Our Christmas trip to the Monterey area was blessed with beautiful weather – even though it was a little cool at times. Here is a very “cool” fountain in the courtyard at our motel on the morning of January 1.

The New Year’s Day drive down the coast route (California Highway 1) was incredibly beautiful, with sunshine all day long and arguably some of the most beautiful coastal scenery to be seen anywhere.


But Southern California has its share of coastal beauty as well, and the weather was perfect for a visit to the beach when Andrew, Alissa, Levi, Elijah and Silas arrived for a week-long visit from the frigid temperatures of a South Dakota winter.
Andrew was able to share with Levi and Elijah the joy of replicating the construction of South Dakota snowmen with the construction of a California sandman.

This was the first chance for Andrew and Alissa’s newborn, Silas, to spend some time at a California beach.

It was also the first time to enjoy all four grandsons and their parents at the same location – as we did during a visit to Stephen and Meagan’s at Foothills Ranch.

We all enjoyed a picnic at a nice park located just across the street from the condominium complex where Stephen, Meagan and Ryan are living. Stephen and Alissa enjoyed spending time together with each other and the recent additions to their families.

This is how the family looked when they lined up on the park’s triple teeter-totter for a family photo.

Elijah and Ryan were able to spend a little time “hanging out” together in the double swing at the park.

Before Andrew and Alissa and their sons headed back to the cool climate of South Dakota they enjoyed some time at a new water park recently installed at Pathfinder Park in nearby Rowland Heights.

Today we are enjoying some much-needed rain in Southern California, but we are grateful for the fun times we all have enjoyed as a family on some of the beautiful California sunshiny days of recent weeks in the new year.