Santa Barbara in all it's glory

ALICIA IS HERE!!! (I wish Raena were too, but hopefully she will be next time!)

So, Alicia and I made the trek up to Santa Barbara yesterday. Let me tell you something. Santa Barbara is a dreamland and may have been made just for me. We left the house around 9:30 and got on the 405 heading to Santa Monica and then got on PCH from there. Drove through Malibu and Oxnard (which I can't say without a snarl) and Ventura County and ended up in Santa Barbara around...11:30, maybe? It was quite a ways, but it passed quickly with some one-of-a-kind sisterly banter. We drove through and made a beeline for the visitor's center where a very efficient public servant pointed out everything we wanted see without us even having to ask. "You are here, wharf is here, courthouse is here, mission is here, Presidio is here." Shanks, friendly lady! We walked out on the pier/wharf and beach. The water was freezing and a little bit full of kelp and the sand was a lovely dark shade of khaki.

Then we drove to the courthouse. Which, I think, tops all other courthouses. This one was so pretty and full of tile. We went up to the tower and stayed up there for a while because it was so awesome. They were setting up for a wedding in the sunken yard and it looked like it was going to be amazing.

The front of the courthouse

View from the tower

The sunken courtyard. I want this to be my hangout.

Me on a tiled bench

After we walked up and down State Street (lots of shops and food), we drove to the Santa Barbara Mission. Well, first we went too far and ended up at a campground with very poorly marked directional arrows.

Alicia at the Santa Barbara Mission

I love a good Friar Foto Op

Then we headed home and got onto the highway. Then got off the highway after sitting in traffic for about 15 minutes and moving probably 20 yards. We thought we could use our time more effectively by watching a movie during peak traffic hours. So we find parking off State Street again and walk to the movie theater only to find that the next movie starts at 6:45. It was 5:00. So we walk around some more and by 5:45, realize that we could have put that time toward going home. So we leave. Again. This time we stay on the highway. It was a lovely day spent with Alicia in Santa Barbara. I'll be first to volunteer to go if someone suggests it. I'll even drive. That's how much I loved it.

Tomorrow's agenda...touring a guided-missile destroyer.