Summer Visit

Where did summer go? That is what I'm asking myself lately. The days are getting shorter and a touch cooler and breezier. It rained recently (so I hear) and there are also rumors of leaves changing colors (I haven't seen it yet). It's a far cry from the beautiful falls in Michigan, but while there are no cider mills and the air doesn't have that pleasant nip of fall, I've already had three pumpkin chai lattes from Peet's Coffee and am looking forward to more of the fall goodies! :)

But anyway, summer is almost gone, so I'll set out to update you on my summer in the next few posts, starting with a quick overview of one of the highlights.

I was so excited to have two visits from friends this summer. One was Memorial Day weekend, which was (sadly) my last post. The next visit was from dear friends from Michigan who made a week of touring the Northern California beauty! Whew, we sure did pack a lot in there (ask my car's mileage for proof!)... From San Francisco to Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur, a day trip to Santa Cruz (with Steve), Yosemite, and Napa Valley! Phew!

We started in San Francisco, where we explored Fisherman's Wharf (including a yummy seafood lunch), Ghiradelli Square, a Bay tour and a bus tour! That gave the girls a good overview of the city, and then they checked out some of the other nooks and crannies in the city, including the Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, and a cable car ride! (Not to mention witnessing San Francisco's lack of a public nudity ordinance! Yikes!)

Near Ghiradelli Square after enjoying lunch at Fisherman's Wharf

Gorgeous weather to enjoy a Bay Cruise in SF Bay

Enjoying many of the delicious offerings of the Ferry Building

Cable car ride that ended in their trolley breaking down!

Then we spent an afternoon at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz (with special guest, Steve) where we stuck our toes in the Pacific (burrrr!) and enjoyed the lively atmosphere. This visit included a ride on the hang-glider ride and a sampling of deep fried Twinkies and Oreos (so bad and yet so good!).

Mindy's first time touching the Pacific!

Love!

Next, the girls and I drove down the coastal highway to Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur. The grey skies didn't stop us from enjoying the immense beauty of God's creation in Big Sur or the quaint beauty of Carmel (or the pastries in Carmel!).

 

Then we adventured to Yosemite (and thankfully did not stay in the camp that had the Hantavirus outbreaks!) where we were awed by God's creativity and majesty in his creation there. Amazing! (If you've read other blog posts about Yosemite, you probably get that I think it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been!) We did some hiking (er, some of us did some hiking) and exploring by car and "glamped" (glamorous camping) in a sweet cabin with a wood-burning stove (which I managed to keep a fire going in thanks to my sweet Girl Scout training... haha, that's a joke, folks! Girl Scouts was social hour for me and my friends!).

View from Olmsted Point, including the back side of Half Dome, upper right

Meredith and I climbed Lembert Dome and were rewarded by amazing views

And finally, we made our way to Napa and Sonoma Valleys and explored some gorgeous vineyards there (including, apparently, the one owned by one of the former Bachelors...ya know, the TV show). And we feasted on a lunch of fancy cheeses and salami with fresh bakery bread. So good!

Lunch at V. Sattui Vineyard

Arriving for our tour at Mondavi Vineyards

It was so fun to have friends visit and to show them a bit of Northern California! These are only a few photos from the week (this post is already long enough!), but I may post more someday on Facebook when I get around to it!

So long, thanks for reading! Next time (hopefully soon!) I'll tell you how Steve needed a trip to San Francisco after hearing about the fun we had there! :)