Independence Day

We couldn't watch the fireworks at the usual park, so we had to head elsewhere. Because of the trees, we could only see a portion of the display.

Farley & Margaret Ann had a potluck at their house. Here the boys are having a card game.

Now they've moved on to a game of corn hole.

Renee, Carla & Shelly showing their patriotic colors.

Farley flipping burgers.

New York

We got stranded in Newark on our flight home from vacation. Instead of spending the 30 hours there, we headed into NYC for the day. Dwayne walked our legs off. We went from Ground Zero to Times Square and lots of places in between.

The Empire State Building.

Times Square was interesting. We went into the Hershey store and the M&M's store.

There was a lot of haze, but we could still make out the Statue of Liberty.

The guys standing under the Brooklyn Bridge.

We didn't plan this extra vacation day, but it turned out okay.

Yosemite

We picked a very crowded day to go to Yosemite. The falls were gorgeous and it was exciting to see a grizzly bear cub. If we make it back, we won't go on a weekend.

Lonnie & Kim

Lonnie & Kim live near San Francisco. They met us for dinner at the Franciscan and then we walked to Ghiradelli for icecream. It was the first we had seen them since they had children.

San Francisco

The boys & I at the base of the crooked part of Lombard Street.

Devin sitting below Coit's Tower.

The boys under the entrance gate to Chinatown.

Pier 39 is fun and we loved watching the sea lions.

We took a night tour of Alcatraz including a special discussion about escapes.

Redwoods

If you don't have a full size pickup or sports utility vehicle, you can actually drive through the tree. We walked through instead.

The rings on this redwood show events in history.

The boys standing next to the tree.

It's hard to tell how impressive the redwoods are with a photo, but this should give you an idea of the size.

Looking skyward is beautiful.

Oregon Coast

Where's the beach? It sure is beautiful, even without a sandy place to stroll. We found a few beaches along the way. The water was a pretty color and it was also pretty COLD.

The boys liked this big piece of driftwood.

Our "tour" group.

We didn't see anyone in their swimsuit at the beach. You had to bundle up instead of strip down.