Labor Day with Family

Back in June in Denver we made a date to spend Labor Day with my Auntie Anne and Uncle Val, my dad's sister and her husband, who live in Solvang. Solvang is a Danish town in between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo that has become a kitschy tourist town. A trio of Danes founded it back in 1911, when they bought 10,000 acres of land in the Santa Ynez Valley.

My mom told us stories of visiting it back when the majority of language you'd hear was still Danish.

I wish I had better pictures of the picturesque towny atmosphere, but this is what I have. It's always been a little hokey for me, but I get it, and the kids thought it was cool. 

Earlier that day, Auntie Anne took us to the Ostrich and Emu Experience in town. I guess it's not exactly "in town," but everything is five minutes apart around there, so...why not just call it?

Anyway, once you got inside, if you elected to purchase the feed, you could get closer to giant birds than you thought you'd ever otherwise get:

The emus made the best noises: like a large hollow rubber ball was being hit with a croquet mallet. We were there at the best time: the marine layer was still around, so the temperature was mellow, and it was before the crowds showed up in earnest. On later days we'd drive past and see just how crowded the parking lot could get.

We even drove out to Jalama Beach, a small SB County campground and park outside of Lompoc. We took Anne and Val's dogs, and they enjoyed the hell out of it:

That's Cass off in the distance

One of the few things I felt nostalgia for was, maybe weirdly, the way the morning air smelled. Turns out I missed the smell of the morning air on the Central Coast. Also, once that marine layer burns off, the green rim that surrounds nearly all views in the area is back in view, clearly seen from the front yard space at Auntie Anne's:

There place was very nice and cute, and the kids loved being there.

Ann and Val never had kids themselves, so for our kids and for my auntie and uncle, this was like a grandparent visit. It was very sweet and special, and our kids got so much attention and gave so much attention and love of their own.

Uncle Val put on loud action movies (Dead Reckoning: Part 1) and showed Cass how to play Call of Duty.Val shared with both kids cowboy hats and sunglasses. They loved Camille's flight's of imagination-fueled stories, chatted up Corrie about work, and helped out in the kitchen, absorbing a few tidbits I offered.

The drive back, on Labor Day Monday, was less than three hours, which was remarkable considering the day and drive (US 101 to I-405? Seriously?), and added to the magical time the visit really was.

Love you guys, and can't wait to do it again!