Day 3: The Main Event

I learned my lesson: close the blinds and the kids will sleep in longer.

Saturday morning we decided to go out to breakfast. We'd seen a sign for "Sambo's" further back on Hwy 101, and having fond memories of both the book and the restaurant chain, decided to give it a go.

Well, it turned out that the restaurant wasn't part of the chain; it's a local landmark-type place. I should have taken a picture of the tiger with the parasol out front of the building for Rebecca, but I forgot the camera.

The place was packed: a good sign. The food was all made from scratch, and the portions were huge! We had the most fabulous dining-out breakfast that we've had in years. It was comparable to the Sunbreak Cafe in Auburn, WA, but even a little better. I have half a Denver omelette that we're going to share today before we leave for home.

After breakfast, back down to the beach. I had a bridal tea to attend at noon, so I was down on the sand for about 1 hr before having to leave. I did actually go into the ocean at this time, just so nobody could say I wimped out. But really, I've spent a great deal of time in the Pacific Ocean as I grew up, and I know how to body surf, and really, I'd much rather be WARM and DRY now!! Still, you can't convince your kids of that. So I was out there, very briefly, earning some "cool points" in the waves.

The bridal tea was close-knit and special. Ruthanne and Kelly came up with some good eats, too! :) I always love cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, and Kelly also made some toasted bread spread with a mix of creme fraiche, dill, shallots, and dijon, then topped with smoked salmon. We spent the afternoon laughing and trading stories, then finished with a time of prayer for Lora and Dave as they embark on their new life together.

I returned to the hotel to find the family in the warm pool. They'd spent about 3 hours at the beach (A. was turning pink, most surprisingly; he rarely burns)---then after a brief lunch they decided to hit the pool, where they'd been for about 1.5 hours. I joined them (warm water, you know) and the kids stayed in for another 1.5 hours.

For the wedding, Lora and Dave changed the order of things about. Due to sunset lighting issues (for pictures), we had the wedding feast FIRST! That was fine by the kids, because they were ravenous. The caterers served scallops in a white wine cream sauce (I had seconds), planked salmon with mango-cilantro salsa, garlic mashed potatoes, shrimp cocktail, clam chowder.... it was all good. I was wishing I was still hungry, because it all tasted so good. (This is not what they wore to the wedding, btw!)






After dinner, we headed back over to Fishing Rock for the wedding ceremony. It was beautiful in every way, except for my son sneaking off different places, and the fact that my battery was going dead on my (Audra's) digital camera. With the setting sun and the roaring surf, we stood and watched Lora and Dave exchange their vows. Sniff.


Here's a family shot following the wedding:

Uncle Bob, Aunt Naomi, Dan, Ruthanne, Dave, Lora, Donna, John, Kelly, Loren. My batteries were virtually worthless by this point, so it was "snap" and hope for the best!


Following the ceremony and pictures at Fishing Rock, we returned to the beach house for cake, etc. I was given the honor of cutting the cake, which the groom's mother had brought down with her from Bellevue. It was a 16" (diameter) Latvian torte. (I didn't realize Latvia had its very own torte recipe! lol) Dear mother said she was told that the cake would serve about 40 people. Uhm....no, in my experience, more like 80+ ~! There were plenty of leftovers. The torted cake was white with 2 filling layers of bavarian cream, and the middle filling layer of apricot. The outer frosting was like a French buttercream, or a Swiss meringue buttercream in a light mocha or chocolate, I couldn't decide which. Buttercream frosting in the US is a cold-whipping process; French, Italian, Swiss buttercreams all involve cooking. It gives a lighter taste, textured more like a buttery whipped cream but with greater stability.

Heh. Listen to me wax rhapsodic about cakes. Sorry.


The kids had had enough fun and excitement by 10 p.m., so we made our farewells and promised to almost possibly keep in contact just slightly better than we have done in times past (a nebulous promise; much safety here) and returned back to the hotel, where the kids collapsed, and so did we.

So this is my last post from the road. It's a lovely, foggy morning, much like I grew up with on California's Central Coast. I can hardly see the sea! When I began this post, there was a bit of sunshine hanging about, but then the fog rolled in, obliviating it. Everything's a misty shade of grey. And now that it's 8:30 a.m., I'd better be the one to get the ball rolling, get the show on the road, and any other cliche you can think of. After all, A. has to lead Bible study at church tonight, and we have miles to go before we sleep.

Don't worry. We will not be taking any hypoteneuses on our return journey.