Welcome to the Hotel California: 365Project Days 51-57

I don't know if it was the leaving the drab New England winter behind and escaping to sun-drenched California, or just a simple change of scenery, but this past week I was inspired to take many more photos. 

None of that "Shoot, it's almost time for me to go to bed and I haven't taken any photos today." 

Every day inspiration I found inspiration around every corner. And of course, beautiful landscapes against a backdrop of the Pacific Ocean doesn't hurt. Each day it was a challenge to pick just one photo, but I tried to branch out from my love-affair with water views and tried a few others. 

So here you have it, my 365project summary, my week in pictures, as brought to you by the lovely state of California.

February 20, 2013

First stop on the trip: may aunt's home, where she has not one, but two different lemon trees. So of course Sam and I had to make a pitcher of lemonade, cause when do we get to pick lemons in Massachusetts? 

February 21, 2013

Oh man, near my aunt's home were these MASSIVE pinecones. I wanted to fill up a bag to take them home! (Sam insisted that I take just one...boo!)
February 22, 2013

The next stop on our trip was the Google headquarters in Mountain View, to visit a former coworker of Sam's. How cool are these bikes that employees can ride around the Google campus?

February 23, 2013

If there is one thing you need to eat in South America, it's an alfajor, which at its most basic form is dulce de leche sandwhiched between two cookies. Sam and I stayed in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, which made me feel like I was back in South America. You can imagine my glee when I came across my first alfajor that I had seen since leaving South America. Yippee!

February 24, 2013

Why is it that going to a grocery store when you are traveling is so much more interesting than going to one when you are home? Perhaps it's the colorful array of fruits, many of which you do not typically find in one on the East Coast (including my favorite, passion fruit! Seriously, if you ever bring me this tangy fruit or a dessert using it, I will love you forever.)

February 25, 2013

So obviously I needed at least one photo with the ocean in the background, but this is has the slight twist of Sam being backlit by the sun. Pretty cool, eh?
February 26, 2013

Sam and I had a fun-filled day at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The weather was beautiful and there was an incredible array of animals. (The best part was watching the cheetah run, you gotta see if you are ever there.) Between the two of us, we took over 400 photos is a 5-hour span, so of course it was hard to choose just one, but I was just so drawn to this one of the pelican. Just look at that wingspan!