Cayucos (Friday)

I believe I have saved the best for last, for what we saw on Friday morning was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  We started the day in Cayucos, a neighboring beach town.  We picked up a bag of warm and just-made kettle corn and strolled down the long pier.

At the end of the pier we looked out and started seeing the water ripple with fins.  It was dolphins. DOLPHINS! The longer we watched, the more dolphins we realized were a part of this group-- possibly as many as 20!  They swam, fished, slapped their tails and even jumped.  What they were eating must have been a feast because the seals and pelicans started joining them.  There was so much activity in this small area of ocean right off the pier!  We couldn't take our eyes off it!

We finally dragged ourselves away from our wild dolphin show and took a walk down the beach.  Once again, Delia couldn't resist those waves and ran straight in with her clothes on!

The morning in Cayucos concluded with a lunch of local catch at a neat little beachfront restaurant.   Fish and chips, fish tacos and fried clams were gobbled up by the fish-lovers in our family.

Since Saturday was just cleaning, packing and heading to the airport, Friday night and VM Vacation at the coast ended with Dad treating us to a super fancy dinner at Guisseppe's, an Italian restaurant in SLO.  We indulged in unique dishes like pear and beet salad, butternut squash gnocchi, risotto with prawns and strozzapreti with sweet pea sauce.

This was a perfect vacation with a perfect combination of activity and relaxation.  We thoroughly enjoyed our lovely home, the gorgeous sights and some relief from the heat.  Mostly, we just treasured the time to recharge and reconnect with family.  The girls basked in Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Kyle's love and attention.  Plans are already being discussed for VM Vacation 2011 (the whole group) and we can't wait!!!