sunny California day 1

We both had a great night of sleep which hasn't happened for me in several days so that was good!  The bed was either really good, or I was so tired it did not matter!  Since I had no plans for the day, I started searching on the internet for things near us to do today.  We headed downstairs for a yummy breakfast and back to the airport to pick up our rental car.  Colin was less than impressed with the color or style of our rental car . . .

. . . I kind of liked it; not so much the color but different than what used to getting as a rental.  It wasn't what I had in mind when I picked the smallest and cheapest rental car but it was perfectly fine for us for two days.  Our first stop was just across the runway of John Wayne Airport, Lyon Air Museum.  I had never heard of this place but after reading the reviews with the mention that it had a collection of WWII airplanes, I knew Colin would enjoy it.  We were the first to arrive for the day and enjoyed having the museum to ourselves for a bit.  Colin had fun playing with the camera auto timer . . .

It was a great stop and even spent time watching old films from WWII era.  Now for the real fun of driving in California . . . the traffic is always a mess and honestly I am not thrilled but it has to be done to get to our next stop.  We detoured to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Interpretative Center.  I had no idea what to expect but again it had good reviews so thought we would check it out.  We happened to arrive at feeding time . . . we were treated to watching several snakes eat live mice and other aquatic critters getting mussels.  It was interesting and Colin enjoyed watching!  We then headed outside to walk the trails around the wetlands area.  It was a beautiful day . . . we saw lots of birds.  There were even two WWII 155mm Panama Mount Gun Emplacements . . .

We headed back to the car for the short drive to our destination for the day, Huntington Beach also known as 'Surf City, USA'.  Of course Colin noticed all the surfing brochures and wanted to take a lesson.  I get a bit nervous when he is so far out in the water but told him we would ask the concierge when we checked into the hotel, The Waterfront Beach Resort.  Our room was ready so we dropped out bags, enjoyed a quick view from the room . . .

. . . and headed out for lunch!  We walked a couple of blocks to Simmzy's which had a nice outside dining area.  Colin had wings while I had fish tacos but more importantly . . .

. . . Sangria topped with Red Wine!  It was yummy and helped me realize that even though this past week I had some changes in my life . . . everything would work out in the end . . . well, that is what I kept telling myself . . . six years is a long time to dedicate to a relationship and to have someone just walk away leaving me with nothing is going to take time, but I was determined to make this trip a good one!  When we arrived back at the hotel we inquired about a surfing lesson . . . they could not confirm a lesson because the weather was suppose to be not so good in the morning due to approaching rain so will have to call tomorrow morning.  We did sign up to have s'mores on the beach and a beach wagon with all the supplies and fun beach toys too!  Colin was SO excited about building a fire; I wasn't so sure we would be able to build a fire to make s'mores but he assured me he could do it, and that Papa (my dad) had taught him well!  So off we go with our wagon of fun . . . he wasted no time . . .

. . . and then got side tracked with the frisbee and football!

I held down the chairs on the beach and kept watch over our fire pit . . .

. . . and these guys kept me entertained too!

It was getting time so back to work he went . . .

I wasn't so sure he had the skills . . . I was afraid the paper would all burn and the wood never catch fire.  Call me a doubter . . . everyone around us was using lighter fluid but not us; paper, wood, and matches . . .

. . . apparently he does know what he is doing!  I was very impressed and all those weekends at my parents' house that he played with fire paid off!  He ate so many s'mores . . .

. . . I had one which was good but the sunset was amazing!  A great way to end the day and start our Spring Break . . .

I can already tell the beach fire is going to be hard to top . . . best $30 I have spent and probably going to be the best thing we do this trip.  We headed back to the hotel to get ready for bed and realized it was only 7:00pm!