OTR: Birthdays!

Life on the road can present all sorts of new issues. Living in 240 square feet is different. Really, I thought it would be harder, but we are managing - 12 days in now. Weird though - even in such a small space I have managed to loose both the youngest boys Nintendo DS along with a box of checks! I know they will show up, but in the meantime, a little weird.

Not so weird are birthdays on the road. Scott recently turned ... 40 something. And while he was counting down the days to his birthday, I was trying to figure out what to do to make his day special. Living in small quarters, we aren't bringing new things in unless something else goes out. So it comes down to experiences. We ended up going for a great lunch - referred by the woman who runs our campground and has lived here most of her life - and it was awesome.

We dined at the quaint little Chart Room. The food was truly amazing. We both opted for seafood - they sit right on the water (take a look at the photo t to the left). The fish was done perfectly as were the scallops and shrimp. Oh how my grandma would have loved their shrimp! She's the one who got me started. She weighed all of 90 lbs and could put away a pound of shrimp by herself if she was in the mood, but I digress - back to the birthday lunch.

We got the table right under the red letter "C" in Chart Room there. Our view from our table inside the restaurant were a couple docks, with the smaller boats there.

Papa sea lion

The boys up close and personal with the wildlife.

More entertaining though for the boys, were the gianormous Sea Lions sitting on their own dock. And the absolutely adorable sea otter checking us out! After lunch we took a little walk down to see them. WOW - he was a very big boy and seemed to enjoyed showing off for us. He's done this before I bet...

Sea Otter brave enough to stick around. His friends all left when they saw us.

After lunch, we headed out to the historic Battery Point Lighthouse. Originally built in 1856, it is still an active lighthouse and has been continuously lived in for over 150 years! They are open for tours daily, April thru September, but you better leave your dog behind and VERY important - go potty before you head over. They offer no facilities over there!

Here's an even cooler factoid about the lighthouse: You can only get there during low tide. Seriously.

The path to the lighthouse ...

When the water starts to rise, you need to start making plans to move it into high gear and get to the mainland, otherwise, you'll be wading back. The caretakers for the moment shared that they do have a little ATV that they use to get their belongings and groceries back and forth. Walking this rough terrain, I understand why they were so appreciative. 

To finish up a special day for a special guy, we went to see a new movie. Super 8. We really didn't know what it was about, other than it had the kids and an adventure. It turned out to be a good movie (with the exception of a little language that really wasn't necessary). I made me think of the movie Signs. I couldn't watch all of that one - freaked me out to much.
Super 8 though, held my attention and the boys thought they had seen their first "scary" movie and loved it. I love my boys!
I  think one of the most entertaining parts of the whole experience, was the theater. Yes, it had a video game area, but also a couple pool tables and a foosball table. It also had the "normal" sloped floor seats, I remember. Not the huge, have to walk up 2 flights of stairs, to get to your seat, seats. Bonus: It was also a little less than what we were used to paying. No coupons and an evening showing, along with a large popcorn was $33. Normally, that wouldn't even get 4 of us in unless it was a matinee.

All in all, I think it was a fun filled, entertaining day. Any thoughts on creative birthday ideas? I have a couple more coming up in the next few months for our younger passengers. Share?