Ah, the good old days...

We certainly had our fair share of good days this weekend, and I'm sure they'll be remembered as 'good old' when we look back on this time years from now. The weather was the warmest we've had in a long time - the sky was turquoise and the bay was topaz blue. It finally feels like summer is upon us, and we were so ready to take advantage of the sunshine and enjoy the outdoors.

Pacific Grove celebrated its annual Good Old Days featuring a parade and open air fair on - what else - the city's Main Street. You can see some of the pictures in the slideshow. Saturday we loaded the boys into the bike trailer and walked the few blocks to take in the parade; we didn't go last year, so we weren't sure what to expect other than the old cars.

It was a big hit with Rory for about the first 20 minutes (Myer was conked out in the Baby Bjorn). By the time the Balloon Platoon came, he was done with the whole thing and interested in more important matters, like food. Yes, I too remember those days well - what's so special about a bunch of old cars, clowns in cars, cowboys on horseback, clowns with really big shoes, people dressed up in vintage clothing doling out candy, oh more clowns on little scooters. And hearing mommy and daddy say "Look, Rory, there's..." for the upteenth time must get boring after a while, especially when one is hungry. So, after staying to see the last 'old cars' (a collection of Triumphs) cruise by, we set out to find lunch down where the food and craft tents were set up. Sitting on the curb in a shady spot, the root beer - Rory's first - smacked of sarsaparilla and the naan wraps (one chicken, one veggie) from India's Clay Oven hit the spot. Then it was off to browse the booths until we finally had to give in and make good on our promise of going to the beach. Like an elephant, Rory does not forget.

By this time Myer had woken up hungry, so I left Matt and Rory to explore Lover's Point beach (along with all the other under-5 set and their parents) and found a nice shady spot in the park overlooking the point. Myer was happy as a clam to stretch and kick, and enjoyed discovering the grass and cypress trees overhead. Meanwhile, Rory had made a new friend and the two boys stripped down to their underwear to play in the water. Lover's Point is popular with the little ones because it's a protected small strip of a beach, and thus almost always calm and out of the wind. Plus, a snack bar and bathrooms round out the conveniences, making it popular with parents.

Sunday Rory was invited to friend Skylar's 4th birthday, out at the Chamisal tennis and swim club. It was another nice, hot day - perfect for a swim - and just about the entire club seemed to think so as well, as not a vacant spot could be found poolside. But that was all right because the birthday party was set up in the picnic area away from the splashing. Needless to say, there was lots of swimming, running in the grass, pizza and cake.

Both boys crashed in the car on the way home, where Rory found his second win in time to watch Liverpool-Blackburn (3-1) and Man United-Arsenal (2-1) with Dad. Rory's players of choice today were Torres, Carrick, and Ronaldo. He's getting better and better with the ball, and playing soccer is now pretty much all he wants to do. We have got to find a little team for him to play with other kids. I'm exhausted. Tired, but warm, happy and perhaps a little tanner.