California

We just got home from a delightful week at our favorite beach. We had a wonderful time vegetating. We did go to the San Diego Temple for a session. We attended Sacrament Meeting.


We drove to Laguna Beach to visit a delightful bakery and to buy treats. YUM!!!

We walked on the Pier

, and on the Beach and

watched the sunset every evening.

With it being wintertime the sky was clear and we had fantastic views of

Catalina Island.

We did have a couple of showers one day but the rest of the time the sun shone and we basked in 55 degrees. Well, there was a chill breeze off the ocean but that's ok.


Our thoughts turned to the first time we visited California. it was President's Day 1968. We went with my brother Joe and his wife. We left Utah in driving rain and arrived in Riverside in glorious sunshine. We went to visit with my younger brother Bryan and his wife. As we drove we entered San Bernadino National Forest and I am looking for the forests like we have in Utah. Not in this part of the desert. All we could see were Joshua trees and they were few and far between.

We did stop in Las Vegas at 2am . The Strip stopped at the Stardust.

We visited Disneyland but it was evening and it was closed, but we were able to ride the Monorail and circle the Park which just whet our appetites for more.

This was the first time we visited San Clemente and our fate was sealed. Alan often talks about swimming and body-surfing in February.

We ate at a "fancy" resturant in Newport Beach called the Reuben E. Lee. (Therein lies another whole story) with 5 children at home we didn't do much "eating out".

Oh, and in talking about the children, we had "farmed" them out with friends back in Utah. :o)

Later in 1968 we took the children to California. There is another whole Blog on that trip.



We'll be back. That's a promise.

UTAH....revisited

OR......
.... What do you do in the Summer time when all the world is green.?

I love the summertime when we get to participate in our Nation's birthday and go to the parade in Kaysville with Lilian and her family, and have a family BBQ at David's and then watch fireworks and sing patriotic songs.
Later in July we celebrate the pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley. I can NEVER get past the 24th without having compassion for the women pioneers in their long skirts trailing the ground and having to cook over hot fires etc. No A/C for them. Not even any shade. Doesn't your heart go out to them? I do not forget the men, I just think of those long skirts.
We love to go to Cherry Hill and celebrate two family birthdays.



I love to go to Dairy Queen late at night and eat ice cream.
I sometimes go to watch Michael and Jeffrey play softball. There is a certain amount of laziness in the air.
As we have travelled around in other States and we see people playing ball etc. we always think, "this is America" One time as we returned from a trip to England we got on the plane at Gatwick and the cabin was resounding with the Tabernacle Choir's recording of "Oh beautiful for Spacious Skies" our hearts were touched and we were ready to return "HOME"
Becca can sum it up for all of us I'm sure.



So, what do you like to do in the summertime?

Our favorite vacation spot.....

In a few weeks we are off to our favorite vacation spot. Our boy Alan created this video to get us excited? As if.... We do NOT need any encouragement :o) but the video is GREAT. Watch and enjoy. He was able to get all of us in here someplace. I hope you recognize some of the family.