California is a great place to live if you're an orange

I was in LA when Marvin Gaye died. At least, that's what my mom told me. Seeing as I was only a year old, I don't remember anything about the famous block of land stretching down our west coast. All I had was hear-say, and the mental picture I conjured up over the years seemed to prove (as usual) quite a bit different from reality.

My reality is only what I know, and what I know is FL and OR. So, to me; Northern California is like putting Florida and Oregon in a mixing bowl.

Similar to Portland, OR: There are hills and mountain, there is a "green movement", much cooler weather, much better local produce, and simply that fresh west coast vibe that keeps people moving forward.

Similar to WPB, Florida: There is a lot of urban sprawl, with a lot of really rich people...so, things cost quite a bit more and they spend the money buying weird things like expensive cars...

My mom's boyfriend John did a great job of showing us as much as we could possibly take in for one weekend. From great views down trails, beaches, a farmer's market, San Fran, his home town, wonderful meals, and more. In an attempt to capture it all between the glass of our camera lenses we took a bunch of photos.

We had a great time and look forward to getting to know California better in the future. :) Until then, we have these photos to remember it by.


http://picasaweb.google.com/syeakle/SmattInCalifornia