Eureka!

Being here with my brother's family has been beyond cool. To pick up where I left off, last night after we returned to our hotel, we went to the lounge and saw this local band, Electric Gravy, play a set. I was nearly drained, so I left early, but it got pretty funky. They played some improvisational funk/electronic/hip-hop jams, and a gasconading (albeit talented) couple got up and started dancing very well, in this lounge with maybe twenty other people. Maybe "gasconade" is the wrong word; they weren't really bragging aloud. "Show-off" is maybe a better verb for what they did. They got super into it, and I'm pretty sure that they were drunk, although they seemed spectacularly coordinated to me.

But that's a major digression.

Today we took a little trip with the kids to the Redwood Forest, which was awe-inspiring. I can't wrap my head around the fact that some of the trees we saw are older than America, especially given that the West Coast has always seemed so young and new to me.

After that, we visited the beach at College Cove, which was (again) so lovely and different from anything I've seen either in the Midwest or on the East Coast.

The best part of today was simply spending time with the family. My niece and nephew are such intelligent, passionate people. I've loved getting to meet them and know them, and I look very forward to watching them continue to grow.

And now for some less-exciting-than-in-days-past-because-most-of-today's-photos-were-of-the-kids-and-I-don't-want-those-on-public-Internet photos.

Fishing buddies from Highway 101 yesterday

Stereotypical redwoods in the sun

Though not a redwood, I thought this mossy tree was pretty personable

Siblings on the beach

Just painting