It didn’t take long after Jutta came to visit from the old country before we dragged her off to other far away places.

We are in Santa Barbara, California, at Shoreline Park Beach.

Our primary reason to be here is to visit with family, but on occasion, we must make a pilgrimage to the ocean to dunk a toe in the sea during the fierce winter storm front that bombards the West every January – har har.

Couldn’t find Britney Spears, so we looked for starfish instead. The tide wasn’t out very far; as a matter of fact, it was probably shortly after high tide that we were walking along this stretch of rocky, sandy shore.

No sea life to speak of, nor were there any other visitors.

I suppose that is a good deal for us that most people want to visit Santa Barbara in the heat of the summer when the fog and rains are never far away, and these winter sunny days with 72-degree temperatures just don’t measure up – silly fools.

It’s nice to share what would otherwise be a bitter cold dark winter in Frankfurt with Jutta here oceanside with us on a sunny day.

I’d swear this 73-year-old lady looks like a kid at times; it must be that she is enjoying these moments with her daughter.