39 pictures and a video!

Last Friday night my mother had some loved ones over to celebrate our presence. It was also a graduation party. We had lots of pizza and lots of desserts (including fruit pizza)!




Definitely my kind of party!! Thanks Mother!

We left my mom & step-dad's driveway early Sunday morning so we could attend Henderson Presbyterian Church. We enjoyed worshiping with some of our friends before we headed further west.



Sunday we met up with our friends Bob & Pat, whom we see every chance we get. We always have a great time together & this time was no different. We marveled at their newly remodeled home, and had a delicious lunch by chef Bob, who makes quite a spread! Before heading to the airport, we stopped at the beach to watch the kite surfers. What a show! A couple of them got airborne jumping the waves! WHOO HOO! Although I missed that photo opportunity, I think this sport is comparable with watching monster trucks!










In June of 2009, Bob, Pat, John, & I went to Vietnam, and part of our trip there was spent with our friend Hoa. Monday night, she flew in to LAX to spend a few weeks in the United States. It was a fun reunion, and a little hard to believe that the time had really come when she would be here.

On Tuesday the five of us drove up the coast to see Morro Rock. We thought the marine layer of fog would lift in the afternoon, but since it was still pretty low when we arrived, we first toured Hearst Castle, the creation of William Randolph Hearst whose fame comes from the newspaper/magazine business. His father, George Hearst mined silver and became wealthy from it, so as a 10 year old boy, "Willy" and his mother toured the world for a year and a half (his dad stayed in the States and continued to mine). During that time, the architectural influences that Willy experienced became the basis for the "little something" that is now known as Hearst Castle.

It is quite a place and worth the $25. tour price. There are 4 tours available. We chose the "Grand Rooms" tour, getting to see the rooms where his guests gathered and were entertained. Flash photography was not permitted, so some of the pics are low quality.





When the guided tour was over, we were invited to tour the outside area on our own.



Of course, the sparkling outdoor pool was hard to resist!



There was even an indoor pool which was 10 feet deep.

We enjoyed not only the outstanding views, but also the abundance of plants and flowers that decorated the grounds.

Mr. Hearst believed that dreams should be shared, so that the dreams will live on. He enjoyed having guests come and have a good time, always partaking in activities. I would not have been a very welcome guest, as I would prefer relaxing by the pool and sleeping late!
Since our original plan was to see Morro Rock, we went, but unfortunately, the fog was low and we couldn't see the magnitude of the rock.

We enjoyed a meal at a nearby restaurant, and the roles were reversed from when we visited Vietnam. Since there was no rice, our friend experienced eggplant Parmesan and minestrone soup. John & I expected that she would gain 10 pounds on her visit to America, but with the very small amount she eats, if John & I followed her example, we would lose 10 pounds on her visit!! However, there was a candy/ice cream store nearby, so after supper, being the traditional Americans we are, we treated ourselves to more calories.

The next morning, John, Hoa, and I set out on a northern trek, and parked near Coarsegold, CA, south of Yosemite National Park. We took many, many pictures, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.



We stayed for the sunset Wednesday night and returned Thursday to see more of the park.
There were rangers walking around with yummy looking chocolate cake and when John asked about it, we learned that yesterday was the 95th birthday of the National Park Service'!!
Today it's time for the wheels to roll once more. We have about 200 miles to go today. Any guesses to where we're headed??? Hint: We'll still be in California, the "Golden" State...