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Clear Lake, CA

We spent a few days this summer with the Gutierrez Family camping at Clear Lake. This lake is amazing, 19 miles long and eight miles wide. We were never around other boats and it was safe for the girls to be tubing.

Mt. Konocti is an old volcano on the south side of the lake. We were able to boat up to a small island and look at the hot springs venting up through the lake. It's not safe to play in them, the gasses were pretty strong and the water very hot.

Bye Bye Costa Rica!

One of the things I noticed while visiting Costa Rica was the different types of trees everywhere. The top shot is of a typical house with these flat umbrella like tress they use to shade their yards. The bottom picture is a huge tree at a bus stop that is actually curving over the road.

Tamarindo Village

We stayed at Tamarindo Village www.tamarindovillage.com the first three nights we were in Tamarindo. It is walking distance from town and up on a hill. We had a two story bungalow with an open air shower and were across from Rick and Jenn. We shared a pool. This picture is taken from above our bungalows. I would definitely recommend staying at this place.

Scott surfs!

I had to throw in a least one picture of him surfing. He is being silly, but he was happy to surf every day we were in Costa Rica. The waves were great and he was able to catch many more than on previous trips.

Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Here is a great view of the huge bay at Tamarindo Beach. It seems to go forever.
Tamarindo is up the north coast from Samara about two hours on crazy dirt roads.
This is a popular surfing town that has out grown its roads.

The Azufrales Trail

This is Jenn and I hiking on the Azufrales trail. This took up our afternoon and ended at hot springs and a waterfall. This is serious jungle! We saw monkeys, a toucan and huge butterflies. Everything seems to grow bigger in Costa Rica.

On our way out the howler monkeys were so loud and so creepy. They sounded like they were coming toward us but we couldn't see them. It felt like we were on the island from Lost!

Kayaking

We took kayaks and went out to Isla Chora. It is the farthest I have ever kayaked in the ocean. I think it took us about an hour each way.
If you look in the background of this picture you can see the tree houses. Samara Tree house Inn has several cute places to stay right on the beach. If I were to go back I would stay a night or two there. It is the very best spot on the beach to watch the surfers.

Samara, Costa Rica

In January Scott and I went to Costa Rica with our good friends Rick and Jenn. This picture is looking north up the beach from town. Samara is on the Pacific coast and about two hours for Liberia International Airport. The Intercultura Language School www.samaralanguageschool.com is right behind me near where I took this picture. I would love to stay there and work on my Spanish!

Newport Beach

We love to visit Newport Beach. The weather seems to be nice any time of year. On this trip Scott and Leena rented a two person bike, Shae ran and I roller bladed. We went down to the end of the path past Balboa. After that we relaxed on the beach and Scott surfed.
How fun it would be to rent a house right on the beach here!

Disneyland

A lot of fun at Disneyland. It was nice in the morning but got really crowded in the afternoon. Celeena and I had fun on the Tea-cups, Scott and Shae always pass on the spinning rides.

We are lucky that my Grandma lives about 15 minutes from the park. We went back to her house in the evening for dinner and then went back in time for fireworks. The lines aren't as bad then because all of the little kids need to go to bed!

Islas Marietas

This shot was taken by Shae while we were on a snorkeling trip to Islas Marietas. These are small protected islands off the coast of Punta Mita. We saw Blue Footed Boobies which are only found here and the Galapagos Islands. This is a great day trip!

Horses?

Yikes, a few years ago we rode horses in Mexico and I said "Never again!". Well, this time it was a great deal with the canopy tour so we went. Our friends came up for the day from Puerto Vallarta and we went on the zip lines then continued on to the horses. They took us through the jungle, a mango plantation, to the beach and through town. It was really fun. I would do it again.
Shae & Celeena holding hands.

Town Square

This is the cute town square of Sayulita. We walk into town in the evenings for ice cream. This summer on some evening's they had a live band playing. A lot of people hang out here and visit. We mostly people watched. We saw a lady go by with a monkey walking on a leash!

Scott and Jaynie

Here we are on the balcony of our rental house Casa Serena.

Sayulita, Mexico

This is the town of Sayulita. One shot is from a house we stayed in on the hill and one is from the house on the beach. Sayulita is a small fishing village with about 4,000 residents. It's well know for the consistent river mouth surf break. Scott usually surfs each morning and then again in the afternoon. There is much to do in the area, snorkel, fishing, canopy tours and mountain biking to name a few. We enjoy walking into town for margaritas and fish tacos.

Sunset in Puerto Vallarta

Here we are hanging out and waiting for the sun to set. A street show was just about to get started as well. Sunday is the big day to go to town in Puerto Vallarta. All of the locals come out and there are vendors everywhere, live music and little shows. It shows a lot of the culture and is a lot of fun.

While visiting this time we found out that the Puerto Vallarta area is just as susceptible to earthquakes as California. In 1995 an earthquake shook the crown from the top of the old cathedral.

Pipis!

