A Day off in Santa Barbara

The mood was pretty gloomy this morning - to stay or not to stay - Joe went for a walk bright and early and came back with good news that there was a motel two blocks away with vacancies for a group of 13.  The "sabbats reis" was made with the bicycles - some even walked their bikes to our new location.
Kudos to the staff at the Alamar who accommodated us so quickly - the second floor balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean was an added bonus - a huge cruise ship is sitting there for the weekend and lots of other tourists enjoying the prime summer conditions in Santa Barbara today. 

We're not asking Bill what he is carrying in what looks like a body bag.







A second breakfast was enjoyed by most on the patio overlooking the waterfront...

 

Anna was daring...

Art exhibits also lined the sidewalks by the wharf - one photo caught the eye of some of the cyclists..

apparently Albert Einstein was a cyclist...

This display of crosses is set up two times a month at this location as an awareness to fellow Americans as to the cost of having their military fight in Iran and Afghanistan.  The volunteers are passionate to the cause and speak to anyone who will listen to them.  They also speak of the post traumatic stress that the soldiers face when coming back from war.  

Once we were all in our new digs, everyone was free to wander/roam to their hearts content and we all did.  Joe and John were even brave enough to take a dip in the ocean it was a tad fresh, they admitted.  The beach is filled with sun worshipper but no swimmers today.  All the stories are shared at happy hour over drinks and snacks and we will be off to find a place for supper soon and then we will get together for our time of worship and praise - this is our last weekend together...