It's been over a year since we've lived in California and it's no secret that I haven't exactly loved every minute of being 3,000 miles away from my family and home. But, that is not to say that there aren't a few things that I do enjoy about the California life. Since at this point we have no idea where we will be a year from now, I figured I need to start focusing on the positive things about living here... So, here are my Top 5 favorite things about living in California.
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| Top 5 Favorite Things! |
1) The Weather.
All the leaves are brown,
And the sky is gray,
California Dreamin'
On such a winter's day!
Yep.. that song really does sum up the difference between PA and CA. During the gray, cold days that make up the winter months in PA, central California has moderate temps and rain, which means that it is one of our greenest times of the year. The rest of the year, we get the 'golden hills' because of too much sun... but it's because of too much sun. I can't really complain with that. We have no snow or ice where I'm at, but if you wanted to go see snow, you can drive 3 hours and wah-lah! Snow!
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| At the sunny, beautiful beach in April! |
2) The Landscape.
Speaking of driving 3 hours to see snow... that snow is capping the Sierra Nevada mountains. Mountains that look over beautiful Lake Tahoe, or make up the face of Half Dome, or that glitter at night with climbers making their way up El Capitan in Yosemite. And the snow? It melts down into the breath-taking Bridal Veil Falls and feed to Lake Helen in Lassen National Park. If you prefer ocean over mountains, you can drive 1 hour the opposite direction from us and see blue waves crashing against pristine beaches and cliffs covered with flowers.
And the best part, we don't HAVE to drive for hours to enjoy the beautiful views... this is the view from our favorite local hiking spot:
3) The Drinking.
You can buy beer anywhere that sells water. And wine. And liquor. No separate stores. Although that should be enough right there, to top it off - alcohol is cheaper. And, you can drink in public - at street fairs, festivals, parades, etc. You can even drink in public parks and on the beach!
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4) The Activities.
As if the all the drinking, gorgeous scenery and beautiful weather were not enough, there is always something going on. Whether it's an Arts Festival, Farmer's Market, exploring a new city or visiting a new museum... it's hard to be "bored" in California. Part of that is due to a shift in perspective and priorities. Something about being somewhere new makes you want to get out and see it... if you didn't grow up with it "right there" and you don't know how long you'll be somewhere to take advantage of it, it's that much more intriguing and motivating. Some of our other favorite activities:
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| Skipping rocks at a a nearby lake |
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| Playing in the fountains - one of Andrew's favorite activities! |
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| The slides at any of the 8 parks in our community are one of Andrew's other favorite activities! |
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| Playing in the sand at the beach - one of Mike's favorite activities! ;) |
5) The Happy People.
See 1-4. Wouldn't you be happy to? :)
