Springtime in California

The last 4 weeks have been spent visiting family and friends around California. I was able to spend time with my Mom, Stepdad, Aunt Sue, Nate, The Gilligan Family, Dad, Stepmom, Beni, Spence & Rita, Cousin Lisa, Jim, and Haley. One of the highlights was the opportunity to prepare and feed 1-year old Haley her breakfast. Collaborating with Lisa to make a mashed mixture of bananas, oats, and cinnamon was a lot easier than getting her to actually eat it.


Springtime in California means wildflowers and they could be seen in a variety of vibrant colors all over the state. None were more prominent than the wild mustard plant. In some places this wildflower is so thick it will make an entire hillside look yellow from a distance.


Much of my free time was spent biking and hiking as usual. I also took the time to photograph some San Francisco wall art as well as a beautiful duck.


Another highlight was hiking up Mt. Wilson with Jim and Sergio. This 14-mile hike took us up 5,700 ft. and left me with sore legs for two days. The best part occured about 3/4 of the way up when we broke through the cloud cover and could see above the clouds.


I'm grateful for all the time spent with family and friends but now it's time to hit the road for some more adventures. I'll leave friday, May 7th for Arizona, Utah, and Colorado before returning to Chicago around June 1st.