Glass Bottom Boat Tour of Monterey Bay

Following our lunch at Domenico's we walked along the wharf and were talked into taking the whole family on a glass bottom boat tour of the bay. Now note that the day was still foggy at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and light conditions were less than optimal for viewing fish, but 'hey' how often do we get down to Monterey, and how often do we get to take the kids on their first boat ride on the bay?

Iain decided to be our intrepid fearless photographer and help me chronicle the voyage using a small digital camera I got for Christmas a couple years ago.

The girls however were far more interested in watching the kelp go by underneath us. Yeah, kelp was about all we saw, but that was good enough for them.

Aidan slept through most of the ride, but before it was over he decided to wake up and check out what all the commotion was about. Overall everyone enjoyed our quick trip around the bay, and while we didn't see too much in the way of fish, we got to check out a lot of sea lions, birds and kelp, and we learned a little bit about the local history from the boat's captain. All in all, a good time!

Update: I added all the day's pictures to a Web Album

Lunch at Domenico's

 
 

So every year for the last... well let's just say for quite a while now, we've enjoyed the tradition of meeting up with my parents and Faith's parents in Monterey, and having lunch at a restaurant on the wharf. This usually occurs in the July timeframe, because then we can justify the cost of lunch by saying that we're celebrating Faith's mom's birthday (13th), my dad's birthday (14th), and our anniversary (18th). Invariably, we always eat at Domenico's, which is one of John Pisto's restaurants, and this year upheld the tradition. It's also become more of a circus every year, as we've continued to add kids to the mix, so we're now seating 10 of us, but in honor of our last addition, here are some shot's of Aidan gnawing on some fresh cibatta bread that they get from the Palermo bakery in Seaside.

Update: I added all the day's pictures to a Web Album

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

Iain got to attend his first major league baseball game on Sat. night. Actually it turned out to be a night full of firsts for him. It was his first time in San Francisco, his first time riding BART, his first time riding MUNI, and of course his first SF Giants game. He was very impressed with himself for getting to ride on two subways, and "you don't even need seatbelts".

The game was a great success. We met up with my friend Brian, and spoiled Iain royally - cotton candy, sunflower seeds, and ice cream. Plus Brian was even nice enough to buy Iain his first Giants cap, and a pin to go on it too!

The night was capped off by the Giants beating the Padres 4-3, and taking over 1st place in the division. Not much more we could've asked for in a game! I think Iain's decided that baseball games are pretty cool, since he asked if we're coming back tomorrow.

Now we've just got to figure out how to get tickets for next years All Star game!

 

Getting into the Swim of Things

 

Iain and Allison made it through their second week of swim lessons. They're attending Little Honu Swim School in Gilroy. They were recommended to us by some of the parents in Iain's kindergarten class at PWCA, and while the price is a little high, we've been incredibly impressed with the results. After the kids first 1/2 hour lesson, they'd already jumped off the diving board into the deep end of the pool. Before we know it, Iain and Allison will be surpassing Faith and I (though that wouldn't take much).

 

And Not To Be Left Out...

 

Ok, to appease Faith that there are pictures of all of us up, and to show that she too can take a good picture, here's the picture of Aidan and I that she took at the July 4th picnic.

 

What About Aidan?

 

Faith complained that I left Aidan out of the pictures from the July 4th picnic, so to make up for it here's a picture of him with his mom.

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

One has to love a country that celebrates its independence by encouraging people to take the day off of work and blow things up! ;-)

We were fortunate enough to have the big Morgan Hill fireworks show presented from the park next to Faith's parents house, so we just gathered together in their driveway to enjoy. Much easier than fighting traffic and having to lug a bunch of stuff to the park.

 

Waiting for Fireworks

 

L to R; Jessica, Allison, Amber, and Abigail

Faith's friend Cindy brought her family over to watch the big fireworks show in Morgan Hill, so Allison and Amber were joined by Abigail and Jessica. Sadly, when the fireworks arrived, Amber fell asleep and Allison and Aidan got scared of the loud booms. At least Iain enjoyed the show.

 

Swimming and Showers

 

The Nelsons have a swimming pool, which is a hot commodity during the summertime, and Iain was more than happy to put it to use. Actually, we had a hard time tearing him away from it for more than 5 minutes.

Iain and Allison start swim lessons next week, so this'll probably be the last time we see him in a swim vest for a while.

 

Want Some Watermelon?

Nothing says 4th of July like a big wedge of watermelon, and Amber is happy to share hers. We celebrated the afternoon at a picnic in the backyard of our friends the Nelsons.