California

So, we have been here for a little over 2 months, I guess. Time has gone by so quickly. I'll try to consolidate and will add more as I go. Here are some cool things we like about CA:

1. WINE. The vineyards are lovely. It was so cool to drive by them and see the grapes on the vines. They are harvested by now. Seeing the sunshine stream down on the rows of vines is as beautiful as it is in the movies--Sideways, A Walk in the Clouds (I admit to liking this movie despite the gigantic cheesiness of Keanau Reeves), etc. In addition to the natural beauty of the vineyards, their harvest is inexpensive for us! Wine is sold almost everywhere here: markets, drugstores, Walmarts. Yes, they sell wine at the Walmart here. We have tasted several new varieties and are happy to report that it is very good.
2. REDWOODS. So far we have been to two "redwood forests": Armstrong and the Muir Wood National Park. The former was much better than the latter. When one speaks of the spirituality of a forest, this is what they are talking about. I felt almost like I was in a church. They were awesome, and we had a great day here. Here are some cool photos of the big trees. The Muir Woods is directly north of San Franciso Bay, so the park is ultra accessible to SF tourists. We visited two Saturdays ago, and the park was really crowded. We passed folks in heels and business suits speaking many different languages. The forest itself wasn't nearly as cool as Armstrong, and the redwoods weren't as healthy either. There were also loads of banana slugs--and I really hate them! They were gigantic and disgusting and have forever clouded my impression of this National Park. I hate them.
3. DAVIS, CA. Home to Chris's school, Davis is a nice, small town with interesting things going on. There are many restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops in their downtown area. It is small, but big enough to have pretty much everything you would need. There is a tremendous sense of community here with lots of families and world-conscious people. They have a great Farmer's Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We really hope to move to Davis, but it is much more expensive than Sacramento. We'll have to see!
4. The WEATHER has been fabulous! It is chilly in the mornings and evenings, but is great during the day, mostly sunny in the mid 60s- 70s. It started getting more chilly around Halloween, and now that Daylights Savings is over, we have both noticed how it gets darker here earlier than it does in the East (starting around 4 P.M.) But it is hard to complain.