During the holidays, the park is transformed into a winter wonderland of festive decorations and classic holiday music. The celebratory mood of all the families, the the aroma of baking treats, mixed with the holiday-themed decorations, evokes a nostalgia of days of Christmas past.
Read MoreFall Trip to Hawaii
Fun Family Get Away to the Garden Isle
Our October trip to Kauai, Hawaii was a bit of a mixed emotion type of trip. On our way to the airport, my wife received the news that her father had passed away. This wasn’t a surprise as we saw him twelve hours earlier in hospice and prayed that he would pass quickly. So it was with some relief that we received the news but understandably also very sad.
My oldest daughter’s boyfriend, who is half-Hawaiian, had never been to his ancestral homeland so we were excited to share his first time in the islands. We have been to Kauai many times so we know the island quite well. This was our first time staying in Princeville, though, and we enjoyed our time there. It did mean a lot of time in the car travelling down to the east and south coasts of the island but we liked the lush beauty of the north side of the island.
My wife had some difficult moments on the trip but I think it was therapeutic to be there at such a hard time in her life.
David
Labor Day Trip to Santa Cruz
A Fun Family Trip to the Mountains and Beach
We took a trip to Santa Cruz over the Labor Day weekend. We usually go to Aptos when we come to the area but my youngest wanted to stay in the mountains for a change. We found a nice Airbnb in Boulder Creek, a small community in the Santa Cruz mountains. It was a nice change of pace to staying at the beach. I can’t say I like it more, but it is nice to change things up now and then.
We did a day trip down to Gayle’s Bakery (a must) and then to Monterey Bay Aquarium and finally, Carmel. The next day we went into downtown Santa Cruz to walk around and I was able to take some street photography while my wife and daughter shopped. It was a nice and relaxing weekend and I can’t wait to go back as Aptos and the surrounding areas are one of my favorite places to relax.
David
San Diego Vacation
A Week in San Diego for our 25th Anniversary
We had been mulling over several options to get away for our 25th Anniversary week and we finally decided as a family to head down to San Diego. We were there in Mission Beach with my wife’s extended family in 2017 and had a great time, so we thought perhaps we could recapture some of that magic.
The place we stayed at was very nice and had a wonder rooftop hangout with bar, fire pit, and bbq. You could see the ocean and Mission Bay from there so it was nice to go up in the mornings and drink coffee and listen to the ocean.
The sunsets are hard to beat while walking on the beach. I took several one night when it looked like the clouds would be right for a good sunset. Man, that drive is a long one from Sacramento but it was worth it to spend quality time with the family.
David
San Francisco Pride Weekend
Celebrating Gay Pride in San Francisco
This past weekend my wife and I took our 17 year-old daughter down to San Francisco for the weekend to experience Pride weekend. She is a lesbian and has a hard time meeting others where we live so we wanted her to know what it felt like to be around lots of others like herself.
We arrived in the City on Friday night and headed out for dinner in North Beach. Then on Saturday we spent the afternoon at the festival that was being held at the San Francisco Civic Center. There were bands and booths and lots of people having fun. There were also quite a few fully naked men walking around which I had warned my daughter about. We’re not really a prude family so we enjoyed the sense of freedom for everyone to be themselves.
Sunday morning was the parade. We got a great spot on Market Street sitting atop a couple of newspaper boxes. The parade was long and we left before the end of it but we saw a good 2 1/2 hours of it. Our daughter had a wonderful time but I think she’ll enjoy herself more next year when she’s 18 and perhaps goes with a girlfriend.
David
Mountain Bike Race
High School Mountain Bike Race
This past weekend we went out to Folsom Lake to watch my niece’s High School Mountain Bike team compete in a race. It was fun to see her compute in such a wonderful sport. My daughter was on the Granite Bay team for a year before going back to cheerleading, but it was fun riding with her team on practices and stuff.
My parents and sister came down to watch as well so we made a day of it. It was a great day on the lake, although a little hot. Luckily we found a nice place to spectate under the shade of a building on the course.
David
Pacific Grove
New Year Trip to Monterey
With a few days left of vacation time, we decided to head down to our favorite part of California: the Monterey Bay. We usually stay a little north in Aptos but there was nothing available at the last minute so we booked a place as close to Carmel as possible in Pacific Grove. The place had a great layout and they accepted dogs, so we took Sandi and Bilbo with us on our journey. One day we went to Carmel beach the dogs had a blast.
It’s these short, spontaneous vacations I like the best. There’s no pressure to do anything and there hasn’t been enough time to build up expectations that never get met.
David