toblers @ balboa 2013

Two weeks in the sun later I'm baaaack!  I don't have much of a tan to show for it, but I do have a lovely summertime cold.  Ah well, it's been known to happen.  So I'm going to sit on my couch watching Scandal in my pj's, and blog about the past few weeks of family time.  And what a lovely couple weeks it was!

All nine of us stayed in a tiny little beach house on the East Bay Front of Balboa Island that only had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and only two of those bedrooms had doors to them by the by...good thing we like each other.

We also took family pictures for the first time in something like 7 or 8 years which is something of note.  We added three new faces since those last pictures were taken and new ones will probably be around when we go to take the next ones.

We putted around the island on a Duffy boat one morning:

And we also took it upon ourselves to solve one of the Island's the world's biggest questions: Which of the 3 sweet shops on Marine Avenue, Dad's Donuts, Sugar 'N Spice, or Too Sweet, has the best BalBars and frozen bananas??? 

A completely serious blind taste test was conducted and the results were...

In case that picture is hard to read Too Sweet completely swept the board for best frozen bananas and it was almost a tie for the BalBars.  There were 3 votes for Dad's and 4 votes for Too Sweet.  Megan and I were the mediators and, therefore, didn't participate in a full blind test, but if it's worth anything we voted for Too Sweet for both. (Sugar 'N Spice didn't do so hot...they actually got no votes at all! We laughed every time we saw their long line after that - they were, however, the first BalBar stand on the island and get bonus point for that)

We spent the rest of that afternoon out in the water.  With kayaks and SUP's (stand up paddle boards) to go around we overloaded all of them and got the whole gang in the water.

 **Those are NOT two-seater kayaks by the way...

While we were out on the bay the day before we actually saw people doing yoga on their paddles boards...what the what??  Obviously I'm having no problem doing my warrior 2 pose above. (??)

Next was the 4th of July which was so very festive and fun.  The flags were up and out all over the island and everyone was in the red, white, and blue.  The 4th of July also happens to be all the in-law's favorite holiday (no pressure) so it was extra fun to be all together.  The boys went golfing, the ladies stayed and relaxed, a boat parade went by, good food was eaten, Lucky Undies was played (card games people), and fireworks off the North Bay front were watched.  It was a full and festive event.

The rest of the week was spent eating delicious cinnamon rolls from a local bakery (which I am craving right now).

We also finally made it across the bay to the peninsula to find some waves, wrecked havoc on the beach with a giant sling shot of sorts, and generally enjoyed every minute.

** I promise Dave is wearing shorts

 
And that was only the 1st week!  Unfortunately most everyone was gone the second week we were there.  Actually, that includes David.  Since I am currently jobless I would have just sat around at home in Santa Clarita...so why not sit around at the beach house instead?  A whole week is the longest Dave and I have ever been apart and we celebrate our 2nd anniversary next month!

Craziness.

Part two to come!