Well, I decided to combine the last two posts since I'll be away from home for a few days, and won't have access to my photos. So, it's a bit longer than planned, and this only makes four parts instead of five. It really was such a wonderful trip and I hope you've enjoyed the last few posts.

We went to lunch at one of those Mongolian grills. The food was scrumptious and there were so many toppings to choose from.

Around the corner and up the mountain live the adorable Highland Coo. Now honestly, have you ever seen a cow this cute?

The darker ones are much cuter, but I love the contrast when they're together.

Hmmmm, Laura is slicing mushrooms...

...mom is stirring something in the cast iron skillet...

...Mrs. H. and Ben are stuffing something...

After calling Mimi for her recipe, mom made some stuffed artichokes. Yes, I helped too, but I wasn't quite as good at it as the others were. :)

It was beauty parlor night, so Laura got her hair cut.

Stage 1: Look like Cousin It.

Ben making milkshakes.

And then he rescued a distressed Emma who said there was a spider under her bed.

Finishing up.

Awwww...her wonderful father and brothers, all ready to protect the lovely lady.

Laura and Mom. Aren't they cute?

When she finished with Laura, she showed Thomas how do the finishing touches when he gives a hair cut.

For those of you who don't know, we missed our flight, so we had to reschedule for the next day.
Em is hunting for her gum.

So I like lemons in my water. Most of the people at the table passed their lemon to me...I think I just about finished that glass of water too.

The girls at our last dinner.

Em flying her own plane in Minneapolis.

And there is our bus with wings.

On our way to the gate.

On our way away from the gate and back to the play area. Yes, we went through this tunnel several times.

I took Em up to the water closet and as I was talking with the flight attendant, I saw this out the window.

Em holds the airplane my mom made with her napkin as she reads the safety booklet.

The sun setting in the west, and so we bring this story to a close.

As I'm sure many of you have already guessed, our next destination was the beach. I've seen the Gulf of Mexico down in Galveston many times. I've seen the Atlantic on the East coast, but until this trip, I had never seen the great Pacific ocean. Imagine my delight and amazement as we walked down the sandy beach to see this incredible body of water. My friends had told me all about it, but that did not prepare me for what I saw.

We spent many lovely hours playing at the beach. When we finished up at the first place, we began hunting for the perfect place to eat. Clam Chowder was what we were looking for, and when we finally discovered it, we were not disappointed! Being full, warm and content, we headed back out to find another beach to explore. 'Twas a beautiful day, and one of my favorite from the entire trip! I'll warn you ahead of time...there are lots of pictures this time! :)

Philosophizing.

Yes, to play in the freezing water on a chilly day means that we must have totally lost our marbles!
Photo Credit: Mom

Laura searches for shells, while Sara and Em high tail it out of there.

Watchin' the waves roll in.

Run for your lives!
Photo Credit: Mom

If that was coming for you, wouldn't you be running too?

Sara and Em are all smiles.

Laura continues her hunt for shells.

My lovely mother and me
Photo Credit: Mr. H. or Thomas.

Dear friends.
Photo Credit: Mom

The girls think that they are a pretty good catch too! :)

Sweet girls happily munching on clam chowder. Check out those huge bread bowls!

Mmmmm...what is this I see? Fish Tacos!

Boys will be boys...

To continue the tradition, Hey Nic. I was actually trying to get a picture of the group shopping with the King Crab on the wall, but Nic smiled, so we shall say "Hey." :)

A lovely view.

The parents wondering why the crazy children are playing in the cold water.

With such a view, it's amazing how many things there are to ponder.

Nic bravely advances towards the crashing ocean...

...and then a quick retreat becomes his next course of action.

Mom and Em leaving their footprints in the sand.

Very good catch, Anton!

Apparently, Em and I found something at this moment to be awfully amusing. :)
Photo Credit: Mom

Turn around and run!
Photo Credit: Mom

Why, I do believe Thomas is wishing he could join in the fun and play in the water!

A calm Laura watches her brothers make a mad dash for dry land.

Oh, looks like Thomas has been distracted.

The bridge shrouded in the fog.

As the day begins to wind down, feet need to be cleaned. What could be better than an outdoor shower to get the sand off?

Only, there is no water...

Get a foot massage from Nic! Oh, never mind, he's just getting the sand off Ben's feet.

Big cities mean big traffic.

One last stop before we go home...In-n-Out for dinner! Burgers, fries and milkshakes....mmmm.
A good ending to a perfect day.

Next up:

A visit to the Highland Coo and other odds-n-ends we did.