Bitches Be Trippin

Today was the Monterey Bay Aquarium!! I woke up far too early, Frankie later, and we roused Brynna out of bed a half hour before leaving. One must understand, that in our family, everybody has their own wake up call. Nat favors the Merryweather fight song. I prefer Sousa marches at high volume. Martha believes in leaving well enough alone. And Frankie indulges in "Good Morning, Sunshine! The earth says "Hello!" It was Frankie's option that prevailed that morning. But we still made an early enough start, no sleep deprived fist fights, and parked along a street near the aquarium. So we had a lovely walk past the Hopkins Marine Station. We absolutely had to spend a good amount of time ogling the harbor seals. Frankie thought they were rocks, at first. Then it was "Oh My God, They're Alive!!" And really, it was totally worth it. Watching them bask in the early sun, roll over to warm a belly, awkwardly  caterpillar  their way to and from the...

So today we left Santa Rosa and headed south to our darling niece/cousin who is putting us up for the night and joining us for our adventures. Mo bitches = mo better Especially with Frankie along. For example: They do not (audibly) judge my driving, nor the comments I make about every other driver on the road (just so we're clear - none of them are as good as me) When I break into California Here I Come as we cross the Golden Gate Bridge, there is no eye rolling, they just join in When I say "Selfie!" they put up with it On our way down, we definitely had to stop at the Pez Museum in Burlingame. I feel like the first stop kind of sets the tone for the trip. For years I hears about this place where they had Every Pez Ever Made. Kitchy, obsessive and niche. That is so weird I had to see it. Yay! We look like shit! So yes, it's tiny, but they do have every Pez, including Japanese gashapon, which are adorable, short, and only hold three Pez each. Fun ...

So  it turns out that Brynna has NEVER BEEN TO MONTEREY! For someone who live in Northern California in their 20's, this is a serious omission that needs to be corrected. We started off today early. We had to get to the Pacific Biological Labs by 9 for our tour (free, btw, if anyone's interested), so up early, out for coffee and shuffling zombie Brynna into the car. Because it was at 9, and not 9:30, I drove like a bat out of Hell to get there on time. Shocking, I know. But we made it, and got to see the only real remaining bit of Cannery Row on Cannery Row. It's a little worn down redwood building standing in between all the remade, tacky, anonymous buildings that make up the area today. Such a surprising anomaly, it's not surprising that it gets overlooked by basically everybody. Frankie finds their dream home This place was Ed Rickets home and place of business for many years. He entertained many luminaries (and non-luminaries) and after his death...