Finland

Meet two of Finland's newest citizens: L and Z! We just got notice from the Finnish government that our citizenship papers were approved.

Next stop: Finland?

Monterey

Last Saturday I took my friends who were visiting from Japan to one of the number one tourist hotspots in California: Monterey. As is usual for this time of year, the morning was foggy but the temps were warm and by the afternoon blue skies appeared - except in Carmel where it always seems to stay foggy all day long during the summer months. The town was packed with tourists and to our surprise we happened upon a lively Turkish Festival going on at the Custom House Plaza. Here are some scenes from our day...

All the boats safe and sound in the harbor...

The colorful Turkish Festival...

The historic Custom House...

One of the most popular spots in Monterey...

After walking around Monterey, we headed over to Mission Carmel...

And then we strolled around Carmel Beach

where you can buy a small beachfront bungalow

for only four million bucks...

Scenic natural beauty, charming architecture, and fresh air galore...that's Monterey!

If you want to find out more about lovely Monterey and its surroundings, click HERE.

Long Beach, Phoenix, LA

Z and I headed south for one more road trip. We visited Long Beach, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. The purpose of this trip was to visit a couple colleges and see some friends and relatives. It was hot, hot, and hotter, but that didn't stop us from having fun and seeing interesting places along the way...

Our sunny hotel in Long Beach awaited us

with a swimming pool to cool off in...

Once we had cooled down, we headed over to Long Beach State University...

Then we hit up Seal Beach to watch the setting sun...

The next morning before heading east on I-10,

we went to Long Beach Harbor...

The drive along I-10 from LA to Phoenix took about six hours...

We passed lots of windmill farms near Palm Springs...

And arrived just in time to take a dip in my cousin's pool

in Chandler, near Phoenix...

Lots of interesting cacti around the area...

...as well as palm trees of various shapes and sizes...

Here's the view from my aunt's house - no pool, just a lagoon...

Next on our agenda was a tour of the lovely campus

of Arizona State University in Tempe...

Then we headed to downtown Scottsdale in 117 degree weather...

Before we headed back to LA, we walked around downtown Phoenix

near the Capitol Building - again, in very extreme temps...

The next day we drove back to LA to visit my cousin's daughter in Claremont...

here's the house she lives next door to...

Working our way across the LA freeways...

Next stop: the University of Southern California...

And finally, the long drive back to the San Francisco Bay Area -

of course, with Z driving, it doesn't take too long...

Interstate 5...

Even during the hot summer months, southern California and Arizona are fun places to visit - as long as you can tolerate lots of sunshine and high temperatures, that is. Thanks to all of you who shared your homes with us on this mini trip!