Booger Gigglebuns and the Flinging Binkies

Road Trip!
In the great tradition of American families, we set off on June 15 for our summer vacation road trip to northern California. We were invited to attend a wedding of a close friend and took the opportunity to do a little sight seeing along the way. Have you ever spent several days in the car with a one year old? Let’s just say we took a lot of breaks. I owe a large tip to the waiter at the Johnny Rockets in Encino for the balloon he gave to Luc during lunch. That entertained him all the way to Santa Barbara and even in the hotel room later that night. I was initially irritated with the guy because I didn’t want the balloon bobbing around in the rear view mirror while I was driving, but the giggles from the back seat that afternoon were worth it. At least he wasn’t crying.




The Sound of a Binkey Being Flung
Luc still uses a pacifier. He sucks on it, he plays with it and yes, he flings it. It is not a toss, a throw or a lob, but a purposeful fling. Sometimes he is genuinely tired of using it, but most of the time it is a simple game of fetch in which he expects his parents to retrieve his most prized possession. We became overly familiar with the sound of a binkey being flung in to the unreachable spaces of the back seat on this road trip. It makes a certain clattering noise as it comes to rest just out of reach of those questing parental fingers. After a moment of silence comes a questioning “Wah?” as the littlest dictator lets it be known that he expects his binkey to be recovered. If the parents do not immediately spring in to full Search and Rescue mode, the wrath of Booger Gigglebuns is unleashed in the form of fire engine decibel wails of distress. After the retrieval of said binkey, if you listen closely, you can hear a small chortle of glee as if he is thinking, “Fools, I have them right where I want them!”

Nakey on the Beach
In another great tradition of babies everywhere, Luc got naked on the beach in Santa Barbara. He didn’t start out that way, but after a little while of playing in the water, the poor kid’s diaper was so full of sea water that it was sagging below his knees and his tee shirt was soaked. Luc, sand connoisseur that he is, tested the Santa Barbara sand and can recommend it for its grit, mineral content and overall sandiness.

The Best Wedding Luc’s Ever Been To
Luc’s been to three weddings so far, so he knows what he is talking about. Shawn’s college friend Leni got married in Santa Cruz on June 17 and had her wedding reception in a park. Not only were there pretty girls to blow kisses to, there was a big field with soccer balls to chase. Despite the delicious barbecue dinner served, Luc ate dirt and two pieces of cake. He was as happy as a clam at high tide and played so hard that he was asleep before we hit the freeway back to our hotel in San Jose.

San Francisco or Bust
Our last stop on our road trip was San Francisco to visit Uncle Deric. We surprised him by showing up an hour or two before we said we would be there. Fortunately, Uncle D was already awake and mostly ready to hang out with us (after a cup of coffee, anyway). After we had coffee and breakfast (second breakfast for those of us who had been awake since 6 AM…) we took a hike out at Land’s End. The weather was beautiful and we got a nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge. We tried to have lunch down at the pier, but it was so crowded that we gave up and went back to Deric’s neighborhood where we feasted on great Mexican food at a local spot. We said goodbye to Uncle Deric after lunch and headed back down south.