Once a Logger, Always a Logger

Benjamin outside his new home away from home.

It felt like the first day  of kindergarten, except the kid in question is a legal adult, and when you wave goodbye at the end of the day, you board a plane and fly home a thousand miles away and leave him to the care of professors and resident advisors.  You hope he can play nicely, make new friends, and figure out how to use his meal card.  You also hope he can diligently pursue his studies and blossom intellectually.  We think he's make a good choice in this small liberal arts college in the Pacific Northwest.  The University of Puget Sound has an enthusiastic and articulate upper class that welcomed us in the most heartwarming way.  After a spirited convocation at Peyton Field, the freshman and their families walked through a cheering crowd of students and staff, including the school mascot "Grizz T. Logger." I hope it's beginning to feel like home to Benjamin.  

How to furnish your dorm room

Before picture.  Bed, desk, two chairs, bookcase, dresser, freshman.

Add one area rug.

Add one Puzzles and Dragon wall hanging (adhered with "Fun Tak").

Add "Campus Value Pak" linens and towels, large stuffed bear.  Add computer and snacks.

It is now easier than ever to furnish a dorm room.  Your college directs you to a online shopping site (in our case, Campus Market) and you buy a "Value Pak" of everything a college student could possibly want.  We got the "Complete Campus Value Pak" with two complete changes of linens in two coordinating colors, towels, "fluffy" pillows, blankets, pop-open hamper, a "bedside buddy" and more. We also added in an area rug to avoid cold feet and a heavy duty storage trunk with wheels.  The storage trunk also doubles as a coffee table and seat. So handy! And last, we plopped the large stuffed bear on the bed. If he's forgotten anything, the orientation team has arranged a special midnight run to the local Fred Meyer's.  

After picture. Everything a freshman needs. 

Road trip to college: Big Sur and Nepenthe

 Have a seat at Nepenthe's and watch the world go by...

Benjamin and Betsy on the patio of Nepenthe in Big Sur

Before the kids came along, (we refer to this time period as "B.C.", "before children"), Steven and I visited the institution known as Nepenthe.  Now sixty years old, this restaurant/coffee shop/funky shop, perches on a hill 3 miles south of Big Sur State Park.  We visited again, this time with our 18 year old son.  The view had not changed, but this time it was our teenager who was parking in the crazy-tight parking lot and walking with us up the stairs to the patio and heart stopping view.  Nepenthe still sells the Ambrosiaburger.  Sixty years ago, the Ambrosiaburger was a mere 60cents, now it's $15. But I have no complaints.  The view and atmosphere is priceless.  

Road trip to college: Elephant Seals

Male elephant seals snuggle up for a nap at the Piedras Blancas rookery.

We watched this guy make some load honking noises, then plop down for a nap.

We didn't have time to visit Hearst Castle, but we found another equally fascinating attraction just four miles north of Hearst Castle on California Highway 1.  Since 1990, elephant seals have been using the Piedras Blancas beach to nap, mate, pup and molt.  In 2014, 5,300 pups were born on this stretch of beach.  That's a lot of pups.  And these guys get big.  The females can weigh up to 1800 lbs. and measure 12 feet long, while the males can grow to 16 feet and reach 5,000 lbs.  That's what some cars weigh. A good dozen of these enormous males, with their distinct bulbous noses, were cuddled up next to each other taking a snooze.  A short distance away a few males were bobbing and honking in the water.

Lest you think that the life of a elephant seal is all a day at the beach, it is not.  These seals spend 8-10 months at sea, traveling as far as the Aleutian islands, and making dives as deep as 5,000 feet as they forage for food.  Orcas will take one in three males before the year is out.  After all that, you can't blame them for laying around on the sand a few months of the year.

Road trip to college: Beautiful Buellton

Bags of clothes, gear, large computer, and 

....one large stuffed bear.

Today we started our road trip from San Diego, California to Tacoma, Washington to take Benjamin to the University of Puget Sound.  We got a late start on account of the length of time required to stuff a four door sedan with most of Benjamin's clothes, shoes, outdoor gear,  notebooks, computer and one oversized stuffed bear.  Okay, we didn't have to bring the stuffed bear, but I insisted.  Every college kid needs a stuffed bear in their dorm room.  Right? Right.

After fighting the traffic in San Diego County, then Orange County, then Los Angeles County, we managed to veer off onto the California coastal highways, and enjoyed the ocean breezes and views.  We stopped in Buellton, CA, population approximately 4,500, for dinner.  Buellton is apparently known for its split pea soup, but we just weren't up for the green stuff.  Instead, we used Yelp to lead us to Industrial Eats, a delightful eatery in the "industrial" section of Buellton.  The restaurant had wood fired ovens and was so chic and the food so delicious it could have been removed intact to the tonier sections of San Francisco.   It was Tuesday night, and bursting at the seams.  We finished our dinner with "crack" pie, which was some out-of-this world toffee custard confection.  Frankly, I'm still not sure exactly what it was.  Benjamin deemed it "not bad," which is high praise from him.

Tonight we are in the coastal town of Cayucos.  I'd describe it, but we arrived in darkness.  You'll just have to wait for the next blog posting. Tomorrow more California coastal adventures await.