As per usual, I (this time with wife in tow) took a summer trip back to The Motherland (California.) On this occasion, my week-and-a-half stay was nearly completely full. We started by going with the family to a big ol' church campout in the Sierra Nevadas, which made for a beauuutiful week. Some of the highlights included:
-Lots of volleyball
-Lots of food
-Meg riding her first Wave-runner (incidentally in the picture below she is nefariously preparing to gun the engine and dump me into the lake [not to worry, I repaid the favor]).
-Rock climbing
-Insect identification
- And for Meg, who had a bit of a cold the whole vacation- lots of sleeping
Shortly after coming down the mountain, Meg and I visited our good friend Rafael, currently living in La Jolla / San Diego. We saw lots of nice beaches, seals, crabs, houses, and the positively lovely campus courtyard of the Salk Institute, where Rafael will be working through approximately the end of the year (before moving to UCLA [woot!])
[Meg is pointing to Mexico- off in the far distance- from Coronado Island]
The next day, Meg and I went on a museum tour of Orange County, beginning with the tiny Olinda Oil Museum, including a still-functioning oil derrick over 100 years old (still pumping out 2 barrels of oil a day!) We ended with a trip to the Richard Nixon library and museum, at which we had some fun, learned some things, and socialized with some famous deceased people.
[One million brownie points if you can name all four gentlemen in the picture]
Finally, we were able to stay through the 4th of July, which included a few more hours of volleyball, some delicious grilled food, frisbee and hanging out with good family and friends.
Oh, and posing in front of a newly installed artwork on the wall between church building and volleyball court in Anaheim.
It was fantastic to see everyone, and I hope to have the opportunity to do it again soon! Also, thanks to Brother Kyle and Aunt Deyon, whose Facebook photos largely make up the visual aspect of this month's blog.
