Thursday, June 11, 2009

A Trip to Aunt Carol's


Tiny Pink Piggy, I said, it's time for a new adventure. Let's visit Aunt Carol.

Oh boy, said Tiny Pink Piggy. I do love adventures!

So, with Tiny Pink Piggy on my back, we flew south to Laguna Niguel where Aunt Carol lives.

We flew over Santa Catalina Island, where Granddad use to sail with his family long, long ago when he was a little boy.

Avalon Harbour on the south end of the island is very beautiful. Abby and Daniel's daddy rode in a glass bottom boat there when he was a little boy.



We stopped at Aunt Carol's house in Laguna Niguel, but Carol wasn't there. Cousins Heather, David, and Diane were in the Kitchen making a surprise dinner for Aunt Carol who was out on the ocean racing her sailboat with her friends Mark and Roy.

We hope she wins, they said.


Down to Dana Point to try to find Aunt Carol!

Here comes Carol's boat the Beaver! What's a beaver? asked Tiny Pink Piggy. They are wild pigs with flat tails, I answer. Beavers live in rivers and streams in the Mall of America, not far from Abby and Daniel's house. They gnaw down trees and use the wood to build dams. Here is a picture of a beaver.

A beaver

We came aboard Aunt Carol's sailboat. It was brown, but otherwise didn't look very much like a beaver.

Aunt Carol was very happy. They had won the world famous Newport Beach to Dana Point race, beating the second place boat by 11 seconds! It was a great race, she said. The wind was blowing a gale! Roy had to go to the bow of the boat 73 times to reset the spinnaker. What's a spinnaker? asked Tiny Pink Piggy. It's a great big sail that only the very fastest boats with the best sailors can work. Look over there, there's a boat with its spinnaker flying.

Wow, said Tiny Pink Piggy, that's one big sail!

As a special treat, Roy held onto a rope and we water skied behind the Beaver.

We Helped Aunt Carol secure the Beaver.

Very tired from our long adventure, we went back to Aunt Carol's house where Dave, Heather, and Diane had prepared a special celebration dinner. Could Dave be sprouting Piggy ears?