Trip to California

We've just returned from California, visiting our good friend Tara. Home base was Tara's apartment in Sacramento where she is doing her medical residency. From there we traveled to various places in California to see sights and visit family.

We left on Thursday afternoon, arriving close to midnight in Sacramento. Tara's bf, Shomir, was very generous in offering to pick us up at the airport while Tara was on night shift. Shomir is a great guy and we enjoyed getting to know him while we were there.

On Friday, we took a walk around Sacramento, literally covering most of the city. We scoped out little restaurants and shops, enjoyed scones in Capitol Park, and discovered other neat places along the way. We walked for about three hours, returning in time for Tara to wake up and hang out.

the war memorial in Capitol Park

Friday night, some folks came over to play games. We played Loaded Questions, a game that seems to be best played with people you actually know, and we played Time's Up-- a game requiring some knowledge of history and culture, along with a good memory and creative acting. All fun! I think it is time to plan another Game Night at the Delauney house!

Shomir, describing one of the Time's Up clues

Saturday and Sunday were spent in Yosemite National Park. We hiked at least 75% of the way to the top of Yosemite Falls and took some shorter trails on Saturday. The weather was great. It only sprinkled for a little bit on our descent.

Halfway up the trail

We would have hike all the way to the top of the falls, but it was getting late and we wanted to make sure to have time for a good dinner.

Yosemite Falls

On Sunday the weather changed drastically. Driving into the park, it was snowing, and we hiked into Tuolumne Grove to see the sequoias in the snow. What a change from the day before! I told Tara that this Yosemite trip was so cool because we got to experience completely different seasons in the same 24 hour period. How often does that happen?!

Laura and Tara before the snowy hike

After a satisfying hike, we drove to the home of my great aunt and uncle, Wanda and Gene. They made us a delicious lunch. Wish we could have visited longer!

Gene, Wanda, Laura, Tony

Sunday night, I cooked up some dinner and dessert for everyone (Tony, Tara, Shomir, and Amy) and we watched Kite Runner. Apparently, residents don't eat home-cooked food very often, so it was nice to provide a little something! The rum cake seemed to be a hit, too. Kite Runner was good, though apparently it does not follow the book exactly (to be expected), and we did a pretty good job of turning the serious movie into fun with lots of jokes.

The rum cake turned out a little funny... but tasty nonetheless

On Monday, Tony and I rented a car and drove down to the Monterey Bay area. We met up with my great-aunt Ramona at her house in Aptos, then drove over to pick up my dad's cousin Deanna to have lunch. We ate at a nice little seafood restaurant and got to see lots of sealions all plopped up on the dock outside. After lunch, we took a tour of Deanna's Bed and Breakfast "Flora Vista Inn". She served us a delicious dessert of berry cobbler and Amish cinnamon bread before we left. On our way back to Sacramento, we drove through Santa Cruz and walked along the beach boardwalk and pier. Sadly, the rides were closed, but we did get to watch sea lions swimming under the pier.

Laura, Ramona, Deanna

On the beach in Santa Cruz

Tuesday was our last full day in California. We spent it in San Francisco while Tara was at work. We walked along the coast, shopped and ate at the Fisherman's Wharf, took the ferry to Alcatraz, and walked the streets for a bit. It was really neat to tour Alcatraz and hear the narratives about the great escapes from the prison. I was surprised the some of the worst prisoners had committed non-violent crimes. Their pictures on the walls made them look eerily evil!

We finished off the trip having pizza and watching American Idol and Biggest Loser at Phi's house. Tony got super jealous of the massive TV and entertainment complex he had in the living room. I have a strange feeling that one day and fancy TV or X-Box is going to appear in our house... hrm.

Now that we are back at home and chores (groceries, laundry) have been taken care of, I must say that I had a wonderful time in California. It is the kind of place that I could see living in (if I could afford the expenses!). There were so many great things to do... more than we could possibly fit into our vacation. I enjoyed catching up with family and seeing new places, but mostly it was great to spend time with Tara. We are lucky to have her as a friend! :)

As you can see, we did lots of stuff and took many more pictures than could be posted here. If you are interested in seeing the rest of them, I can send you a link to Kodak Gallery. Just post a comment (or email me) with your email address, and I'll send it to you as soon as everything is loaded.