Northern CA

To go back a few posts, here are some shots of the time we spent in Placerville.

The wagon train on the way to Tahoe. Remnants of the Wild West gold rush days are everywhere.

First view of Lake Tahoe. It's so pretty!

Jonathan with Tante Edna and Uncle John at the lake.

After we left Lake Tahoe, we drove straight down to Aunt Lois' and Mike's. They took us to a wonderful dinner for our anniversary (which was the 4th), and then the next morning we got up bright and early to look at the "Big Trees." Literally, that's what the sign said: Big Trees. It's a redwood forest in the Sierra Nevadas, and these trees are the biggest I’ve ever seen.

Jonathan and Aunt Lois on the trail. We quickly got lost, and by the end had gone over three full footpaths.

Looking up into the foliage. He's standing *in* the tree trunk!

My husband is 6'1". You'd never know it - doesn't he look tiny next to these giants?

We're all a bunch of tree-huggers in CA, you know. :)

After the day of hiking in the forest, we drove to Aunt Lois’ property. At 24 acres, they pretty much own the mountain. This will be the view from their living room window:




When we finally got back to civilization we were exhausted, so the day afterwards we just hung out at the house, and then went to Stockton for dinner to meet up with some of Jonathan’s friends from his Silicon Valley days. Thursday we drove the three hours to Fresno to see his mom and brother and sister’s families. Our nieces and nephews are all adorable – six-year-old Trevor was so happy we’re back. “My uncle was in the war!” he had told everyone. Yes, but he's home now, Trevor, and out of danger.

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and today was the long trek home (with one more stop in Burbank to see yet more people). Now we return to the familiar: LA is smoggy, there is lots of traffic, and what do you know, Paris Hilton's return to jail was the prime topic of all the radio shows. So here we are, tired, happy, and home, and glad to see the kitties.