Saturday, July 21, 2012

The Wandering Summer: Venice Beach







Wandering: Summer 2012

On July 13 I quit my job (yes I put in my two weeks notice, jeez) and hopped a flight to the mainland. I will be away from Hawaii for over a month, starting in California, then to Vegas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and finally Vancouver for a Chondrythian conference. It all started out as a two week family vacation to California. When I found my dad was going to Indiana to visit his side of the family following our Cali venture, I decided to tag along. I haven't seen my grandparents in almost four years so I'm way past due. And they have no idea I'm coming. From there I'll be visiting my sister and her family in Dillsburg, PA. And to top it off I'll head to Canada to give a talk at a conference on deep sea sharks, skates, and rays. So this summer I'll be wandering.


 The California leg of the trip is already in full swing, so let me introduce you to the characters:

1) The Mom (Kiki) - planned this whole trip. Excites easily, and stresses way too much.
2) The Dad (Gramps) - just along for the ride. Cheesy and laid back.
3) The Younger Siblings - A younger sister (17), my dad in teenage girl form. A younger brother (20), thinks he's awesome. Dropped off the map about a year ago. This will be the first time the family's seen him in a while.
4) The Older Sister - happy and care-free. Lives in PA with her husband and two daughters. Basically awesome.
4) The Brother-in-Law - older sister's husband. Funny and outgoing. Kinda cheesy too.
5) The Girlfriend - Younger brother's gf. Knows what she likes and isn't shy to share it.
6) The Nieces - 5 and 8. The 5 year old is wild and hilarious, gets into lots of trouble. The 8 year old is smart and she knows it.

And finally there's me. I'm not nearly self-centered enough to describe myself, so I won't.

We touched down in LA on the 14th and headed to our first stop, Venice Beach. And the strange ramblings begin....