Bushes by the Beach: Day Three

On Friday we started off the day with a fantastic devotional by Amy and Karl.  Each of the kids got a little pipe with "hold to the rod" written on it that was then put through a string.  They were then instructed to close their eyes and follow where the rod would lead.  Each of the adults were holding a portion of the string and would try and tempt them to let go of their rod with promises of snacks (Devo) and misdirections, however, if they held the rod all the way to the end of the string, they found Grandma and Grandpa giving out a reward of the white fruit (powdered doughnuts!).  It was a big success!  

Lij and Rin had then scheduled an excursion day.  They included a list of suggestions of notable things in the surrounding area and we all went off our separate ways.  This was the one day I think we all felt a little unsatisfied with, not because there wasn't plenty of cool things to do and see, but because in the end we all wished we had coordinated better and spent the time together.  

Burke and I chose to drive 30 miles up to Santa Barbara to see the court house and old Spanish mission.  It was a beautiful drive and made it even more obvious why so many millions of people want to live in southern California.  

The view from the top of the bell tower was lovely and I was so impressed by the beautiful old mosaic tiles, woodwork and paintings throughout the building.

The lawn was a gorgeous green space as well where Daphne ran and screamed to her hearts content.

 We then drove to over to see the mission, but here Daphne's patience was wearing thin and we decided to bag the tour, grab a bite to eat and head back to the beach house instead.

Rolling in the grass on the lawn in front of the mission.  Game over.

 Elijah had suggested a restaurant along the coast on the way back to Ventura and we decided to try it out.  It was the cutest little place with almost all outdoor seating and a view of the beach and ocean just a hundred yards away.  We loved the ambiance and wished we could have walked along the street to check out the shops, but Daphne wasn't having any of it.  Party pooper.

We also saw some gorgeous houses along the way.  The one below has many elements of my future dream house I have pictured in my mind.

That night we ate in Ventura and met up with the Ridings and Murphy Family for a round of mini golf at *hands down* the most ellaborate mini golf course I have ever been to.  I can't believe not a one of us brought our cameras!  Each hole was a work of art with themes ranging from safaris to London and Caribbean pirate ships.  Amazing!