The Future is Santa Barbara
Our wonderful cousins, Meredith and Tyler, called us one day a couple months ago.
“So, have you guys been to Santa Barbara?”
We answered YES.
“We may be getting job offers out there. What is Santa Barbara like?”
After much squealing, we proceeded to describe Santa Barbara as Paradise. It is a nook of Spanish architecture, a place removed from the desert landscape of Southern California with its lush greenery, and a calm oasis of ease and riches. The only thing we have ever wanted to do in Santa Barbara is walk around in our bathing suites, eat McConnells ice cream, and set sail.
Meredith and Tyler moved to Santa Barbara shortly after our phone call (we do not presume that we were persuasive - the credit goes to them), and since then, we have visited them twice. Sure, if they moved to Fresno we would have visited them still. But maybe only once. We admit that we are incredibly partial to Santa Barbara, and can confidently say we would one day love to call it home for ourselves. But that is, of course, when we have won at life.
On Labor Day weekend we planned a weekend of safe fun: we took to the beaches and to the waters, navigating the social distancing that this 2020 year requires from us. We drove to Malibu and sun bathed. The water warm and delightful, and quite the change from the northern waters we are so used to. The waves were energetic, and we spent a good amount of time diving into them as the sun made its way across the sky.
The next day we took Boo to a park to get some of her energy out. While old and decrepit, she still has zeal for her toy and an excitement to be out and about with us. Dropping her off at our cousin’s house, we then jumped on a cruise to see the Channel Islands. It was a great time to do this - the boat capacity was decreased by 60%, and we practically had a corner of the boat to ourselves.
The Channel Islands, commonly referred to as the Galapagos of California, is a fascinating National Park. Most of it is under water, a largely marine sanctuary, making it an exciting place to snorkel and kayak. It is a chain of islands that can be hiked or camped on, and we got to ride around Anacapa island, where we saw the iconic Arch Rock. Pigeons, brown footed boobies, and seagulls covered every cliffside, and we learned some amazing facts about these islands and the waters that surround it.
The Channel Islands are home to the most well-preserved archeological sites on the Pacific coast, with more than 10,000 years of continuous human occupation recorded.
Over 28 species of whales and dolphins inhabit the waters of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
What is even more fascinating, is the waters around the Channel Islands are so nutrient rich because of the dramatic drop off along the ocean floor. During our boat ride, we literally could not speak, let alone breathe, watching multiple pods of dolphins on every side of our boat. It was amazing - we have never seen that many all at once. Without exaggerating, we could’ve seen a hundred of these common dolphins! And of course, a juvenile humpback whale decided to pop up next to our boat. And all we could do is allow our mask to catch our jaws and our eyes to display our disbelief. It was such an incredible moment.
Needless to say, you will be seeing many Santa Barbara blogs in the future, because our cousins live there now. And we have a free place to stay :)
