From mid-October to about mid-December last year I spent some amazing time with a few family members. I don’t know how much this post will offer to anyone other than my peeps, though there are some nice images, but I love my family, so here goes.
After I left Saguaro National Park, I headed west toward Encinitas, California where my niece and her family and one of my nephews live. Here are a couple of pics I took along the way.

I’ve said before in this blog that, when I’m with family and friends, I tend not to take a lot of pictures. I’m too busy visiting and having fun with them. I rarely think about picking up a camera or my phone and taking a picture. And while I was there, I didn’t get any pictures at all of my niece’s two adorable English bulldogs. So cuuuute! That being said, here are some pics. But first, if you click on the first picture in the grouping(s), you’ll be able to read some comments I’ve made on most pictures. Just tab right once you’re there. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, give it a try!

On this day, June’s wonderful, wonderful husband, Treggon (in the second picture, above) took me and their phenomenal daughter, Abby out to go ‘off-roading.’ (I know I’m going nuts with the adjectives, but I can’t say enough good things about this family). When we got to the site, Treggon handed me the keys and said, “Go for it!” I had no idea I’d be the one driving! I’d been completely clueless about what it entailed. I thought maybe we’d be bouncing around on sand dunes or something. But, it’s much more interesting than that. And challenging! You drive very slowly over the most unbelievable, difficult terrain. They should change the name from off-roading to on-rocking. It’s somewhat of a physical challenge but much more of a mental challenge navigating your way over boulders with a sheer cliff right off to the side! Treggon wouldn’t allow us to go over the edge, so I had confidence in that, but it was still a thrill ride. I was (and still am) amazed at how much I enjoyed it.

I was at their house at Halloween. Here is Gage, June and Treggon’s (also phenomenal) son, in his costume – a sloppy painter! On the right is a Mike Hynson surfboard. If you’re half the fan of the (original) movie The Endless Summer that I am, you’ll know how impressed I was to see this!

On a couple days, my nephew Aaron came over for some good visiting time and I’m sooooo glad I got to see him. ❤

It’s been ages since I’ve seen them but in a way it was as if no time had passed at all.
I absolutely adore these two.

From Encinitas, I drove north to visit my oldest son, Joe and his family in Orange County. I stopped in my hometown of Riverside (…well, my birthplace, anyway. The hometown of my heart is Chico) to see my favorite place there – the Mission Inn.

So, I arrived at Joe’s and stayed quite a while. Here’s another grouping of pictures. Click and read!

So, yeah, a tree fell just a few feet from my van as I was sleeping in it on a very windy night! Imagine my surprise the next morning, waking up and feeling so incredibly lucky that it fell the other way!
I had such a wonderful, relaxing time staying with my family and extended family. I love my daughter-in-law, Rachel’s (aka Daughter #2) family. We’ve all got along together from the very start. Lots of laughter, lots of joy, lots of love. Such a great time.

We can’t help ourselves – we inevitably devolve into goofiness!

Aah, I miss them so much already.
From there I drove up to my daughter’s place in Santa Barbara. Here are a few pictures along the way.

I stopped at Griffith Observatory but it was closed. So I just walked a trail around it.

I actually saw a coyote on that trail. An unusual daytime sighting.
Here are a few pictures I took walking around Santa Barbara (again, click on a photo and tab over for some descriptions).

It really is a great place for walking.
Other than this one picture (above) of Annie and I, I took embarrassingly few pictures of the kids here in Santa Barbara. But I realized why – it’s because I lived with and went to work with Nick (aka Son #3) and Annie at Moog for two years in Asheville, North Carolina and I felt so at home with them here in Santa Barbara that I really didn’t think about taking pictures. It was just ‘old home’ time with them. Very relaxing. But I did get these next few pictures (and a video!) out on the back porch while we were having a drink or two or seven.

I want to go back.