Melissa over at Huckleberry Prairie is having a town tour. This gal will knock yer boots off with her sweet blog! She's a California girl up and left to a Texas prairie life (I'm so jealous!). Ya'll get on over there and tour the other fabulous towns people live in!

So let's get the show on the road, shall I say! Welcome to my neck of the woods...

Oceanside, California!

Our first stop is 21-13 Surfboards.

"Uncle Mike" in the shaping shop working on a board.

Not only are Mike & Kim our dear friends (the ones who gave me their old chippy white windows!) and the nicest people you'd ever meet, but they also own an awesome surfboard company! Michael Walter, also affectionately known as “Uncle Mike,” has been shaping boards for over 30 years. On two saw horses in the back yard is literally where it all began.

Since that first piece of foam was cut he had family, friends and their friends stopping by the shaping shack ordering boards. Mike did everything from shaping, glassing, hot coats, fins, and sanding.

Before he knew it he had a full time crew and ended up opening a state of the art factory in Oceanside Ca. Former owner and shaper of UM surfboards and Sugar Mill Glassing, Mike has shaped for some of the best professional surfers and groms on the planet. After designing and putting together a quiver of shapes his experience has relocated him back to the shack. Back to the soul of board building, back to the roots, back to where it all began.

Kim gave me my first surfing lesson. Not only am I afraid of heights, but I am also not too fond of going out into the sea. Strange, I know, being that I live by the ocean. To me, the ocean is gorgeous and I love to visit it - hunting for seashells and pretty rocks is a favorite pass time of mine! But I absolutely respect the vastness of the ocean and I think it's the fear of getting pulled under. I gave surfing a shot and actually enjoyed it! I did get up on the board - after the hundredth, I mean second try. This girl will stick to searching for shells.

Mike & Kim have a very cool beach home - look at that dining room with all the windows!  And their backyard is so neat - banana & palm trees as well as many exotic flowers. That's Liza with Miss Bunny.

Next stop is our favorite sushi place, the Fish Joint right on the main drag of downtown Oceanside Boulevard.

I should say that my hubby loves the sushi and I'm a fan of their fish & chips. Remember, I'm the squeamish one and have to have my food cooked all the way. I know, I know...I can hear ya "Marie, sushi is so good you should try some - it just melts in your mouth!" Well, the only food I want melting in my mouth is ice cream - definitely not meat. Maybe some day on a dare or for $100 I will try it - for now I'll enjoy my food fully cooked thank you very much.

Meet Mike - he's the sushi chef, or is it su chef? Or sous chef? I don't know. What I do know is that he can whip up a pile of uncooked salmon rolled up in a slimy seaweed thingy like nobody's business! He's very precise and makes the plate look pretty.

The owners, Davin and Loren who happen to be brothers, enjoy featuring local artists on the walls of their Fish Joint. What a great idea - free deco and we customers get to check out the cool artwork while we eat!

Heading further downtown is one of the jazziest places, the Star Theatre. Notice they are presenting the ever-so-popular High School Musical.

A view of Pacific Coast Highway and the famous 101 Cafe with the coolest mural on the wall.

A fun place to visit is our Harbor. Several great restaurants and shops. Joe's Crab Shack and Rockin' Baha Lobster just to name a couple. There's also fabulous nightlife with seaside bands playing music while you walk around the harbor.

The little homes along the beach look like this one - love that red door!

For some down home cookin', Mary's Restaurant definitely delivers. They have the best french fries and chicken fingers!

On Thursdays, downtown Oceanside hosts a street fair. The streets are lined with hand made wares, fresh produce, food from local restaurants to sample, and live music.

I thought I'd round up our town tour with one of the oldest sites, the Mission San Luis Rey De Francia.

Mission San Luis Rey De Francia, also known as San Luis Rey Mission Church, was founded in 1798 . The local Quechnajuichom tribe became known as the Luiseno after the Mission. This church, built in 1811 is the third church on this location. It is a National Historic Landmark, for its pristine example of a Spanish Mission Church complex. In its prime, the San Luis Rey compound covered almost 6 acres, making it one of the most extensive of all the missions. During the Mexican-American War, the Mission was utilized as a military outpost by the United States Army. Following secularization, no religious services were held at the Mission until 1893, when two Mexican priests were given permission to restore the Mission as a Franciscan college. Today, Mission San Luis Rey De Francia is a working mission. It is cared for by the people who belong to the parish, and is still being restored. There is a museum and visitors center at the Mission, as well as a small cemetery.

The church - such beautiful, ornate design. I love the architectural elements.

Prayer and candle altar.

The sunken garden.

In this sunken garden, Indians washed their clothes, water spouted forth from Gargoyles, passing through tile pools.

Don't you love that door? The hardware and pretty floral window above.

There is a cemetery adjacent to the east surrounded by beautiful gardens. Walt Disney added a skull and crossbones to its entrance. In fact, the first season episodes of Zorro were filmed here.

Our final stop on the tour today is Ivey Ranch Park Association, located across the street from the Mission.

A natural and fun therapy for physical, mental, emotional and behavioral challenges. If you've ridden horses or enjoyed their gentle love, you know the experience is unlike any other. And for those with physical, mental, emotional or behavioral challenges, the interaction can be remarkably life changing. Horses and humans walk using a similar motion and gait. Horse movements cause riders to respond using natural body movements. Exercise equipment works specific muscle groups, where horseback riding promotes integrated "whole person" flow of movements. Students with physical disabilities improve their muscle strength, balance, flexibility and coordination. The horses here are also friendly, nonjudgmental companions. Their gentle natures improve mental and emotional states. The bond that develops between a horse and rider inspires a sense of teamwork, responsibility, communication, caring and joy.

Liza and I volunteer here during the weekday. We clean the horse stalls (hey - someone's gotta do it, right?), replenish the horse's water, exercise and groom the horses so they are ready for the next rider. I also have the privilege in assisting the riders in the arena during their physical training. This has been such a joy in our lives.

Thank you for joining me on a tour of my little town!