Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread - Proverbs 30:8

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

California


taking a moment to find joy in the little things


Maybe (?) you noticed I was missing last week...we spent the week in California. My husband had meetings for work, and the girls and I decided to tag along. Here are some photos from our travels.

{pretty}
first stop...Lake Tahoe. We drove pretty far out of the way to see this, but it was worth it.



next stop...San Francisco area





an afternoon drive through Napa Valley




a day trip to the ocean





{happy}
On Monday, my girls and I met up with fellow Compassion advocate and blogger Yvonne and her daughter. I've collaborated with Yvonne on several different things (including the weekly link up "Photo Treasure Hunt" we used to have here). It was so good to meet her in person and really, it felt like we were old friends. It was a gorgeous day and we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge (1.7 miles each way). 



We saw sea lions and dolphins from the bridge. On the other side of the bridge is Fort Point. It was being built before the civil war and was finished just as the civil war began. When the Golden Gate Bridge was built many years later, they built it over the fort. My girls LOVED running around and exploring this place. 



My girls also loved our afternoon trip to this castle in Napa Valley...Castello di Amorosa. We got to tour part of it and then do a wine tasting (the girls got to taste some delicious grape juice).  It's not a historic castle, but was built to resemble a medieval castle and was furnished beautifully.


We also spent a day at Half Moon Bay...walking the beach and watching the waves.



{funny}
I think that the funniest thing about our trip is that we didn't actually go into the city of San Francisco at all. We were there 4 full days, but we were staying outside the city (two different locations) and I didn't feel brave enough to venture into the city by myself. We were there 3 years ago and I was overwhelmed by all the people and all the things we don't normally expose ourselves to. I guess you pair that with the fact that I'm just not a city girl and it was easy to find other things to do. 



We stopped at a couple wineries in Napa Valley and this one (Hall Vineyard) had some very interesting sculptures and clever signs to go with some. 



I loved these twig huts...I thought my girls would love going through them and exploring, but instead I found this....




{real}
The gray skies have settled in...often accompanied by drizzle or plain old rain. This will likely be the norm for the rest of fall, all of winter and much of spring. But this is what makes this area so lush and beautiful I guess.


17 comments:

  1. Ah, so beautiful! What a fun trip! I've yet to make it to CA but it's on the list. Cool statue, too!

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    1. The main reason we pulled over at that winery was because it was called "Hall Vineyard" and we wanted to get a photo for your mom. They had some really neat (clever) art there. Not sure how their wine tastes, though. I have LOTS more photos of our trip at our family blog.

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  2. I enjoyed traveling to California with you via your gorgeous photos!

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  3. What a fun and gorgeous trip! I would love to see this area!

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    1. It's quite different than Oregon, that's for sure. I decided that if I ever moved to CA, I would miss the color green...it's so dry there.

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  4. Napa is so pretty isn't it? I went out there several years ago and we did the city thing. You didn't miss too much!!

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    1. We did the city thing 3 years ago and I wasn't overly impressed. I don't think it helped that we were there during Halloween and the girls were much younger...I was nervous to even take them outside because of all the strange things people were wearing and doing. That time we were staying in the city so we didn't have a choice...this time we stayed outside the city.

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  5. Wow! What a wonderful trip and marvelous photography ~ love the San Francisco area ~ have fond memories and of the Big Sur also ~

    Wishing you the best in the day,
    artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)

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  6. Great pictures, California is so pretty! I hope no one takes away my East Coast card for saying this :) Love the bridge one, very different from the pictures I've seen of that bridge. The camel ride sign is so funny! And your daughter reading by the huts too. Great job on the one of the arches with the flowers, it looks warm and inviting.

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  7. I loved following your trip on instagram! The photos are amazing! It's a funny thing - cities have always been my comfort zone....having the confidence to wander out of them into the wilderness has come slowly from years of being married to my Oregon boy. Now, as you know, I can't imagine life without the big skies, mountains and ponds!

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  8. Wow! Some amazing photos, moments and memories for you. I love your view of the Golden Gate bridge, something I've only seen on t.v or in movies. That fort looks fun to explore.

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  9. Yes, old friends! We loved spending time with you and the girls, and that pizza! Thank you again for making time to hang out with us!

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  10. Looks like a lovely trip around northern California! The light is always so gorgeous there this time of year.

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  11. Looks like you all had fun and beautiful weather. One of these days, we want to do a trip down to Napa and San Fran, havent been to San Fran since was much younger.

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  12. Wow, the sky is SO amazingly blue

    mollyxxx

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