spamalot tours santa barbara

that's right my one & only reader... i starred in spamalot for two whole days courtesy of blogger. two nights ago i received an email from them, telling me my blog had been tagged as possible spam. until they determined otherwise, kats in the belfry would be frozen. how rude!

happily i woke today to my blog out of blogger prison, so i can now call off the hitman chat with you about our field trip.


yesterday we went with a large group of homeschoolers on the train to santa barbara. with the exception of having to be at the station at 8am, it was a magnificent day.

as with our san diego trip, we had a double-decker car all to ourselves. it was most likely to keep the other passengers safe from the horde of unruly homeschoolers, but we didn't care. our own car meant we could stretch out, & not have to keep the volume to a minimum.

the views were stunning. we went through mountains, and right along the edge of the ocean. the kids loved the pitch black when we rode into tunnels - including thehobbit with his fear of the dark.

splitting from the group, we walked around santa barbara, then had lunch by a fountain in a lovely courtyard. after some more walking, we rejoined our group to take a bus to the mission. unfortunately we missed the bus that went directly there, so had to take one that dropped us a few blocks below the mission. i love walking, but going uphill with a 2 full packs on my back... well not so much.



the mission was stunning, & our tour guide joy was fabulous. she was a sassy old thing, & we all adored her. if you take a scheduled tour, you really must insist on her.

after the mission trip, we split again from the group, & took a bus back to the main drag. a bit more walking around, then we rode an electric trolley to the pier. the day's theme seemed to be different modes of transportation. thehobbit thought all the vehicles were great fun. especially when i opened a tin of mints on the bus, & they went flying all over the place. those things sure do roll.

we had veggie burgers on the pier, played on the beach, then walked back to the station. the kids got to run on the lawn for a good half hour before the train arrived. it was wonderful seeing them all so happy & free - with the bonus of knowing they'd all have their yayas out before getting on the train for the 2.5 hour ride home. ha!

i enjoyed the train ride home, chatted with friends, snuggled with manlyman, watched the kids play, & even managed to embroider 6 crowns. no rest for the wicked weary.

it was truly a glorious day. i'm so thankful for the adventures homeschooling has brought my family. what a childhood thehobbit shall look back upon!
~peace.