Vacation with the Browns

So, here we are in California. You can tell it's California because we have coats on in July...something unheard of in MS of course. It was great. That's not a particularly imaginative way to describe a vacation, but it fits. It was great in every way and if we were doomed to visit only one place over and over again for the rest of our lives, we would pick San Francisco at this point.










I included this pic because I haven't seen rattlesnakes eating squirrels in the wild very much (actually only this once), and I thought it would be nice to share. Gross, but interesting. My Wild Kingdom moment occurred at the base of Yosemite Falls. The snake was surrounded by tourists with cameras and cell phones. Poor fella couldn't get away because he couldn't let go of his lunch. I suspect that I will never be within a couple of feet of a big rattlesnake like this again...at least not on purpose.


Here is my lovely family visiting Alcatraz. We walked all over the place and Sam was distressed by the realilty of the place. He did not like the audio tour...the voices of the old inmates and guards made it a bit too real for him, I think. I told them if they made bad grades in school that they would end up in here. OK, so I don't win the good parenting award, but it was quite motivating for them.






Here's me and the missus. My nephew went to some island paradise with his new wife and posted great pictures of them in swimsuits drinking and having young fun. Well this is what fun looks like when you are nearing 50. We had a blast. I can't wait to see his pics after kids.







If you get our Christmas cards, you may see this picture again. This is Pt. Reyes. It's cold and windy and smells like sea lions, but I loved it.











If you liked these pics, let me know and I'll put up some more. I may also get motivated to post a photologue about Sam's new life as a Mississippi football player. I think he likes it. He wears my high school jersey. He is 10.