postcards from california :: part 1

After too many days of hot hot hot weather in September, we finally got a taste of fall over the last two days.  Bring it on!  I love having to throw on a sweatshirt in the evenings after dinner when I take the kids out to play.

Today I'd like to share some of our California vacation photos, if you'd like to see!  After a weekend full of packing up our house, it was fun to take a little mind vacation as I wandered back through these photos.  I'll be posting them in different groups, sometimes one day by itself, other times several days together.  Today, just one perfect, relaxing, beautiful California day.

After safely arriving at my aunt and uncle's beautiful home and getting a good night's sleep, our first stop was in Coloma where we explored the old mining areas, admired the golden hills, and panned for gold in the American River.

American River with the "golden hills" in the background.

Staring competition?  :)

Tommy loves the water.

Exploring the different homes of the miners.

Making sure the firepit rocks are just right.

Checking out all the old mining equipment.

Heading down to the river.

Panning for gold!

Making rock cairns on the shore.

Enjoying the beautiful day.

Coloma's beautiful golden hills.

Our time in California was by far, the most relaxing vacation Will and I have been on since Tommy was born.  I've been trying to figure out why that is, and so far I'm thinking it was a combination of fantastic hosts, really good kids, and the beautiful places we visited.  Our day in Coloma was a great way to start our trip. The weather was perfect, and I remember sitting on a rock in the river watching the kids explore and my husband and aunt sitting quietly taking in the day, and thinking that it was going to be a really great trip.  I was right.  

Looking forward to sharing more photos in the coming weeks!  Happy Monday  :)