California Christmas (Trip # 18) December 2013

Two weeks in sunny California - daytime temps in the 60's!  Missed the big ice storm of 2013 back in southern Ontario.  Lost part of one of our trees in the back yard, but much worse elsewhere, including power outages over Christmas in sub-zero temps.

Went to a couple of parks near Monterey (Point Lobos State Reserve)

and Big Sur (Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park) (where there was a major forest fire along Highway 1)



before heading over to the family get together for Christmas (this is Olivia).

 

 

Then travelled to Lodi (Woodbridge Ecological Reserve) to see the sandhill cranes ,

 

 

 

 Half Moon Bay (Fitzgerald Nature Reserve) to search the tidal pools,

 

 

the Coastal Trail in San Francisco (to see the Golden Gate Bridge from the ocean side),

 

 

and Point Reyes National Seashore (to see the Thule elk) afterward,

 

 

before flying back home to frigid Ontario.

So many pictures, so I put them together as a Youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5kp9GczglQ

Fort Walton Beach, FL (Trip # 17) November 2013

2nd year in a row renting the same condo on the beach facing the Gulf of Mexico for the month of November.  This time it felt like coming home (without the responsibilities of ownership).  A bit cooler than last year, but better than what everyone was facing back home in Canada!

A sand sculpturer was making this "snowman" on the beach for a family portrait for Christmas.


On our drive down to FWB, we stopped in to Charleston, South Carolina to visit a friend we met on the Road Scholar Utah trip.  What a beautiful city!

 

The pineapple fountain in Waterfront Park symbolizes the welcoming hospitality the city is known for.


Again, there are too many pictures to post here for the month in the south, so I have uploaded them (with music) to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IzAdSnY_H4&feature=youtube_gdata

Enjoy!