All the little things I love about my California

[helena]

Does anyone else love their state, region, town, whatever like I love my beautiful California? Tell me all the little lovely things that add up to good memories, and a place to belong to. I've done most of my traveling out of the states, but I recently took an amazing trip to the east coast. On the way home all I could think of was Joni Mitchells 'California' and 'Ladies of the Canyon'. I've since found myself compiling a list of the things, sounds, smells, places. First and foremost I think of my father, walking through the hills, cutting cactus for dinner, and fishing off the rocks in Laguna. I love the smell of sage. I love everybody I've ever seen perform at the Hollywood Bowl especially Van Morrison, under the stars. I love the redwoods, and San Francisco. I love old photographs of Orange County. I love that my grandpa has stories about the zoot suit riots. I love Pepper trees and oaks along canyon roads. I love my memories of walking home from the beach and smelling my moms beans cooking from down the road. The beach, all day, every day, salty kisses, blackened tofu tacos. Late warm nights with friends. I love that my husband and I have similar childhoods of young parents in the 70's and we both remember waiting for our parents to come home from The Golden Bear, a club where all kinds of great musicians used to play. I love Santa Ana winds, seeing Disneyland fireworks from your backyard and the smell of orange blossoms in the summer.

I really could go on and on. I know that probably nobody here has ever heard of the Golden Bear or knows Santa Ana winds, thats not the point. It's the general magic of it all when it's all put together. Please Please share with me. Tell me if you share this kind of affection.

[Ibbygirl]

I always feel funny talking about my love for my state because so many people hate it here, but nevertheless I am a proud Floridian. :) For all of it's overcrowdedness, problems, weather etc. etc. I have so many places that I love in this state and it has features that are unique in the world. The Floridan aquifer runs under the entire state of Florida and up into GA and part of the Carolinas I believe and is one of the most productive aquifers in the world. There was a program on our local public television station that I saw a few years back with scientists who were scuba diving all through the caverns and caves of the aquifer, testing the water as well as exploring, while a team on land was monitoring their position with a tracking device. They had underwater video cameras and they showed a perfectly preserved mastodon that they found in one of the underwater caves. It had fallen in at some point. Wild!

 

We used to have beautiful fresh water springs that I loved to swim in when I was a kid, but I went back recently after many years and they have drastically changed due to people, pollution etc. We used to have some beautiful reefs that I dove when also I was a kid but a lot of them are in distress or have died from ship wrecks and pollution. This state has a lot of problems and environmentally it is a state in distress, but I remember how it used to be and that is the Florida I fell in love with.

 

There is a particular beach that is up by Kennedy Space Center that is a wildlife preserve. No people are allowed on this beach, in fact it is all chained off, but I could see through the chains crystal clear waters all the way to the bottom. It is still one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen in my life.

 

I love St. Augustine. The light in that city reminds me of a pastel painting. It is just so beautiful. It just glows at sunset like a jewel.

 

I love the sunsets in Naples and the seashell hunting too. :)

 

I love to go to "my" beach at night and sit on the shore and watch the waves. It is like therapy for my soul. I love that I can swim in the ocean in summer and it's like taking a bath it's so warm. I love that the winters are so mild (I really don't do well in the cold). I love that we have such a diversity of life here from land to marine animals and I love that we are a popular nesting ground for sea turtles. Oh and fishing!! I love fishing. :)

 

I wish that I could go back in time and see what Florida looked like before it got all messed up, but there is still enough beauty left that I still love my state even if that beauty one day might be completely gone. It is my home, the only home I've ever known and it will always have my heart for better or worse. :)

Edited July 7, 2009 by Ibbygirl
Can't spell

[creekland]

Pennsylvania is my adopted state having grown up mostly in upstate NY (Canadian border - St Lawrence River Valley) and some in Florida (Boca Raton). Then hubby and I have lived in VA, RI, and St. Pete, FL. We've also traveled to every other state except AK.

 

We chose to live in South Central PA because it's simply beautiful here - naturally green grass, rolling hills leading into the Appalachian mountains, fields for crops and animals, 4 seasons, but not rough in any of them. We're in the country, but close enough to cities to enjoy them for a day or two. When we travel it's easy to get from here to almost anywhere. PA doesn't seem to difficult to live in with regards to taxes, home business, or homeschooling - three things we need. Sure there are places that could be easier in one thing or another, but we haven't cared for them as much when we've traveled. For that matter, we haven't cared for the more restrictive places either.

