Twenty-nine and holding.....

...and a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Lauri today. She's my original Betty Crocker and has her own cooking blog in case you didn't know and I had a picture of her that I wanted to post but I can't find it (I'll keep looking) of her and her first little kitchen that I got her when she was just two years old and now that she's 29, she's had several kitchens and here's her Lauri's Kitchen Cabinet cooking blog (clickity click HERE to go there).

She is an amazing cook, was first known for her chocolate chip cookies which you can find on her blog and now for her amazing authentic Mexican cuisine but I know her mostly for her mellowness and thoughtfulness....an amazing daughter to me, wife to James, mother to Lucy and friend to all. Enjoy your day today with your sweet family....

.....and speaking of cooking, we did a little camping and cooking these last couple of days as Randy and I headed out to the beach....to CAMP...ya, I camped and he cooked on this nifty little cooker borrowed from Ambyr and Jacob.....probably the first time I've really camped since 4-H....and I was reminded, ever again, why I don't like to camp....don't get me wrong, it was an adventure and beach camping is a whole lot different than Pine Valley or Panguitch Lake camping....we were out in the open on the east side of a dune with the ocean beyond the dune which I loved....but, it was cold....and I don't like being cold......

..... it really wasn't as cold as it looks and I was able to walk in the water and enjoy it. I do love the ocean and seeing the people and what they do. Most of them have dogs that they walk and throw tennis balls to and the dogs obediently chase them hour after hour.....

We made it through a night in the tent....which we shared for a short while with a skunk but were able to get him out before he sprayed us....(another reminder why camping isn't my favorite activity)....

After a night, we headed down Highway 1 for some sight seeing and stopped at Nick's Cove for a little Crab....Randy had the sandwich and I had the mac 'n cheese, yum.....This is an old fishing village and sits on the ocean with reminders of the 20's and 30's everywhere. Cool little place....you can rent a tiny, unique bungaloo for a cool 600 a night....we passed on that one and went on our way to......

.....Sausalito and checked out the houseboats there. People do live here and we checked out a few neighborhoods and found our favorites...and some just plain weird ones. Two girls were painting a mural on their houseboat. Some people just have too much time on their hands.....

...and this is Phil McGovern. He lives on a small fishing boat, pays no rent, just anchors his boat and comes to shore periodically to charge his battery and go through the dumpsters. Cool guy and very willing to talk to us about life on the water. It's been an adventurous couple of days...to say the least and I really enjoyed every minute of it...most every minute of it. I will go camping again....just hope for a warmer day.