(Note - camera battery problems limited my photography on this trip)

Amanda's family visited us in California (apologies for lack of group pictures), and we rented a house near the coastal dunes in Mendocino County.

These little shorebirds moved as a synchronized group, foraging at the water's edge and scampering away as the next wave hit.

Amanda (and her mother, to the left) in front of a historic house in wind-blown town of Mendocino (like a piece of Cape Cod transplanted to California).

Amanda showcases the tea she bought at Mendocino's church-turned-natural-food-store.

Amanda tries not to let the wind blow her over the cliff, with rocky seascape in the background.

John waves back from atop a sea arch.

I didn't do well at getting redwood pictures (bad camera battery), but this shot gives some idea of the scale of these giants (some over 350 ft tall) at Humboldt Redwoods State Park.