Doug finally getting the opportunity to enjoy his Father's Day present

Doug ended up in the Emergency Room on Father's Day. Not a very fun day. What he really wanted to do this summer was go fishing. He has never had a California fishing license and this was the summer to do it.

He has been on a few short fishing trips this summer but finally he got his raft and was determined to enjoy his fishing adventure Labor Day weekend. We went to beautiful Huntington Lake. Doug was in heaven on the open waters.

Doug Fishing at Huntington Lake

Doug was in his highth of glory enjoying nature, fishing, and the open waters.

I would say that this was on his bucket list. One thing to check off but to enjoy again and again.

Doug's 60th Birthday Was a Fun One

I'm a little behind on blogging but I can't miss this day. August 25th Doug turned the big 60.

I put signs and balloons all over the house. My sister Cathy had all kinds of ideas for me from her 60th and her husband's. Thanks Cathy for the fun ideas.

It was time for some fun. Doug is a private person and doesn't like a big deal for his birthday. So we had our own celebration.

One of Doug's favorite treats that he doesn't get very often is cheesecake. So he got a cheesecake that says, "Aged to Perfection".

Since it was such a special occasion we went to Cool Hand Luke's for dinner. It is a Steakhouse that we have heard a lot about and the food is delicious. It was a fun day.

I'm so grateful for the 37 years that we have known each other. Doug never thought with his diabetes that he would live to be 50 let alone 60. I hope he has many more birthdays to come. He loved all of the calls from our children and grandchildren and the special touches they put to their packages they sent . He loves his children and grandchildren very much.

Hearst Castle, Big Sur & Monterrey Aquarium

Doug and I have planned to go to Hearst Castle several times but this time we really did it. This place is amazing! They have several different tours that you can go on. We went on the basic tour and hope someday to go back and take another tour of a different area. On weekends they have an evening tour I think that would be really fun to go on it,
This property was like a city within itself. Everything a person needed was available to them. The Hearst's even had a zoo their for several years.
Every detail was paid attention to. The architecture is amazing.

This is where the guests would come and eat. I thought it was interesting that with everything so fancy they would have catsup and mustard on the table in these containers. Mr. Hearst loved hamburgers and a relaxed atmosphere.

Can you believe these tennis courts? There was plenty for their guests to do.

The detail of every room was amazing even the ceilings. Every inch is decorated.

Here is Doug by their indoor swimming pool. They even had an area to dive off from into the water. This is a castle fit for a King.

The gardens were beautiful and many plants were shipped in from all over the world.

I remember several of our children going to this Castle on an 8th grade trip and being really embarrassed about the statues not being clothed. Looking at them quite a few years ago and now the statues are pretty mild to the side of the ones we might see today.
They had a huge indoor movie theater. Many movie stars and important people stayed there.

One thing I thought was quite interesting was that the movie stars were told that smoking was healthy for them. That is why many of them started smoking. It kind of backfired on them when they found out how unhealthy it was.

My pictures are out of order but I don't know how to move them around. We went to the Monterrey Aquarium and this time the highlight were all of the wonderful Seahorse Displays. They are fascinating creatures.

We loved driving up the coast to Monterrey. It is called the Big Sur. The scenery was amazing.

It was such a fun relaxing trip. Just what we needed before we headed back to school.

The Jellyfish are some of our favorites at the aquarium.

We loved watching the Sea Otters. The children around us loved watching them. I have never seen so many very young children taking pictures. With the digital cameras even the little ones can take pictures.

Below are Elephant Seals on the San Simeon Beach near Hearst Castle. The seals were entertaining to watch. I'm glad these videos turned out.

We really enjoyed this short, fun trip.