 

The only other state that has been tempting to move to has been Hawaii... but it's way too expensive for us to live there. We'd be able to sell the farm we have here and get a condo there - hardly a good replacement! Every day when I go outside I simply love our view and the peacefulness of the setting...

 

I'm a big proponent that everyone should like where they live - if not - they ought to very seriously consider moving. Life is too short to be complaining about the things that can change...

[Snickerdoodle]

I know the Santa Ana winds.

 

I miss the smell of sage and the dry, dusty, golden mountain chaparral of California.

 

Wet, humid and green summers don't do it for me.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I have grown into love with my little town/county. The air is always fresh and sweet smelling, except when a pig truck rolls by. :-). The people are friendly. It retains its small town, rural, atmosphere in the face of rising attempts at encroachment. Everywhere you look is green. There are still family farms, u-pick farms, and roadside stands. Low crime, law enforcement knows its citzens, town council members have to look their neighbors in the eye every day.

[TravelingChris]

It is so hard for me when people talk about their favorite states or places. I have a love for so many places. I love CA, FL, NM, VA and Belgium. I even miss things about OH. I only spent four months in GA and three in AL but love it there too. I always figure that when you move so much, you either find great things about each place or stay miserable. I choose to find the unique things about everywhere.

[lynn]

New England is absolutely beautiful and imho the most perfect area to live with perfect 4 seasons and driving through the most picturesque places I have ever seen. Breathe taking simply breathe taking. So many memories so little time.

[KingM]

Vermont:

 

Ben and Jerry's, country stores, fall foliage, skiing, no summer heat, no billboards, strip malls, or endless subdivisions. Normal Rockwell, White Christmas, and Newhart. Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains.

 

Artisanal cheese, chocolate, and cider. Stowe, Woodstock, Montpelier.

 

There's a reason they say that Vermont is every American's second home state. :patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot:

[lionfamily1999]

I am very proud of where I live. Historically, we're pretty signifigant (not that many know of us). I love the trees, I love the old families that have been here forever. I love that the local grocery store will still give you groceries on credit and the owner has been known to run off with fussy kids so they could find a 'present' to reward them for being so precious. I love the river, even after DC has dumped tons of sewage into it. I love all the ponds and lakes and creeks. I love the state park with its miles of trails and especially fossil beach. I love the cliffs. I love the fact that my kids (and most of the folks who live here), feel like George Washington is THEIRS and we only shared him with the rest of the country. I love that you can drive from one end of our county to the other in a little over an hour and see the landscape change from riverfront to tidewater. I love the Coke bottling place in Montross. I love Northern Neck Gingerale (and refuse to drink any of the stinky competitors, except Carver's). I love that I can walk into the local restaraunts, see tables full of people I've known since I "was knee high to a grasshopper," sit down and eat at any of their tables and have wonderful conversations. I love that these people can tell my kids what a sweety I was as a child :)

 

I could go on....... but that's enough already ;)

[patchfire]

I love Georgia. When we travel, the first sight of red clay on the side of the highway brings me great joy. When we come home from south of Atlanta, I love to see the "pencil building." When we come home from north of the city, I love that moment when lanes start adding on to the highway... yes, I know that's weird!

 

I love traveling in the rural parts of Georgia and see the gorgeousness of the land. It's nearly always green. I love the piles of watermelons and cantaloupes this time of year. I love the warm weather that prevails most of the year. I love that I can drive from the Appalachians to the beach in a day, and in between I could take in a professional sporting event or any number of cultural events in a major city. I like to see all the small reminders of the Olympics around the city of Atlanta.

 

I love that there's no other place I'd want to live.

[lynn]

Vermont:

 

Ben and Jerry's, country stores, fall foliage, skiing, no summer heat, no billboards, strip malls, or endless subdivisions. Normal Rockwell, White Christmas, and Newhart. Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains.

 

Artisanal cheese, chocolate, and cider. Stowe, Woodstock, Montpelier.

 

There's a reason they say that Vermont is every American's second home state. :patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot::patriot:

 

:iagree::iagree: Love driving up the vt 100, We make a day of it, we hit the cider mill, cabot cheese then ben and Jerry's.