Pipis restaurant is a tradition in our Family. It's in the heart of Puerto Vallarta on Pipilia Street. We enjoy the margaritas the most and it's fun to watch the server make fresh guacamole at our table. It is (kind of) a tourist spot although for a few years we thought it was our own secret. Now, if you go while a cruise ship is in town you may have to wait!
Fun times with the English Family!

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding area are favorites of our Family for vacation destinations. This picture is of a typical city street going away from the Malecon. The tourist industry is huge in Puerto Vallarta. The average waiter only makes 47 pesos a day. They rely on tips from the tourists to supplement their income.

KLX in the snow!

Shae had a Kawasaki KLX 110 and her favorite thing to do was ride it in the snow or through big puddles. This shot was taken on our road, probably in March. Elevation 2500 feet.

Alta, CA

There is a great bike ride we have done for years up in Alta. It's an out and back and takes us to Drum Powerhouse. This is a water pumping station that pipes large quantities of water down the mountain in huge pipes. It's a twelve mile round trip ride and has beautiful views of mountains and valleys. We like to take the kids because we can turn around where ever we like and there aren't any cars on the weekends.

Wake boarding!

Shae likes to wake board, although it is challenging on Lake Tahoe. The best time is in the morning before the wind kicks up and makes the lake choppy. We try not to think about Lake Tahoe being the 2nd deepest Lake in the United States. It freaks us out to think that the deepest spot is 1,645 feet deep!

Lake Tahoe

We spend a lot of time at Lake Tahoe each year. In the summer we camp with friends at Zephyr Cove (on the South side) as well as camping at Fallen Leaf Lake. Boating with the Gutierrez Family is always a blast! This photo shows Scott trying to catch a wake on the wake surf board. His goal is to be able to ride the wave and let go of the rope. It sounds easier than it is!

Enjoying the Crusie

This is my favorite shot of Celeena. We had so much fun on this cruise, it really was a highlight of our trip!

NYC Skyline

One popular attraction is a harbor cruise. This shot of the Manhattan skyline is across the harbor from the Jersey shore. We enjoyed a dinner Cruise with my sister and her children and her friends which were visiting from Australia. It was a beautiful summer evening. It looks so quiet and peaceful but the harbor can be full of commuter ferries, cruise lines and tourist excursion boats.
My sister took this picture. More of her images can be found at www.dawnrobertsphotography.com

Central park

While waiting for the Zoo to open we spent some time people watching. Celeena filled me in on a few facts about Central Park. It opened in 1859 and covers 843 acres. Twenty five million people visit this Park each year.

We saw lots of runners, rollerbladers and cyclists. It still felt like there were lots of quiets spots to read a good book and not be distracted though.

A trip to the Zoo

While visiting Central Park we made a stop at the Zoo. It's a small Zoo and it was just right for a visit with small children. My niece Jillian enjoyed watching the otter swimming in the pool. This reflection shows how close she wanted to be near them!

New York City

It's definitely worth the trip to the NBC studios and up to the Top Of The Rock. We had a great view of the city in July (a bit hazy). We were able to look down on Central Park where we spent quite a bit of time that week.

Angora Lake, CA

This is one of the Angora Lakes just ten minutes away from Fallen Leaf Lake. It is mere miles away from the site of the 2007 Angora Lakes Fire which devastated the community.

This is a fun day trip with a short one mile hike up to the Angora Lakes Resort. They offer rentals of kayaks and canoes and are best known for the homemade lemonade which hits the spot after the hike up.

In this shot Terry, Celeena and Scott take a kayak out for a cruise around the lake. It's also fun to watch the daredevils jumping off the 50 ft. high rocks.

Fallen Leaf Lake, CA

This is a very special place for my Family. Every summer we camp at Fallen Leaf Lake with some of our best friends.

It is located between Emerald Bay and where highway 50 comes into South Shore.

In the background of the picture is Lake Tahoe. The campground is between the two lakes. We love riding bikes over to Lake Tahoe and hanging out at The Beacon which is famous for live music in the afternoon and Rum Runners.

Some other fun things we enjoy are the night hikes and listening to our friend Terry play guitar by the camp fire. Sometimes we look for the crawdads or go Geocaching.

This is a view from Mt. Tallac down toward Fallen Leaf.

Town

This is Scott and Celeena in the town of Barra.

Barra de Navidad, Mexico

A beautiful drive north of Manzanillo lead us to the town of Barra. Along the way we passed plantations of palms.

In this shot we are walking out toward the end of the jetty to read the monument that is dedicated to sailors from the 1500's. They used this spot as a jumping off on trips to the Philippines.

There is plenty of shopping in town. Although, we spent most of our time at the beach relaxing. A highlight for our children was to buy candy being sold along the beach out of wheelbarrows. We didn't realize it posed a health risk until we returned home and read about the levels of lead in candy made in Mexico!

Manzanillo

Here are the girls and I near the port. It is considered Mexico's busiest port. 18 million tons of cargo were moved there during 2007 alone.

Manzanillo, Mexico

Here are a few different shots of a trip to Manzanillo. We went in February and stayed at Barcelo Karmina Palace just north of town. This town was primarily all Mexicans and Mexican tourists. We really got a feel for this amazing port community.