California

One of the best highlights of going to California was getting to visiting my best friend Emily and her husband Frank. Here are some random pictures from our great adventure:

Driving through the Pendleton Base Camp. 

Bad hair selfie at the Oceanside Pier. 

Jelly Donut and Khaleesi. 

Jelly Donut. 

A proper sleep over, complete with Ninja Turtles blankets. I actually had my very first sleep over at Emily's house when were both kids years ago. 

A young man dragging in an enormous strand of washed up seaweed. 

Our shadows on the jetty at Pendleton. 

I hadn't laughed like that in ages. 

Driving through Oceanside. 

The super moon over the desert.  Emily and I were driving through the base listening to "Pepper" by the Butthole Surfers and singing at the top of our lungs with the windows rolled down. 

Walking through the desert. 

In-N-Out Burger - it was just as good as everyone says it is. Photo by Emily Jensen. 

La Jolla Cove. 

Dinner date with Emily at JWok in the Gaslamp District just before my flight home. 

La Jolla Cove

My friend Emily took me to La Jolla Cove only a few hours before I had to be at the airport for my return flight. La Jolla Cove was home to a wild sea lion colony and people were permitted to climb to cliffs alongside them. It was cold, overcast, and absolutely perfect. I felt like a National Geographic photographer on assignment. Of all the amazing things I got to see in California this was my favorite.

I left a piece of my heart in La Jolla. 

These four cuddling sea lions melted my heart. 

Adorable baby sea lion. 

I took this photo of a scuba diver (far right) and the two sea lions who came in to investigate him. 

The view of La Jolla Cove from the cliffs above. 

Sunset at Pendleton

When I went to California I stayed with my best friend and her husband on the Pendleton Base Camp. Pendleton had its own private beach and this is where we got to see the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. 

The coast line. 

A washed up strand of seaweed. 

Shallow waves creating beautiful textures across the sand. 

The beautiful symmetry of waves gently rolling in and out. 

The ethereal effects of dusk along the coast. 

The San Diego Zoo

Photos from my visit to the San Diego Zoo.

Sleepy little koala. 

Adorable serval entranced by a leaf falling from a tree. 

A beetle struggling to navigate a narrow branch. 

A stick bug. 

The elephant enclosure. 

A sun bear. 

Giant panda. 

The Andean bear - the only bear that lives in the southern hemisphere. 

The Andean bear was one of my favorites! It was very active and had beautiful markings on its face. I even captured this  bear resting with its head on its paws. 

This orangutan had just woken up from a nap and pulled his blanket over his head. 

An albino python. 

A curious Malayan tiger. 

Oceanside

Growing up in Florida I had seen the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean many times. It wasn't until my 33rd year that I got to see the Pacific for the first time at Oceanside, California. It was simply astonishing. 

The Oceanside pier. 

The farthest end of the pier. 

A California Brown Pelican drying off its feathers in the afternoon sun. 

Oceanside gift shop. 

A mother and daughter watching surfers trying to catch a wave.