Sequoia National Park

This summer we spent the 4th of July in Sequoia National Park--home of the world's largest tree.

"In volume of total wood the giant sequoia is Earth's largest living tree. In all the world, sequoias grow naturally only on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada, usually between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation." (National Park Service Pamphlet)

We began our exploration at the Giant Forest Museum where we took a shuttle bus to the General Sherman Tree which is estimated to be 2,200 years old!

Do you see the tiny people at the bottom of the photo?

We then followed the Congress Trail wandering through the Great Forest for about 2 miles.

There was plenty to discover along the way.

"Sequoias don't die of old age and are resistant to fire and insect damage. Most die by falling over [due to their shallow root system]." (NPS) 

It is the sequoias' thick bark that insulates them from most fire.

Many of the trees bear fire scars, but fire is vital to sequoia regeneration.

It was a beautiful and peaceful place.

Sulphur Mountain

When Brian was 14 his family moved to Santa Paula--a small agricultural town in Ventura County. This is where he took me three months after we met and where we officially became engaged.

(Santa Paula, California, 2013)

We had toured Brian's hometown when the kids were very young, but it had been 29 years since we had set foot on Sulphur Mountain.

(View from Sulphur Mountain, 2013)

(2013)

This grassy knoll was the spot where Brian and his dad spent many a Saturday (during Brian's teen years) flying radio-controlled airplanes. The wind was usually perfect here.

(Brian in front of his Santa Paula home, 1981)

(1981)

(Brian's Dad, 1981)

(1981)

(View from Sulphur Mountain, 1981)

When I first visited Santa Paula Brian took me "flying" as well. Of course, we went to his traditional mountaintop site.

(Me on Sulphur Mountain, April 1984)

(Brian on Sulphur Mountain, April 1984)

Brian crashed his plane that day. He claims I was a bit of a distraction. :)

Zuma Beach

No trip to Southern California would be complete without a trip to the beach, and Brian insisted we go to Zuma Beach in Malibu.

As a kid living in Woodland Hills, Brian remembers his mom dropping him and his friends or siblings off at Zuma Beach for the day and picking them up again at dinner time.

The water was chilly, but not too cold for my land-locked kids. They had a great time.

The photo, below, is my favorite of the whole trip.

I DO love the ocean.

Mostly Smiles

This year Southern California was the destination for our family's summer vacation. Disneyland (and Disney's California Adventure) was our first stop. As expected, there were smiles all around--especially on the new Radiator Springs Racers.

WAIT. Someone is not smiling. Is that the look of pure terror?

Kellie?!

The ride is just not that scary.

I still laugh whenever I see this photo, and to her credit so does Kellie. The only explanation she can give is that she wasn't expecting so many hills.

Abby could only persuade her dad to go on California Screamin' with her. They both LOVED it and somehow convinced the rest of us to give it a try the next day. "It would be such a fun ride for the entire family," they insisted.

Travis and I should have known better. Our faces say it all. It took hours for both our stomachs to settle.

There really were plenty of smiles--particularly when candy was involved.

I saw some smiles in the line to ride the Matterhorn

and at Autopia,

especially when it became apparent that Travis couldn't fit behind the wheel of his car.

I caught a few at the top of the Ferris Wheel, although mine was a bit forced. Heights are not my forte.

I did love the parades--something about the music and the dancing and the colors.

Mostly smiles and magical memories--it was a fun trip.