At long last...Lompoc

Over a year ago 12 of us got together and planned a trip to Lompoc. It was going to be a larger version of a family get-together we did in 2006. Many things have happened since then, paring down the party. The picture above shows 4 generations; Amber with her son Coen - John - and Allie Kay, John's Aunt.
Allie lives in Lompoc California, a beautiful town about 40 miles north of Santa Barbara. Pronounce the town's name like Tom poke - not like Tom pock. The locals get really bent out of shape over it. Lompoc is the home of Vandenburg Air Force Base and around a million artichokes. The weather varies almost none summer to winter, so flowers and vegetation grow year round.
The world's cutest Grandson on his first trip to a beach. Notice the Harley shades and t-shirt, a grandpa purchase. This is Jalama beach, one of two beaches at Lompoc.

Can you see the two guys kite surfing? I don't know how they manage to go back and forth; up and down the beach. It was a great day to be there.

This is NOT a wax figure. He's a living breathing person with a real live bird on his shoulder. Allie took us to a bar called Jasper's, named by Playboy magazine one of the ten best "dive" bars in America. It was certainly filled with characters. The bar is decorated with W.C. Fields posters and memorabilia. He filmed the movie "The Bank Dick" here, and pronounced the town's name wrong in the movie. They haven't forgotten it either!