beach

Cape Henlopen 2015

August 22, 2015 By Misono in Family and Friends, Recreational Fun, Videos, Wanderlust Tags: beach, cape, Cape Henlopen, Cape Henlopen State Park, Dad, dan, Delaware, family, Mio, Mirei, misono, Miwa, Mom, ocean

After spending the first day of our weekend family trip in Rehoboth, we leisurely spent the next day at Cape Henlopen State Park. It was our first time going to Cape Henlopen, and we liked that it was a little quieter and had calmer waters than Rehoboth, which was perfect for younger children.

Dad in the water at Cape Henlopen — My dad walked out on a little strip to stand out in the middle of the ocean.

Looking at a horseshoe crab that Dan found

Cape Henlopen 2015 — Mio showing ojiichan the seashells she found on the shore.

touching a horseshoe crab — Mio petting a horseshoe crab at the Seaside Nature Center

Mirei hated the fish... — Mirei was terrified of the fish.

Mio was fascinated by the fish — Mio, on the other hand, was fascinated by the fish!

Rehoboth Beach 2015

August 22, 2015 By Misono in Family and Friends, Recreational Fun, Videos, Wanderlust Tags: beach, dan, Delaware, family, mermaid, Mio, Mirei, misono, Miwa, ocean, Rehoboth Beach, sand, sea, sea turtle, Semraâ€™s Mediterranean Grill, vacation, video

We took a weekend trip in late August with my parents and my sister to Rehoboth Beach and Cape Henlopen. The girls loved the beach and were happy to be back at Rehoboth!

Mirei at Rehoboth Beach — A sandy-faced Mirei, at 18 months old.

Rehoboth Beach 2015 — Why so serious, Mirei?

Sisters in the sand Rehoboth Beach 2015 — Sea turtle Mirei and mermaid Mio in the sand.

Mio at Rehoboth Beach 2015 — Mio is a beach lover for sure!

Mirei and I at Semra's Mediterranean Grill — Dinner at Semra’s Mediterranean Grill

Mirei lying on the stairs back at our AirBnB

California 2015: Big Sur

May 31, 2015 By Misono in Family and Friends, Recreational Fun, Videos, Wanderlust Tags: Allens, beach, Big Sur, California, cove, dan, family, getaway, grandma, grandpa, grandparents, Hyo, Hyosook, Jackie, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Mio, Mirei, misono, Pfeiffer Beach, Point Lobos, state park, Ted, waterfall, Whaler's Cabin, Whaler's Cove

Tuesday, May 19th was the highlight of our family getaway with Dan’s family, as we explored our main destination of the trip — Big Sur! We got to go to Point Lobos, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, and Pfeiffer Beach. Dan and I had gone to Big Sur three years ago and we fell in love with the gorgeous sights there, especially the waterfall at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. We have been talking about coming back to see Big Sur for a while now, so we were thrilled to be able to return, and to get to show our girls the sights there, too.

Our first stop in the morning was Whaler’s Cove at Point Lobos. It was pretty cloudy and overcast in the morning (typical of Northern California), which only intensified the unsettling aura of the cove.

Whaler's Cabin at Whaler's Cove in Point Lobos — A small cabin built by Chinese fishermen from that era still remains and is now a cultural history museum.

With the whale bones by Whaler's Cabin — With the whale bones by Whaler’s Cabin

Mio & Mirei at Point Lobos — I liked the inscription on this bench: “Tell them how special they are.”

We then took a walk around the cliffs of Point Lobos, and took in some of the prettier sights there. It was my first time at Point Lobos, but I observed that it has a very rugged beauty to it.

Picnic lunch at Point Lobos — Enjoying a picnic lunch at Point Lobos

After eating lunch, we drove over to my favorite part of Big Sur — Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park! It was a bit of a drive from Point Lobos, but it gave the weather time to clear up, and by the time we arrived, the sun was completely out, making for a gorgeous day to see one of California’s most scenic locations.

Auntie Hyo holding Mirei as we make our way to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Our family at Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP — Our family at Big Sur’s Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park at Big Sur — Gorgeous view of the waterfall… this is my favorite view in California.

