Christmas roadtrip!

OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR. It's been over two years since we last posted on The Honeychurch Chronicles and time is flying! So, happy Christmas, merry holidays, and here goes.

The week before Christmas, we embarked on a big family road trip. We don't usually take to the road because some of us are prone to motion sickness. But we thought that if we take it slow and enjoy the sights, it would be okay. So, we've abandoned the soccer fields of the Greater Bay Area and headed south with the geese and Monarch butterflies (more on that later). A rental car, five longish audio books, six stuffed bags, two girls and a ukelele (yes, more on that, too).

Of course, as we head out of town, it started raining cats and dogs (where does that phrase come from?). Not ideal driving conditions, but it's raining in California and we are not ones to look a gift horse in the mouth (again, what?!?).  First stop: Monterey.

We arrived in the evening, and too late to visit the world-famous aquarium. But we checked into the lovely Clement Hotel, snuggled under the covers and started our Roadtrip Star Wars Marathon. Yes, we will watch all six Star Wars episodes on the road and then make our way to a theater for The Force Awakens (no spoilers, please!). No, we are not those crazies who are watching 30 hours of Star Wars phantasmagoria in order to get their names on a movie house seat.

Fast Movie Review: Episode One - The Phantom Menace is the 1999 prequel in which George Lucas revives the Star Wars saga. The special effects are cool, but the dialogue and acting make The Big Bang Theory sound sophisticated. CGI-created Gungan Jar Jar Binks is neither comic nor a relief; he is annoying. The styling of Padmé Amidala is totes awesome, tho. Rating: 2 Deathstars.

When we woke the next morning, the clouds had parted. After a quick family selfie by the Bay, we made our way down the Big Sur coastline. We have spent a lot of time in the Monterey-Carmel-Big Sur area, so we didn't dawdle. And there's that motion sickness thing, remember?

To keep our minds off the swooping highway and sharp cliff edges, we chose our first audio book for the trip: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. We are huge fans of this beautiful book, but the audio story -- told by the uber-talented Jim Dale (you may remember as the voice of the Harry Potter series) -- is very good!

For on-the-road entertainment, we also have Sophie and her ukelele (an early Christmas present). Sophie is teaching herself to play with the help of YouTube and the Greater Internet. So far, her repertoire includes: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, The Lava Song, and Rip Tide. Live entertainment is lovely. In moderation.

Next stop: Hearst Castle