GOING HOME

Gideon and Richard traveled to SLO this week to visit Grandma. There is something very therapeutic in 'going home'. I wish I could have gone with them. I love that feeling of seeing the San Luis Obispo next 8 exits sign, coming off the freeway, and driving down familiar streets. Even the smell in the air is familiar, and the landmarks take me back in time to being a little girl and then a teen and young mom there.

Even though I'm not there myself this week, Gideon has kept me well informed about what they are doing, including:
Swimming in Grandma's Pool
Having lunch at A & W Rootbeer, which he thinks would do well in our town in PA
Going to the Morro Bay State Park museum
Playing on the beach
Visiting Atascadero Lake
Having a night swim with family
Playing Clue, an old summer favorite
Going to Madonna Inn for Black Forest Cake

My favorite summer memories of growing up in SLO include:
Climbing the hill across from our house and carrying a picnic lunch to eat while looking out over the city
Endless hours of swimming and more swimming in our pool
Weenie roasts at Cayucos with a big driftwood bonfire
Poking sea anenomes in the tide pools there, and looking for sand dollars and angel-wing or abalone shells
Visiting the library and reading many wonderful novels for the first time
Taking a picnic lunch down to San Luis Creek and playing in the water
Walking on Avila Pier and watching the fishermen
Going to Montana De Oro beach and Hazard Canyon, and running down the sand to the bottom
Eating at Ed's Takeout and Arctic Circle restaurant
Going to summer movies once a week at Fremont Theatre
Riding bikes wherever we wanted to go, with little parent supervision
And generally just having a wonderful childhood in a wonderful place

Thank you, San Luis Obispo!