stgulik

Last Sunday's day trip was to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.  (^not my photograph)  Such a long day! But I didn't mind; this place holds a special place in my heart. Groom and I went camping on our honeymoon near here, long ago, and one day he and I took time out of our, erm, busy schedule, to play at the park.

Traffic was horrific due to a) Father's Day, b) the weekend, and c) very poor urban planning on the part of the City of Santa Cruz. Honestly, this amusement park must make a killing--would it hurt to install a parking structure? If they're worried about disrupting the skyline, well, even a two-story structure would double the capacity for the pitiful couple of blocks that are allocated for boardwalk parking.

Because here's the essential hypocracy of Santa Cruz: On one hand, it cherishes an old-fashioned hippie, Surf City U.S.A. vibe that embraces a low-carbon-footprint, environmentally-friendly lifestyle. But at the same time, it blithely allows thousands of tourists to come to town every day and spew carbon monoxide for an hour apiece as they crawl down narrow streets in underdeveloped neighborhoods, searching in vain for street parking.

I think I'll write a letter. Santa Cruz's irresponsible attitude toward traffic flow has awoken my inner Leslie Knope.

Anyway! We had to drive down in two cars. We lost my uncle twice along the way and once on the way back. We had to split up in the course of finding parking, ("Every Van For Himself"), and for a while I really believed Uncle Don would be lost to us forever. I mean, he was alone in a strange town with no cell phone and no way to call any of us. But in retrospect, I believe it was the nicest part of his day, being away from all our yammering.

Once I knew we were all parked and accounted for, the day improved for me. I ate ice cream and rode the sky tram, teased my cousins and got too much sun. Also visited a psychic, but that's a story for another entry!

Our San Francisco day trip was so much fun!

My midwest relatives got to check a few things off their vacation to do lists. They saw the ocean--in fact, the teenage girls were fairly boisterous at their first sight. They took loads of selfies in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, and later had their first taste of sauteed calamari, fresh off the pier.

Also, we saw a whale underneath the bridge! It was my first real live whale, so that's a thing that got checked off my own list.

Ushering them around reminded me of my first time there. That's why I really like taking relatives on tours: for the nostalgia factor. Also, I love them and want them to be happy, of course.

Saw this meme on akatnamedeaster's blog this afternoon and I thought it looked cool. So here's what's going on with me:

What I'm reading:
The Killing Moon, a Nebula-nominated fantasy fic by N.K. Jemisin. This is my sci-fi/fantasy book club's next pick, and so far I am digging it. I have a few weeks before our next meeting, so I have time to read as slowly as I want, enjoying the way this author can turn a phrase.

What I'm modding:
I've never modded a comm, and I wouldn't know the first thing about it. For those of you who have, what's the toughest thing?

What I'm thinking about:
Summer vacation with my husband's family, and how bad blood has really crept into our fun. In years past, we used to rent this one great big cabin and just pile in. But in the last few years, resentments have begun to creep into our relationships. They can be put aside for a while, but not forgotten. Meanwhile, the cabin has been sold and is not available to rent anymore. So my family and my SIL's family are trying to look for cheap digs. Other families will stay in other cabins. And then we will meet at the beach, designated neutral territory. Fun will be had, I guess, but that old easy informality is gone, and I'm sad about it.

What I'm creating:
Nothing right now. I see het_bigbang is gearing up for another summer run, which puts me in mind to write again with teddyradiator. We've procrastinated on our next project so much! Maybe what we need is a deadline...

What I'm watching:
Mostly Giants baseball! I keep up with a couple of network television shows: Elementary and The Flash. Elementary turned out to be surprisingly low-key and sophisticated. The Flash, I started out being very disdainful of, and later grew to like for the interweaving story lines.

Please don't take offense - it's all i can think to call them. must be punchy.

 

today is the harry potter birthday party! i made these horcruxes out of thrift store finds.

 

what they lack in class, they'd make up for in good humor.

Posted via LiveJournal app for Android.