The girls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park — The girls taking a break on the bench

Us with Mirei at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park — With our little Mirei, almost 16 months old at the time.

Our last stop in Big Sur was Pfeiffer Beach, which looks like a beautiful beach set straight from a movie, with light shining through the Keyhole Arch rock formations and almost purple-looking sand.

Mio with Auntie Jackie at Pfeiffer Beach — Stunning Pfeiffer Beach

Jackie and Mio at Pfeiffer Beach — Mio walking with Auntie Jackie at Pfeiffer Beach

Mirei with Uncle Ted at Pfeiffer Beach — Mirei with Uncle Ted

The girls got to play in the sand with the beach toys that Grandma thoughtfully brought along for them.

The Allens at Pfeiffer Beach — Big Sur is so gorgeous! It was wonderful to be able to come back here with the whole Allen family, including our sweet girls.

California 2015: Pajaro Dunes

May 31, 2015 By Misono in Family and Friends, Recreational Fun, Wanderlust Tags: beach, beach house, California, dan, getaway, grandma, grandpa, grandparents, Hyo, Hyosookm family, Jackie, jellyfish, Mio, Mirei, misono, Pajaro Dunes, sand dollars, Ted, vacation, Watsonville

After spending much of the first day of our mini trip in Santa Cruz, we headed down to Pajaro Dunes, where we would be staying at a beach house for the next couple days. It was a beautiful and spacious beach house right by the shore, and we had a great time relaxing there, enjoying the view, and easily taking walks on the beach as it was only footsteps away.

Mio and Mirei unwinding at the beach house — Mio and Mirei unwinding at the house

Mio and Grandpa at the beach house — Mio and Grandpa

Mio drawing at the beach house — Mio drawing

Mio and Mirei with the handmade zabuton from Grandma — Mio and Mirei with their gift of handmade zabuton from Grandma – so impressed that she sewed them herself!

Taking a morning walk on the beach the next morning…

Morning stroll on the beach at Pajaro Dunes

Our family at Pajaro Dunes — Family photo at Pajaro Dunes â™¥

Outer Banks: Day 6

July 2, 2014 By Misono in Family and Friends, Recreational Fun, Wanderlust Tags: beach, beach house, Cape Hatteras, dan, ghost crab, Hatteras, Hatteras Lighthouse, Mio, Mirei, misono, OBX, ocean, Outer Banks, turtle, turtles

On Friday during our week at Cape Hatteras, we went to visit the famous Hatteras Lighthouse, which is the tallest brick lighthouse in the country. Since we had a baby with us, we didn’t climb the lighthouse, but it was still an impressive structure to see.

Mio photobombing Ted & Elisa's photo — Mio photobombing Ted & Elisa’s photo.

Afterwards, we visited the old original site of the lighthouse (it was relocated to its current location some years ago), and found a little river-like area where lots of turtles were swimming.

Turtles approaching Mirei at Hatteras — The turtles seemed really friendly and started coming up to Mirei and I.

Turtle attacks Mirei's sock — Suddenly, the lead turtle stretched its neck out and snapped at Mirei’s sock! I screamed and had to make sure all her toes were still intact before I could calm down.

Old Lighthouse Beach — Mirei seemed to be unfazed and oblivious to the biggest crisis of her 5 month old life.

We headed back to the house and of course squeezed in more beach time before the predicted thunderstorm came in.

Looking at the ghost crab — Dan caught a ghost crab at the beach.

Catching a crab at Outer Banks — Closeup of the ghost crab.

Mirei at the beach at OBX — Mirei lying inside the beach tent.

Frisbee on the beach — My sister Miwa playing frisbee on the beach with my brother Ted.

The rain coming down — The rain started coming down so we had to quickly run back to the house to take refuge from the incoming storm… we still got drenched.

catching crabs at night — Dan, Miwa, and Ted were fascinated by the ghost crabs after catching one on the beach in the afternoon, so they went on an adventure that night catching more crabs on the beach.

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