Morro Bay Beach trip: Vacation Day 7

The first part of our day on Day 7 found us hanging out at the beach in Morro Bay. One of our favorite places to eat is Hofbrau, and since the one closed in A-town we always dedicate a time to sneak off to the beach to enjoy some good food and some fun in the sun. Hofbrau was delicious as usual, and as we were leaving Gunner made friends with a girl who had fished a starfish off the rocks. She was sweet enough to allow him to touch it and he thought that was pretty neat. After the Starfish-encounter we headed to one of my favorite places, the mini aquarium and to feed the seals. Since I was a kid this was one of my favorite places to go so it’s always a treat to get to go back and remember parts of my childhood. I LOVE feeding the seals at this place! If you throw the fish food ‘just right’ the Seals will climb up high on a ledge and catch food in their mouth for you…Scott was PERFECT at got the biggest Seal to lay up on the highest ledge and put on a show for us. The kids (and me too!) LOVED IT!!! When Scott wouldn’t throw food fast enough the seal would take his flipper (I don’t know what you call it!) and smack his belly encouraging Scott to throw faster. When we would clap the seal would smack his belly and clap back at us…toooo fun!

Part of the seal exhibit is an old-time aquarium that you must walk through to exit. Although it’s dark and slightly dingy I LOVE this building and all that it has to offer. I LOVE this place because it takes me back in time to an era where families still sat down every night to eat dinner together. A time when color TV’s didn’t find themselves in every house (especially every room in a house), and a time where a computer didn’t exist. For generations families have walked through this building admiring the sea creatures when a family vacation didn’t take you across the Country, but maybe just down the street from your house. Years ago we VALUED simpler things in life, and although I (really!) enjoy indoor plumbing and the internet, my hope is that I can instill values in my kids that they APPRECIATE the simpler things in life, even if they are dark and maybe a little dingy!

After the aquarium we headed down to the water to feed the Seagulls. I’m thinking we had to have broken at least a dozen or so laws in California while feeding popcorn to the birds, but to see my kiddos sooo happy was worth the chance at spending the night behind bars. Lucky for us we ran out of popcorn just as a Sherriff pulled into the parking lot. After we were out of food we ran through the sand to the water. Man was it cold!!! MUCH colder than it was when I was younger…and they say Global Warming is an issue…not on the Pacific Coast :)

We played in the water and collected shells and sand dollars for quite a while before packing up and heading back over the Hill to Atascadero.

Stay tuned for pictures from the rest of the day on Day 7…a late Christmas at Brad & Michele’s with Grandma & Baja!