California Adventure

I made a trip out to California last month - my primary purpose was to attend my dear friend's wedding in Yosemite, but then I discovered that my family would be camping at the beach the week prior. So I joined them for a few days before heading north.

We were at Dockweiler Beach in Los Angeles, which is just a few miles from where I spent the first ten years of my life.

We visited nearby Alpine Village, which brought back a lot of memories. I remember coming here with my grandparents when I was a child. My Dutch grandfather was very fond of the food and music.

My mom and I also drove up the coast to Malibu to visit the Getty Villa.

It was modeled after the Villa de Papiri, a Roman villa that was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

J. Paul Getty built the villa to house his extensive collection of Greco-Roman art.

My last night at the beach before heading north.

There's nothing quite as beautiful as a sunset at the beach.

My dear friend Lacey got married in Yosemite, and it was near perfection (aside from the hot weather and crazy traffic).

I've been to Yosemite more times than I can count, and I had no idea there was a chapel there!

I had to traipse across the meadow to get to the restroom, but the view wasn't too bad. :)

The reception was on the patio of the historic Awahnee Hotel.

Turlock High Class of '98!

Summer Vacation, Part 2

Another highlight of my visit to California was touring Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno, a California State Landmark.

The vine-covered entrance to the gardens.

Built by a Sicilian immigrant in the early 1900's, the subterranean system of tunnels and rooms covered 10 acres. He built everything by hand using these implements.

After he had purchased the land, he realized the ground was too hard to plant anything, so he planted trees and vines underground, with skylights to provide light and water.

He also lived there. Here is a courtyard with his bathtub.

His bedroom.

And the kitchen.

It was a fascinating place to visit, and a good way to beat the heat!

Summer vacation

Hello! Now that summer is officially over (even though it's still 95 degrees here), it's finally time to look back on my trip to California in June. I spent a lovely weekend with Lacey in my hometown of Turlock. We also took a jaunt up to Yosemite....along with 50 million other people.

Ah, nature!

It was the first day that Mariposa Grove reopened after a long renovation, plus it was the height of the tourist season, so it felt like there were even more people in the park than usual. Despite all this, we were able to have a few moments of quiet and solitude.

We hit Mariposa Grove at the end of the day, which turned out great because there was hardly anybody there, and the light was fantastic.

No trip to Yosemite would be complete without a deer sighting.

Some 19th-century tree graffiti!

I guess I'm officially a tree hugger.

Odds and ends

One last push to upload the rest of my pictures from the holidays....

A few days after Christmas, we took a hike up to "the cross" in Simi Valley. I don't really know the history of it, but it sits up on a hill overlooking the valley. It was a deceptively steep climb. And it was rather warm that day, and I didn't really bring any appropriate clothes for hiking in the heat. It was a bit of a struggle, is what I'm saying.

But the view was lovely.

Then a few days later, we visited the always wonderful Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where there was an exhibit on the Titanic. My sister's kids had never seen the movie, so we all watched it together the night before. I can't believe it's been 20 years! The exhibit had items from the movie as well as historical artifacts.

The ship model used in the film.

The famous clock where Jack and Rose meet up.

Kate Winslet's dress.

Various props, including the Heart of the Ocean necklace and Jack's drawing tools.

Rose's state room

An actual life jacket and pocket watch from a survivor.

And finally, one of the deck chairs that was thrown overboard in the hopes of being used as a flotation device.