A couple of weeks ago my youngest son returned home from seven months in Patagonian Chile and Argentina.  He was attending an outdoor leadership school and was doing things like this:

 Youngest son mountaineering in the Andes in Chile

And this:

Seventy days into his adventure 

 And this:

He lived in places like this:

 And this:

Two weeks in a snow cave (not for the claustrophobic)

It was the adventure of a lifetime!  His sister, one year his senior, attended the same program the year before.  They learned leadership skills in mountaineering, ocean kyaking, sheer face rock climbing, wilderness first response (medical evac, search and rescue), expeditioning, etc. 

Both of my youngest are outdoors people and this schooling is their ticket to the world.  With the certifications they received (along with twenty seven hours of college credits) they are qualified to work in many outdoor guide positions. 

Lets just suffice it to say this:  Mom was crazy the entire time each one of them was gone!  My sanity aside, the opportunity for them was too great to refuse.

Right after youngest son returned home to the states he and I flew to California and met up with his sister (youngest daughter) and her boyfriend who spent the winter in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. 

Youngest daughter and the boyfriend had been working at the ski resort since October and doing things like this:

They lived in this little cabin:

Youngest daughter's cabin on the Yampa River, Steamboat Springs, CO

Where their view from the porch looked like this:

Add about 400 inches of snow and you get the picture

We met up in Los Angeles at the airport and traveled up the Ventura Highway to my inlaws' home on Silver Strand Beach.  Neither of the kids had seen their grandparents for a year.  We are a very close family and visits to Grammy and Grandpa's beach house are an annual tradition.

My husband's brother and sister and their families all came to the beach house for  Easter.  It was great seeing everyone and spending time eating, drinking, and laughing.

Silver Strand Beach is a little mile long slice of heaven  adjacent to Channel Islands Harbour and just south of Ventura, CA.  We did many fun things over two weeks time.  I thought you might like to see photos from a couple of my favorite outings.

*Bear with me...this is the first time I have posted photos on my blog.

Arriving:  Scorpion Cove, Santa Cruz Island 

One morning youngest son, youngest daughter, the boyfriend, and I took a boat from Ventura Harbour out to Santa Cruz Island.  Santa Cruz is part of the Channel Islands National Park and is a great place to spend a day hiking. 

Youngest son with a view of Potato Cove, Santa Cruz Island

Get a load of how clear the water is!

Yours truly and youngest daughter (and yes, at twenty one she still makes faces at the camera!)

The view inland of Santa Cruz Island

Another day we took a great hike in the Santa Monica mountains to Echo Cliffs so the young'uns could go rock climbing.  We drove south on the Pacific Coast Highway past Point Magu and then inland up into the mountains about six miles.  We hiked inland on the Backbone Trail for about five miles to the cliffs.

Echo Cliffs in the Santa Monica Mountains

 The view from the approach trail

Youngest son and daughter equipping and checking the lines for the climb up the face

Youngest daughter belaying her little bro

And up he goes!

Biting my nails watching!  And yes, I do always wear that hat when I hike.

We did a lot more things during the two weeks but these two hikes were my favorites.  We flew home last Thursday and by Friday evening the young'uns were already gone!  They left to go to the Ocoee River in Tennesee to be river guides for the summer.  Ahhhh well...at least I had hold of them for a couple of weeks.

 My badass youngest daughter guiding the Ocoee last summer.  That's my oldest son in the front left of the boat.

 Youngest daughter guiding last summer.  That's me in the front...right before I took a bad swim at a place called "Broken Nose".