Sommers' update

Hi there everyone. Seems like more and more folks are posting as the New Year gets going so I’ll join in. Nancy and I are doing just fine and recently celebrated our 40th anniversary. Our kids put on a surprise party for us with all our dear friends in attendance --- yes, the Milams drove all the way down to Carlsbad from LA and were there with smiles. After that, Nan and I took off for a short driving trip up the CA coast to the San Simeon area (Hearst Castle). Stayed in a nice beach-front motel and did the obligatory visit to Hearst Castle (neat place, but William Hearst must have been a tad bit off center to build it in the first place), but the highlight of the vacation was watching the elephant seals do there thing right there on the beach just up the road from where we stayed. Let me tell YOU, we got the full show from these seals. Two beta males chased each other, neck wrestled, and the weaker one was finally driven out into the ocean! His pursuer was not about to give up. Then periodically we’d hear some female yelling her lungs out as some big, 5000 lb alpha galoof, with the weirdest nose, hauled ass up the beach and jumped her bones. He would pin her down with one of his front flippers and let me tell you, it was quite a show. Ha She’d screech and he’d sort of make this whinny sound (not unlike humans, ha). They’re not a very family oriented lot. The male doesn’t care who he fools around with, doesn’t know her name, wouldn’t recognize her face later. The females give the pups one month to chow down, get it together, and then hasta lavista baby, she’s off to the ocean. Pup is left to learn to swim and fend for himself. As for the pup, he’ll nurse at any port in the storm, so to speak. He’s not particular and it doesn’t seem like the mothers are, although we did watch one mother protect her pup when another female was trying to take her pup. The pups also got an up close and personal x rated movie during all of this. The pup would attempt to stay near the mother, hoping to continue nursing, but it was clear he was left out in the cold while “dad” got his jollies. They looked sort of forlorn and befuddled by the whole event. So there, have I given you enough details to satisfy your curiosity?? This is a "must see" for OATers; so be sure to plan a trip that direction one of these days. Big trip planned for us this year is not an OAT one --- we are going to do a six-week driving trip around the US, first going up north to Idaho and Montana, and then back east as far as Saint Louis before coming west via Colorado and all places in between. Should be fun. All for now. Cheers, Tom and Nancy