A Nice Nor'easter Welcome!

Hubby and I really enjoyed our recent vacation. The fact that we got hit by a Nor'easter (a New England term for Blizzard) the moment we got back to Boston made us regret coming home even more. Over two feet of snow were dumped on us. It's like Mother Nature rubbing in reality and saying, "Welcome home, kiddos!" Looking out from your window after a blizzard is quite an experience as every single thing is covered in this nice, white, fluffy snow. It makes you want to go out and make snowangels and snowmen. Having to dig your way out afterwards, however, is not a pleasant experience. All this typical northeastern weather made us revisit our fresh San Francisco memories again and again.

Each time I go to San Francisco, it just affirms my predilection for it over any other city in the United States. We had a great time in the city and seeing the sites around it, as well. We did the usual, Union Square, Coit Tower, Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square. We had a nightcap at buzzling University Avenue in Palo Alto, dinner and coffee in Cupertino (Apple's headquarters) in South Bay, and walked through the streets on the coast of Sausalito. We went to Monterey to see its breathtaking shoreline along the 17-Mile Drive, all the way to Carmel-by-the-Sea. The seascape was made all the more captivating as it was lined with different rock formations and countless Cypress Trees. We even spotted a whale frolicking in the distant waters, spouting water high into the air from its blowhole. It's the kind of sight that makes you glad to be alive.

We also made sure we visited Muir Woods, a national monument where you can find California Redwoods and Sequoias. We wandered inside the forest preserve in awe as we saw huge redwoods that were as wide as we were tall. Some trees were so huge that you can camp in a hollow part of its trunk. There was a cluster of trees where they commemorated the creation of the United Nations, and even ones that dated back to the American Revolution. Just thinking about that made us feel so finite. These trees have been there hundreds of years before we were born, and will remain there long after we die. They have witnessed events that we only read about in books. They have gone through the changes this world constantly brings upon its inhabitants. I imagined the different generations of people that have walked under its branches, whether to camp, to forage and hunt, or to pass through on their way to some distant destination. And here we were in the new year of 2005, walking the same paths those people of old walked. What an indescribable feeling that is. Even nicer that I have the company of Hubby who shares the same appreciation for such things. I love traveling with him.

Uh-oh, the weather forecast predicts another snowstorm. Back to my cold reality!