Palm Desert 2023

 We took a break from fall and enjoyed a week of summer in Palm Desert, a place that reminds me of the time we spent in Tucson

 We rode the Palm Springs Ariel Tramway to the top of Mt. San Jacinto at 8,500 feet above sea level

Then we visited the Salton Sea at 227 feet below sea level

We took a nature trail at sunset in Santa Rosa and San Jacinto State Park

We enjoyed dinner and an evening stroll along El Paseo in Palm Desert

One evening we went to the play Rent at the Palm Canyon Theater

And on our way home we spent some time hiking around in Joshus Tree National Park.  This is a young Joshua Tree

Pumpkin Carving 2023

 We had a bountiful crop of pumpkins this year and the grandkids did a wonderful job carving them.

Sayulita 2023

 We spent fall break with Roseben Smiths at Sayulita, one of our favorite vacation spots. This time we rented a  lovely house right on the beach and we didn't feel the need to do too much adventuring. 

Sylvan with a flashlight under the palapas on the beach

Our last morning as Rachel spotted some turtles hatching out of the sand so we got to help some tiny little turtles reach the water without getting eaten by the birds.

Gualala 2023

We spent a lovely week in August exploring around Gualala on the northern California coast. We had spectacular weather for wandering along the bluffs and exploring the redwoods.  We even saw a blue moon and a blue heron.

On our way home we rented a canoe and paddled a section of the Russian River we hadn't paddled before.