The Kids in Their Natural Habitat!

Reef, Crue , Coast and Belle at the San Diego Zoo.

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Family Camping - Lake Hemet

Lake Hemet, one of the most popular vacation spots in Southern California for waterpark play, camping, fishing, RVing, festivals and weddings.



Photos from our weekend:

Turn It Down For What?

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween

Reef Indy (2 years - 9 months) experiences his first real balance bike ride while camping.

Camping Trip at Lake Perris State Park

The family had a super fun time on their first camping trip at Lake Perris State Park in their new used camper.  As the photos below attest to; 100% outside time was a hit.

The untended areas of Lake Perris may seem rocky and barren at first glance, but an amazing variety of natural wonders are waiting to be found by those who seek them out. The predominant plant community, coastal sage scrub, is home to a variety of birds and wildlife. Mule deer, roadrunners, bobcats, coyotes, cotton tail, jack rabbits, quail, gopher snakes, and rattlesnakes may sometimes be seen by day, though they tend to shy away from people. More frequently seen are a wide variety of lizards, rodents, water fowl, and birds of prey. Beautiful displays of wildflowers occur during the rainy season- generally November through April.

Lake Perris is ringed by various hills and small mountains. The coastal sage scrub community is predominant on the south-facing slopes of the Russell Mountains and Bernasconi Hills and is characterized by shrubby plants including desert encelia, brittlebush, sagebrush, black sage, white sage, buckwheat, and cacti. Conditions are somewhat shadier on hillsides that face north or northwest so that chaparral plants such as chamise, penstemon, and--caution!--poison oak are apt to be found. Remnants of the original perennial grasses that once flourished in this region can still be found in the flat interior of the park surrounding the lake, but the majority of plants that now make up the valley grassland community (including Russian thistle) were imported from Europe by early settlers. Riparian areas near springs and seeps, and on east and south lakes include willows, cattails, elderberry and nettles.

Cousins Waiting for Santa

Coast Oak, Reef Indy, and Cousin Belle visited the Mall to take their photo with Santa.

Belle and Reef Enjoying Mission Beach

Belle and her cousin Reef Indy enjoy their May day at Mission Beach.  

While some may compare San Diego’s Mission Beach to the East Coast’s Atlantic City and Coney Island, there is a unique Southern California vibe you can’t find anywhere else here. Nestled between Pacific Beach on the north side, and Belmont Park on its southern side, Mission Beach offers a lively and robust variety of activities in the sun, surf and sand. From hot dog stands to fine dining eateries, hot night clubs to street performers, expect to find all kinds of free-spirited beach goers in a fun, carnival-like atmosphere along the sandy shores.

Reef and Belle Visit Santa

Cousin Belle and Reef find Santa at the Mall!

The American version of St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus originally came from the Dutch version called Sint Nikolaas or Sinterklaas. The Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (New York) brought this fun and lively tradition to America.

Santa Claus appears in the weeks before Christmas in department stores or shopping malls. The practice of this has been credited to James Edgar, as he started doing this in 1890 in his Brockton, Massachusetts department store!

Edgar was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1843. In 1878 he arrived in Brockton, and he eventually set up a dry goods store on Main Street.