Monday, July 22, 2013

Sunset on "Sunset Beach"



This will be my last California post.  It's hard to narrow down the photos when I took like 400!!  Our last "beach" camping night we had a campfire on the beach which was so fun!.  Erin brought giant sparklers which were so cool in the dark!  We had an awesome time hanging out and making s'mores.







Good night

Sunday, July 21, 2013

San Francisco and south



The Monterey Bay Aquarium was really awesome!  The sea horses and jellies were my favorites!


 Overlook to the Golden Gate Bridge

 Oh bougainvilleas... how I love thee!  Wish I could grow one here.


The hydrangeas planted up this street were so gorgeous and in full bloom, the street was neat too.


  
Since Alcatraz was totally sold out 2 weeks before when I checked (if you plan this trip, you need to look at least a month ahead to buy tickets for summer), we took a boat tour around the bay and around the island.  It was really fun and probably way more cool than dirty jail cells?  I worked in a jail once anyways...




 Jacob sporting the American flag, enjoying the birthplace.


 Alcatraz

 And the most awesome weather the entire trip was in Santa Cruz, so we stopped to play on the beach for a few hours.  We didn't ride the roller coaster on the boardwalk.  None of are really into rides much.   I loved the ZIPPER every year at the Stampede as a teenager,  but I can't handle it anymore.



Saturday, July 20, 2013

More California

 We had fog most of the way down the northern coast, so there weren't many sitting on the warm beach days, but it was so pretty and scenic all down the coast highway. I have a lot of scenic "vista point" shots, much to Jacob's disappointment... "we're stopping again?"


 Pudding Creek trestle near Ft. Bragg.



 An evening walk to Glass Beach, a spot that used to be right by the city dump, that was filled with glass, and the beach has become just smooth eroded glass particles.  Kind of cool.




 Some girls with morning bedhead... neither of us are morning people.. 
Luckily, I knew he was waiting with the camera.




 Lighthouse near Mendocino, such a quaint little coastal town, was where the old show "Murder She Wrote" was filmed.

 In the lighthouse keepers house. I've been oddly fascinated by their lives and recently read a novel about life out on a lighthouse island.  No coffee dates with girlfriends that's for sure!






 My most awesome wet burrito in Half Moon Bay!!  Oh Mexican food, how I love thee...



Friday, July 19, 2013

"Good Grief"

We happened to come across the Charles Schultz museum in a tourist info. flyer or something and spontaneously stopped.  Actually we think it's all about Snoopy.  It was very impressive!

I'd visit either of these shrinks anytime!!





This one is for Kevin the engineer.  He's always been a big Charlie Brown fan :)


Snoopy is offering you a cookie, and you are on your phone?
Actually... I totally love this shot! (he was preparing to take a selfie)


Some BIG trees

Next on the itinerary was the Redwood forest.  
Took a scenic drive where you could stop a lot and hug some trees if you felt the urge.







Jacob may have been feeling a bit cooped up!


Erin tried to keep up with her training program while on the trip :)


My 3 favorite people in the whole world!