A view of the harbor in Ventura from Brophy Brothers restaurant.
One evening last week, we visited long time friends in Ventura and went out to dinner by boat after a harbor cruise. What an enjoyable evening and a great escape from a humid hot afternoon. We are on our annual beach vacation to escape the heat of the desert. Unfortunately, there’s been warnings of excessive heat most days and there are few places with air conditioning on the coast. Finally the heat warnings are over and our last few days at the beach should be ideal.
This is a view from inside the Duffy boat of our friends’ neighborhood. It’s called “the keys” and homes are on the water throughout several inlets. Everyone who lives here has a boat parked in their back yard.
I’m not aware of many neighborhoods with boat parking, although there were a few in Washington state where I grew up. Lake Washington and the San Juan Islands definitely had boat docks in front of homes.
The Bougainvillea below the restaurant was beautiful!
This is our friends’ Duffy boat parked at the restaurant. They use the Duffy to cruise around their neighborhood and drive to dinner in the harbor. It’s a cute little boat. They have a big boat too, that they take to Catalina Island.
A few gulls hanging out on the docks.
I’m getting homesick and I’m ready to leave the beach for the desert. Just a few more days and we’ll be home sweet home!
Do you get anxious for home after vacation, or do you want vacation to last longer?
I definitely enjoy coming home to what I know and feel comfortable with.
What a fun but different lifestyle with so much boat transportation. It’s very reminiscent of the Seattle area and the San Juans. I had the opportunity to sail with friends when I was much younger. I loved those experiences and longed for a sailboat until reality set in 🙂
Yes, I’m anxious to get back to normal life and my own home. Our friends’ neighborhood does remind me of the San Juans and Seattle. Our Santa Barbara friends have a sailboat in the SB Harbor. They are always working on their boat!
Beautiful photos! My folks had a Duffy, they are a top notch electric boat for that purpose. In the second photo there is a very wide sailboat, it must have a very deep keel, or draft, I wonder if those channels are dredged to keep them deep enough for large sailboats.
How fun that your parents had a Duffy, too. Yes, I think the channels are deep. There are quite a few large sailboats there.
What a lovely boating adventure! Isn’t it fun to leave home so you can savor the experience of returning? Wishing you safe travels!
It was a nice evening. Also, those friends are so nice! We met them through other friends when my 30-year-old daughter was a toddler. Yes, I will appreciate being home!
I love travel, but I’m just as fond of retuning home to my routines. I’m glad you’ve had a lovely getaway, but hopefully it will nice to return home. We’re in the midst of monsoon rainstorms now, so hopefully everything will be extra vibrant to welcome you home!
I heard about the Grand Canyon flash flooding. I’m wondering if we are getting rain now. I’m glad to hear we have monsoons this year. Yes, I can’t wait to be home!
Oh wow, I hadn’t heard about flash floods at the Grand Canyon! It’s been raining nonstop since last night, so a real treat. 🙂
That’s so great about the rain! There are 15 to 20 hikers missing in the Grand Canyon and more than 60 were evacuated. It’s on the news in CA.
Oh, that’s awful!!
I just heard that they’ve found two deceased.
How lovely.
Any day spent on or near the water soothes my soul…
Me too! I grew up with boats and lots of time on the water and somehow ended up in the desert as an adult!
I love being away but I love getting home! Water is always soothing! I look forward to visiting the beach again and being able to walk to the lake near us with the pug!
Yes, I look forward to our beach vacation all year long. Then at the end, I can’t wait to get home. You’re be walking your pug soon!
Thanks! Mike was also walking with me the past few days!
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Nice photos! I like the one especially of the gulls hanging out on the docks.
I liked that one too!
That little Duffy boat makes me smile. So cute! 💝😜💝
The Duffy is so cute! How could you not have fun cruising around it it.
Agree! 😎❤️😎
It’s becoming an annual event! 💕
So good! ❤️
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Wonderful photos! Great question. I used to get anxious when I was working, thinking about the work that was waiting for me. Now, not so much, but I understand the feeling of being home.
Thanks! My son and daughter-in-law were with us for a week and he said the same thing. He was worried about a project he was working on and what happened with it while he was away.
You’re welcome! It’s terrible, and sometimes you can’t truly enjoy the vacation.
Well, I think they did enjoy their week here. But he did mention being worried about work several times.
Beautiful and relaxing.
It was so peaceful and relaxing. Then we enjoyed one of our favorite restaurants here.
It’s great getting away, but nothing like home sweet home too! Hope it’s been a memorable vacation.
It’s been great! I saw a swim mom friend today. Our daughters swam together from kindergarten through the time they left to be college swimmers. We have many good friends in this area to add to memories. But I’m ready for home!
That looks like fun! Glad you finally got some cooler weather. I’m always ready to get home when vacation is done.
Finally the weather broke from extreme heat and humidity. It was still better on our beach walks than in the Sonoran desert. I heard from a neighbor back home that we’ve been having monsoons. Two inches of rain last night in a couple hours with 30 mph winds!
It finally broke here, too. It was 66 yesterday afternoon instead of 96!
Wow. What a change. My neighbor told me we had a monsoon the other night with two inches of rain and 30 mph winds.
So pretty!!
Thanks!
I hope the rest of your vacation is pleasant and peaceful. It’s natural to be homesick after a while. Lovely pictures and boats
Thank you!
You’re very welcome 😍
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What a lovely boating adventure!
Beautiful flowers indeed. Love the color! Fun about the boat. Looks great and I love the 3 gulls. 🙂
Yes, always good to go back home again. I get ready to get back into a routine and to stop living out of a suitcase. LOL!
Thanks! You get my anxious attitude at the end of vacation. Plus we have a nine hour ride. Love the beach, love home. But home is where I belong for most of the year.
The Duffy boat is very cute.
It depends on how long I’ve been gone from home….If I’m really enjoying myself, I don’t usually miss home (although I’m a self-professed homebody), but I do occasionally miss my little misfit dogs. Having your own bed and pillow does make sleeping easier.
I understand how you miss your dogs. I used to worry about my cat. If I boarded her or had a cat sitter, she’d freak out. She’d get an UTI every time we came back from vacation. It was so much fun to go to dinner by Duffy!