After the morning rituals were finished, we got a start on our day by going out to breakfast-- that's not something we do very often on a weekend!  After a way-too-filling breakfast, we started down to Santa Cruz to go to the Natural Bridges State Park and visit the Monarch butterflies.  (If you remember, we make this trek every year but this is the first time we've ever been in December.  Earlier this year, in January, we went with Natali, Sue & Bill's daughter.)

At first, since we arrived at noon, the sun wasn't really on the eucalyptus grove yet so there weren't many butterflies visible.  The "clumps" were dark and deeply hidden in the grove but, as the sun rose and warmed the trees, they started fluttering on the clumps and around the air.  One of the ranger-types said that there were about two thousand there at that time which is actually a pretty low count.  The ones that were there, however, were beautiful and put on an impressive show.
 

	A butterfly in the middle forefront of the picture.
	A clump of butterflies at the end of the branch.
	Me and Bill	Sue, Me and Bill

Then we walked down to the ocean; the beach has suffered quite a bit of erosion over the summer.  We couldn't get to the rocks where we had taken Natali less than a year ago which was disappointing for Brian because he enjoys climbing the rocks and playing in photographing the tidal pools.
 

Bill & Sue with the Arch of the last "Natural Bridge" in the background.	Last arch of the "Natural Bridges" that remains.	Again but in the shadows . . .
	Home for tube worms

After a couple of hours at Natural Bridges, we got back into the truck and set off up Highway 1, Pacific Coast Highway.  Brian did his usually excellent job of narrating the drive and since Bill really likes lighthouses, we stopped at Pigeon Point Lighthouse for some pictures as well as an upclose and personal view of a brussel sprout field (Nummy!!).
 
 

Pigeon Point Lighthouse	& Coast
How Brussels Sprouts grow . . .		. . . in a big field!!

We continued on up the coast to Half Moon Bay and stopped for a walk through at our favorite antique shop. I found a Christmas ornament that, although recently made, had been styled to look as an old-fashioned ornament in the shape of a cocker spaniel-- of course, I had to get that, don'tcha know!

We went on from there to a place called Spanish Town in Half Moon Bay where Sue found a couple of bargains in a dress shop and I found a Christmas gift for one of my co-workers, too.  All in all, a wonderful day.

We stopped at a "Vista Point" at the summit of Highway 92 . . .
 

Today, Brian and I took Sue and Bill to meet my in-laws for brunch.  Martha and Bob were their charming selves of course and, as I said to them at the end, at least now they've met most of my family.  We met at a restaurant called Jack's Bistro in Jack London Square and had a bit of a walk-around after our brunch.  Lovely area and lots of fun little fruit and vegetable stands in addition to crafty things to browse through on the wharf.

After we came home about 1pm, they packed up their car and, sadly, we sent them on their way.  Its so nice to see my family-- we don't get that treat very often.  (Yes, the next to talk into a visit is Karen-- technically, she's due out here next year but I don't know if we'll be able to talk her into it!)
 
 

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