Time on the Left Coast

This past weekend I've been in Southern California attending my cousin's wedding with my mother.  I haven't been to this area in January, so i was looking forward to experiencing the relative "climate change" between Minnesota and Southern Cal.  I have say it was quite the difference as these photos show:

Minnesota in January = Frigid

We're not in Minnesota anymore

I eventually got to my destination:

Where the snow go?

I got to my destination in Orange County, but the wedding was in San Diego, over an hour away.  So on Saturday I traveled with my cousins and mom to the wedding.

A view from behind the church

We got there a bit early, a late arriving crowd

Yes, there was a wedding, here's my proof:

After the wedding there was a banquet where we all got cookie cutters.  My mother appreciated them more than I did.

The rest of the week was spent reconnecting with family in the area.  My roots in America started in this area when my father came to CA on the USS Americana in 1946 from China.   I've generally reflected on how the Almighty blessed my father that opportunity to escape the hard life in China to build a successful life in America.  Here's a picture of the his cousins who brought him to this country back in the 1950s:

That man on the right came over on the same boat as my dad

I spend the rest of the weekend in Irvine, CA.  Each morning, I spend some time walking around in the 60 degree weather around a lake behind my cousin's house.

Alas, it's about time to leave SoCal and back to Minnesota.  I'm glad my mother took this trip, not just  for the wedding, but to gain a closer connect to my father's relatives, who she never really knew while my father was alive.    I did tell my relatives I'll be back soon though.

P.S.  Thanks for voting in my poll.  I'll be purchasing my license to Rosetta Stone accordingly.