Yosemite in winter!

Last weekend, Erin and Helen ventured to Yosemite to see the beauty in the valley during the winter. Since California hasn't had much rain during the last month, we were surprised at how much snow there actually was on the floor of the valley. This is a view of Half Dome in the background. We entered Yosemite from the north.
A wintry scene along the Merced River. Looks pretty cold!
Erin just had to take this picture of a sticker on the back of a van in the parking lot. Since Erin is the "one", she makes it more fun!
We stayed at Yosemite Lodge which is adjacent to Lower Yosemite Falls. You can hear the thundering of the falls all day and night. Lots of water coming over those falls.
We enjoyed an early morning breakfast at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel built in 1927. The hotel is made with wood and stone from the surrounding area. This fireplace is so huge there are benches on either side to warm up. We had a great weekend exploring and hiking through one of California's treasures, Yosemite National Park.

Another Week of Trains, Rides, and Horses

This week our "4G" adventure was to Travel Town in Griffith Park. Ethan, Ellie, Gavin and Coco enjoyed climbing around on all of the trains. Great Grandpa and Grandma watched the kids climb on the trains from the safety of the ground.
One of the highlights was taking the little train ride around Travel Town.
All aboard the little Travel Town train.
Next, it was a day in Disneyland. No trip to the Happiest Place on Earth is complete without going on It's a Small World.
We'd never done the Mad Hatter's Tea Party with the kids and they loved spinning around in the tea cups.
Coco wasn't sure about the teacups ride but Ethan loved it.
Coco's favorite ride was Midway Mania. Danny scored the most number of points, with 156,000. . .rematch when Uncle gets home from Argentina.
Always a favorite is the Carousel, riding all of the sea animals.
Gavin enjoyed a nice quiet carousel ride, after going on Big Thunder Mountain for the first time with Ellie.
Saturday morning it was up a little earlier than usual to be able to have breakfast at Santa Anita racetrack and watch the horses workout before the big race today. We had a busy week with all of our activities but enjoyed doing family activities together.

A Day at the Getty Villa

Our "4 G" (4 generations) field trip this week was to the Getty Villa in Malibu. The kids got to run around and the adults were able to see some of the beautiful gardens at this re-created Italian villa.
It was a lovely day for a picnic and we sat on the veranda and overlooked the Getty forum where plays are produced.
Ethan and Coco loved playing on the steps by the fountain.
Another fun activity for the kids was following the path that wound around all of the different gardens.
This was a favorite place at the Getty. We had a hard time keeping the kids, especially Ethan, from jumping in the pool.
It was such a clear day. In the background the Pacific Ocean is visible. Gavin had a great time driving to the Getty with Grandma and Grandpa. He is even helping Grandpa with his hiking stick.

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever!

Well. . . . maybe not forever, but at least Dan and Helen could see the Coast Range of California from the Sierra Nevadas. Last Sunday, we went snowshoeing on a trail at Yuba Gap, along Interstate 80 near Donner Summit. As we emerged at the top of the trail at 6100 ft. we had a breathtaking view of the Coast Range which we estimated was about 160 miles away. The view was well worth the hike!

More Nor Cal

Our trip to Northern California continued as we toured Mission San Rafael, one of the 21 missions along the Camino Real.
We stopped at Boudin's at Fishermen's Wharf and had a bread bowl with clam chowder - really excellent!!
Enjoying our clam chowder by the bay.
Steve used to come to car shows in San Francisco with his family when he was young. . .and they always made it a point to stop at Pier 39. Alana and Steve are pictured here with the famous seal lions in the background on the pier.
Our next stop was Golden Gate Park where we took this picture of the entrance to San Francisco Bay - note the Golden Gate Bridge towers in the middle right hand corner.
We also stopped at the DeYoung Art Museum in Golden Gate Park for a bit. . .
then it was off to a major high point of the trip _ Ghirardelli Square. Erin's friend, Matt, from the Coast Guard, joined us for Cable Car Hot Fudge Sundaes - really excellent.
No explanation needed here - the chocolate we had was superb as usual.
Here we are in front of our hostel at the Marin Headlands - it was a really fun trip for all of us.

Nor Cal Activities

We took a brief trip up to the Bay Area over the weekend and we had a great time. We started in Sacramento and visited Erin's new apartment in downtown Sacramento.
Alana had never been to the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield so we stopped there for a quick, "sweet" tour.
It was a lovely day, so we continued onto Point Reyes and did some hiking there.
The winds weren't too bad so we also hiked down to the Point Reyes lighthouse. It must have been a very desolate, lonely place when access to this area was limited in the 1800's.
Sunset over the ocean at the Marin Headlands.
A view of a freighter entering the San Francisco Bay.
Mom and Dad went hiking on the beach around sunset.
The following day, we tried to do some hiking in the Headlands area but rain kept us from going too far.
After Brad left to head back to So Cal, Steve arrived from So Cal. It was a rainy day, so we stayed inside the Marin Headlands Hostel and played games and watched movies.
The next morning, the sky started to clear and we did some more hiking.

Just another winter day in the North Atlantic!

This is a picture of Jeannie and another boarding officer, Charlotte, dressed ready to board a fishing boat in the North Atlantic. They are all smiles now, but once they return to the HARRIET LANE, there is a distinct odor of fish about them.

Jeannie and others on the boarding team. So far they have boarded boats that are catching lobster, scallops and squid. Jeannie reports the weather hasn't been too bad - highs in the 30s and 40s!

Jeannie and another junior officer as the HARRIET LANE is traversing through the Cape Cod Canal. She indicates that it was a pretty tight squeeze. Fair winds and calm seas for the crew of the HARRIET LANE.!

Another Lovely Rose Parade

Gavin and Coco had front row seats, thanks to Mardene, for viewing the parade. While other people chowed down on Egg McMuffins, donuts, and juice, they enjoyed potato chips and Doritos.
The night before the parade, Brad, Alana, Steve and I went out on the parade route to keep Mardene company. I think the cold night air kept a lot of people away but there were a lot of people still cruising Colorado Blvd. in their cars. This car had already been hit with silly string, shaving cream, and marshmallows. They chucked a tortilla out of the car at Steve and he sent it right back to them.
Here is part of the usual crew that meets on New Year's Day. It turned out to be a beautiful day, with a B2 flyover to start the parade.
It started out a little bit chilly but by the end of the parade we were down to just wearing shirtsleeves.
Everybody is ready for the parade to begin.
Danny rode the scooter in the parade as a float liaison accompanying the 2nd float in the parade, sponsored by Kiwanis. Danny was able to stop by our group and pose for a few pictures.
Gavin and Grandpa Merril enjoyed a mid-parade snack together.
About 3/4 of the way through the parade, the parade was held up for about 10 minutes. It was the Pipes and Drums of California Professional Firefighters that stopped right in front of us and Gavin went out and played the drums for a little bit.
At the end of the parade, everybody helps take the chairs back to the car. . .
. . .that is everybody but Coco, who got to swing back with Auntie Lana and Papa. It was a terrific day for a parade and we loved every minute of it.