotel {a lifesaver}
• a gift basket in our room full of fresh fruit, snacks, juices and a loaf of
  homemade banana bread which we finished off on the train ride home
• the hotel lobby was stocked with books and movies. a treat for evenings.

we spent the cool mornings on long bike rides and the afternoons

soaking in the sun. we briefly considered biking to sb's zoo

{just 2.5 miles away from hotel}, but the boys opted for spending the day

swimming, building sand castles and reading.

 

while finn was digging his way to china, scoutie finished his 13th book in the 39 clues series

he is obsessed with, and i started the poisonwood bible, a book a dear friend recommended

to me. it completely and utterly sucked me in. 

 

the habor house inn

 

 

and santa barbara, oh how i LOVE this little town that reminds

me of a smaller/quainter/and more $$ san diego.  it boasts a similar 

climate, but has the added bonus of the santa ynez mountains as it's backdrop.

{finn and i almost crashed into other cyclists distracted by the views}

 

 

 

i'm sure i sounded like a broken record because i said that i loved

this little town over and over outloud.  by the 2nd day, i remembered there

was a college here {uc santa barbara} and mentioned it to the boys,

ending with maybe one of you will go to college here someday. 

 

finn, ever so seriously said, "mom, it IS beautiful here, but i'm going to

caltech or mit"  he followed with, maybe scoutie can go to college here. 

that's so finn....a boy with a plan at just 9 years old.

 

scoutie's response was more typical.  he said "that's a long time away". 

{the thought of leaving home doesn't sit well with most 6 year olds}

 

i responded, it IS a long time away {but at the same time thought it comes fast}.

still, like scout, this mom's not really ready to think about about it too much either.

there's still so much to do together first. i said this and then we walked over to the

pier to get an ice cream cone.

 

the trip was more than we had hoped for...the perfect mixture

of activity and relaxation. i'm hoping they'll remember our special

getaway years down the road.  if they get cloudy, they will have mom's

memory {and my blog} to remind them.