October 8, 2008

Today, I was going to write about getting started on decorating the house for Halloween.  I got inspired after my visit to the Pumpkin Farm in Chicago. But, that will have to wait for another day. It feels like summer here and I just can't make myself go pumpkin shopping! Now that I think about it, I haven't even seen pumpkins for sale here yet.  We are having unseasonably hot weather here in Southern California today. It was 91 at the coast! We usually don't even get temps like these in the summer.

Great Waves at the Harbor Today!

HayHay has joined the surf team at his high school and they are supposed to practice at least three times a week. Now he has a perfect excuse to “have to go to the beach.” Somedays, I'm able to stay down there with them, but today, I had too much work to do. So, his friend's mom dropped them off and I picked them up. I always have to take a couple of photos of HayHay, my “surfer dude.”

Time to go!

HayHay loves his new board!

There are, however, pros and cons of living in Southern California.  Right as I was leaving our house to go pick them up, I noticed a fire that had started pretty close to where I was located.

On my way to the beach

On my way home from the beach

Plane helping put out the fire!

When we got home, we heard on the news that it had burned 150 acres and then within a few hours, it had burned over 1000 acres. Luckily, there were no structures in immediate danger. There were actually planes and helicopters flying right over our neighborhood.

Photo taken from our house when we arrived home!

Last year, we were surrounded by the California fires.  HayHay missed a week of school due to the poor air quality. We were supposed to stay inside because it was raining “ash.”  Wildfires and earthquakes are definitely the drawbacks to living here in California. I always said that I would never live in California.

But, I also lived in Texas when tornadoes ripped through downtown Ft. Worth and were heading right in our direction. We actually had to take cover that time. We also lived in Upstate New York where it would snow for eight months out of the year. Our first year in New York, the first snow was on Halloween night and the last snow was on Mothers Day.  (And, I had already planted my herb garden.) We did love it there in the summer, though.

I guess no matter where you live, there will always be pros and cons.  We still love it here!

~LilSis