Apparently it is a little more difficult to find Wireless internet Cafes in Southwest than on the West Coast. Before I post pictures and tell about our Grand Canyon visit. I want to tell you about the fun we had in California.

Avilla Beach is a small beach community about 2.5 hours north of LA. It is a kind of hidden gem of the Pacific Coast, because not a lot of people know about it. While there we had the opportunity to go into the San Luis Obisbo area where we met a couple who was moving into the area from Dallas. Thankful for some good Southern company, we ended up hanging out with Tony and Hannah for the rest of the evening, we went and saw a funk band at a local dive and had a great time. Making new friends is so fun!

After leaving Avilla and heading down to Mission Viejo, we had the chance to hang out with Brandon all weekend. We were having so much fun with him and his friends that we decided to stick around for an extra day, delaying our Grand Canyon visit. The last evening we were there we went to a lake with Brandon and a whole bunch of other people. We rented Kayaks, took them to a relatively private area of the lake and engaged in "Kayak Jousting." This consisted of paddling toward one another at full speed, then dropping our oars and impact and trying to wrestle the other person into the water or into tipping their kayak. My shoulders, back, arms, and chest are all sore now.

Skipping over the Grand Canyon (I'll wait 'til we can show you some pictures) we arrived in Ruidoso, NM on Thursday evening. The scenery on the state highways rivaled any drive we've had so far, and the town is gorgeous. Now I know why every person from West Texas vacations here. I seriously think that I saw more Texas license plates than New Mexico plates.

Beth Miller (Leah’s mom, for those of you who know her) took us out to dinner to Casa Blanca, a great Mexican restaurant that is located in what used to be a huge vacation home. If anybody ever goes there, you should totally order the fried green chilies as an appetizer. Muy Bueno!!

Check back later this week for more updates . . . Including pictures of the Grand Canyon. (cue theme music) . . . (and we're clear).