It turns out that February was a perfect month in other ways too!
Snow in Idaho:
And snow in Utah!
Snow in Idaho:
And snow in Utah!
Posed photos from the family dinner at the Melanchuks!
Getting to hear Becky and Mike speak in Sacrament meeting after their
mission to Kenya Africa!
Children and grandchildren singing a new hymn, an African spiritual,
"I'm Gonna Work, So God Can Use Me!"
(this is all of the family that showed on zoom)
Lilian getting cuter!
Michael has a display area for his paper creations!
Melanchuks went on a tour of Mrs. Cavanaugh's Chocolate Factory!
Syracuse Temple!
Brian and MaryAnn chaperoning at LDS prom!
Caleb turned 3!
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The Granada Theater built in 1924 is the tallest building
Kathryn in Montecristi!
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Camille had a band concert!
She is on the front row, 2nd from the left.
And experienced one of her worst nightmares: Matching clothes with her parents!
Sarah multi tasking doing homework and watching the Olympics!
We got to go on a trip down Highway 101.
We stayed in the small farming town of Guadalupe.
The scenery was wonderful: plowed fields and green hills!
The first day we visited the charming town of Solvang, a Danish community.
Very picturesque...
...and yummy!
These are aebleskivers with raspberry sauce.
Mission Santa Ines founded in 1804
and has been in continuous use as a Catholic Church.
The second day we visited a place very near our airbnb.
It was extensive!
Interesting to see all of this sand after just having read
in the Old Testament about Abraham's posterity!
It extended right down to the ocean.
I couldn't do much walking on the dunes
but I always try to have fun in spite of my current condition.
I enjoyed making designs in the sand with my cane!
Then we headed north through Pismo Beach
on the coast and then over to San Luis Obispo.
We had an audio tour on our way. We learned some interesting history. The town of Avila Beach near Pismo Beach had a crude oil contamination from a leaking pipeline in 1999 and it contaminated the whole town. The town had to be completely razed and rebuilt. It cost the Unocal company $200 million dollars.
(internet)
We were also interested in the history of San Luis Obispo which mirrors much of California's history in general: Chumash tribe lived in the area, the Spanish built a mission in 1769, Ranchos were purchased and developed, outlaws overrun the town ,but were thwarted by vigilantes, Chinese workers were brought into the area to help build the railroad around 1870. Eventually more people move there and the area develops into a modern culture with the city motto being: "Life is too beautiful to rush." 285 days per year of sun, sandy beaches not too far away, an art scene and UC campus. Lots of biking and hiking nearby. And that's my California history lesson in a nutshell!
Downtown San Luis Obispo
Finally we decided to head over to the coast again a little farther north
to Morro Rock for a late lunch.
We learned that Morro Rock is a volcanic plug.
The third day we drove to Santa Barbara.
This time we took a narrated Trolley Tour of the city. It was not a picture-taking tour because there were not pull-off places for long stops.
But Dan got a few and I pulled some off of the internet.
Right next to this beach is where we started:
The presidio of Santa Barbara, a military outpost established in 1782.
Mission Santa Barbara established in 1786.
This is not the original as we learned in the sign below.
The Moreton Bay Fig Tree.
It is 75 feet tall and 175 feet wide and provides 21,000 square feet of shade.
It was brought as a seedling to the area from Australia by a sailor
who presented it as a gift to a young girl who planted it.
It is still healthy and growing!
(internet)
Dan got this one from the trolley.
in Santa Barbara at 8 stories high.
Back in 1930 the City Council passed rules for building heights
capping them at 4 stories high.
It was actually nice to be in a downtown without skyscrapers!
(internet)
It turns out they are called Hoop Houses and in this area they are using them to grow Raspberries!
(internet)
Blue Whale skeleton, the largest animal on the earth.
It is 87 feet long and the skeleton itself weighs 7,700 pounds.
It washed ashore near Santa Barbara in 1998.
It is on display outside the museum of natural history.
It took three years to clean and assemble.
Blue whales still pass through the Santa Barbara channel.
(internet)
Two of our favorite things on the trip:
The mission bells.
There were 21 California missions
and they were each approximately one day's walk apart.
A footpath called the El Camino Real (The King's Highway) connected the missions and over time it became a roadway to accommodate horses and wagons and eventually a highway. A good portion of it is today's Highway 101.
In 1904 it was proposed to put one of these mission bells approximately every 1 to 2 miles along the route. A bell was already at each mission such as this one.
It was fun watching for them along our way.
But we had to look fast as we whizzed by!
From Day 1 we were interested in these white cylindrical shaped canopies or tents.
We saw them everywhere! Near the roadside and high up on the hills.
We could tell they were growing something inside, but what?
It was the perfect month to see new things and learn new things!
