On The West Coast With Whales in the Water

One of my favorite things we've done while in California is go on a whale watch.

The first things we saw were dolphins and sea lions.

It was so exciting to see them splashing around.

We were lucky to see a whale.  A lot of people who go on whale watches don't get to see one.

Apparently the one we saw was a female grey whale that was about 50 ft long and weighed around 40 tons.  It was stunning to see a creature of such size and grandeur. 

There were a lot of sailboats out that day, they looked beautiful gliding across the water.

On the way back to shore we saw a group of sea lions sleeping on a buoy- they sure are cute! 

After the whale watch we went to a place called Crystal Cove.

There are cottages there that have been around since the 1930's, they are working on restoring them so people can rent them out again for the summer.

I had such a wonderful time with my mom and my aunt.  My aunt and I are flying home today and I'm sad to go but it'll be nice to see my friends again.

The pacific ocean is truly beautiful, my aunt and I have decided that we like it better than the Atlantic Ocean and the East Coast.

It's nice how uncrowded California is in December.  I can't even imagine how packed the beaches must be in the summer.

The sunset that night just kept getting better and better as time wore on, I'm glad we got to watch the whole thing.

We all agreed that this was the prettiest sunset we saw while we were there.

All in all it was a wonderful day and I'm glad I got to spend it with two people that I love very much.

Laguna Canyon

On Saturday we went on our first California hike in Laguna Canyon.  Not even 10 minutes into our hike we wandered into this small patch of trees that was full of hummingbirds.

They were so tiny and surprisingly tame, they hardly paid any attention to us.

As it turns out, we hiked about 8 and a half miles on that path.  We had only intended to go for a few hours but I guess we got caught up in the hike (or maybe we were lost but we enjoyed it all the same).

The view from the top of the mountain was incredible.  On one side you could see the pacific ocean and to the other side you could see saddle back mountain in the distance.

It's fascinating to see all of the different varieties of plants that grow here compared to Ohio.

The hike was long and tiring but it was beyond beautiful and the view was worth it.

Parts of it were steep and my legs were sore the day after but it was nothing compared to the time my family hiked Mt. Washington.

I have lots more to share with you all, this week has been so full of fun I've hardly had time to look through all the pictures I've taken!  I hope you've enjoyed the photos so far, goodness knows I've had fun taking them.  I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Welcome to California

On Thursday, Aunt Leigh and I got on a plane and flew out to California to stay with my mom.

By the time we got there it was dark outside and we were exhausted.

The next day we went out to Laguna Beach and walked around for a while.  We found a charming little public park tucked away between some buildings with a view of the ocean and this poem at the end of the path.

On one side of the path there were these interesting, antique looking brass chairs complete with a small table and brass books.

After leaving the park we wandered down the beach for a while, it was a little grey out that day but it was still incredibly lovely.

A ways down the beach we came across some tide pools that were fascinating to look at.

There were some very friendly naturalists there to help people learn about the tiny ecosystems they are looking at. 

It was amazing to see all of the tiny living creatures in their colorful habitats, when you looked closely you could see all kinds of organisms moving about.

This fish is called a sculpin, it is one of the many small things living in the tide pools.

While I was wandering around taking in everything I looked up and saw this girl looking out across the ocean, she looked so pretty I had to take a picture.

I'm having a terrific time in California so far (Who could complain, it's 70 degrees in December!) and I can't wait to share more of my pictures with you.

What a Wonderful Fall

I take off for a two week trip to California today so I just wanted to post this assortment of pictures I've collected over the fall.  I didn't post nearly as much in November as I wanted to and I really have no excuse for that but I'll try to get back on track.

One thing I really like about our new home with the small backyard is that lots of birds come to visit. 

I saw this old house on the drive to my Aunt's house a while back and I just had to stop and take a picture.  It looks so intense with the grey skies and the bright fall leaves.

These are some of the flowers in my Aunt's backyard, she always has the most beautiful gardens.

For a few weeks my friend and I had to walk about a block to get to our piano lesson due to some construction happening on my teachers street and I was really grateful to have my camera with me when I stumbled across this leaf covered with gem like dew drops.

I know my birthday was well over a month ago but I really like some of these pictures I just never got around to posting them.  Isn't my mom silly? (Sorry the lighting is terrible in these we were at a restaurant for a very delicious birthday lunch.)

And look my brother actually kind of smiled for a picture!

This is the friendly guy who pierced my ears.  I'm proud to admit I didn't even cry!

Later that evening my friends came over for cake and a sleepover, we had a lot of fun, they really are the best.

My mom and I made some teacup candles for our friend Carol to put out at her tea tour.  We had so much fun making them and we we're extremely happy and excited to give them to Carol.

One chilly night in November my grandpa was singing with his barbershop quartet at a chili cook off.  I always love going to hear them sing, and there was the added bonus of lots of delicious chili!

For those of you who don't know my baritone singing grandpa, he is the one on the far left.

This quartet is a great group of gentlemen most of whom I've know since I was just a kid.  They are always so nice to me and they never forget to give me a hug before they leave.  

(Don't tell the others, but my grandpa give the best hugs of anyone.)

It was a pleasant evening to spend with my silly family, they always know how to make me laugh.

I think my cat really likes our new couch, we still need to get new pillows for it but it sure is comfortable.  It's a very rare occasion that you find the couch without at least one furry occupant.

I hope you all enjoyed these photos I've taken over the past two months.  I can't wait to go to California because I get to spend time with my mom and my aunt and I will most definitely take a lot of pictures to share.