[i.love.lucy]

I'm from CA originally and will always love those golden hills with the lone oak trees, the beautiful city of San Francisco (IMO the most beautiful city in the US), the smell of salt and fish down in Sausalito, the fog rolling into Bodega Bay - rolling over the hills like a smoky blanket. I miss the little record store and other shops of Marin. I miss our family ranch, long since sold with the creek where my brother and I used to find orange-bellied salamanders and climb trees all day. *sigh*

 

Then I lived in TN and I loved it there! The seasons, the autumn color, the rolling hills and countryside was breathtaking.

 

I've visited and could live in: New England, Florida, Arizona, Oregon, Hawaii, and many many other beautiful places.

 

I now live in TEXAS and love it here. Where else can you live that it can take 8 hours of driving just to get out of your state! I love that on one side of Texas there are mountains and canyons to rival the Grand Canyon, in the middle there are vast prairies of grazing cattle, rolling hills of lush green and riots of wildflowers, and on the other side of the state there is tall tall pines and red clay. I've never before lived someplace where the natives to the state have such a pride and unique "culture" of their own.

 

I agree with the pp, there is something to love about every place you live, you just have to find it!

[Karen sn]

.....I am a proud Floridian. :)

.........I have so many places that I love in this state and it has features that are unique in the world.

......They had underwater video cameras and they showed a perfectly preserved mastodon that they found in one of the underwater caves. It had fallen in at some point. Wild!

 

 

I love to go to "my" beach at night and sit on the shore and watch the waves. It is like therapy for my soul. I love that I can swim in the ocean in summer and it's like taking a bath it's so warm. I love that the winters are so mild (I really don't do well in the cold). I love that we have such a diversity of life here from land to marine animals and I love that we are a popular nesting ground for sea turtles. Oh and fishing!! I love fishing. :)

 

I wish that I could go back in time and see what Florida looked like before it got all messed up, but there is still enough beauty left that I still love my state even if that beauty one day might be completely gone. It is my home, the only home I've ever known and it will always have my heart for better or worse. :)

 

I too love Florida. And I was born in California and never wanted to leave.

So I love these posts from you both. Thank you.

 

I love the old Florida with Sabal Palms, pines, palmetto bushes, and the ocassional Oak.

The Indian River Lagoon and the old pineapple plantations. The Savannahs, the great blue herons, sandhill cranes, and cattle birds.

The sunset or sunrise over a small prarie or pasture. A view of the sky for miles against the green of the scrub forests and pines.

A blackened sky of ominous clounds, a wind that picks up and smells of rain about to fall. The rumble of thunder as it gets there. And the crash of lightning in the open field behind the house....so close it shakes the house you swear and you jump onto a couch so as to avoid feet touching the floor.

(Anyone else do that? Jump off the floor when a good crash of lightning hits CLOSE .)

 

The Atlantic Ocean is the most fun place in the world. I have snorkled the most amazing reefs and I have swam with dolphin and manatees - and let me tell ya, manatees are nothing more than water dogs.

 

As a mermaid, I am lost without my ocean.

And I know what you mean about your beach.

The smell of the salty air, the feel of the sun kissing your face.

The sound of the waves gently crashing onto the shore....this to me is heaven.

It is everything I need and what I miss most.

 

I realized the other day that when I was "poor" (in nursing school and living the trailer park from hell so I could afford to send dd to a Montessori school) I was actually an optimistic and happy person. And that's because my beach was LITERALLY 10 minutes ROUND TRIP from the tailer. A hot sun and really salty ocean for 2 hours followed by a cold refreshing shower is awesome.

 

I felt alive.

 

My bf actually said to me the other day, "You're one of those people who enjoy the cold showers at the beach" and when he said it - I remembered years ago....standing in the beach shower, looking at my watch, and I was tan and refreshed and *alive* standing in the fresh cold water washing off the salt and sun and pounding cold throughout my hair. And I feel so clean after the beach. I don't need to take a shower again at home. I think the salt cleans my hair and then the hard shower after really washes it away. And the sand exfoliates my skin. Not washing off the oils and the Vitamin D is what makes one healthy.

 

Thank you both for this post. Awesome.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Karen sn

[lamarley]

It's so nice to be in love with the state you live in!

 

I'm wondering if we grew up down the street from each other, LOL! I have fond memories of watching Disneyland fireworks from our Garden Grove rooftop in the 70's.

 

I had a wonderful childhood growing up in Orange County, but as an adult, I no longer wanted to live there. A few years ago we were finally able to move to my beautiful, adopted state Louisiana. I love it here!! The homes, the history, the culture.

 

All of my relatives remain in California, so I still get to go to Disneyland when I visit :).

[Ibbygirl]

I too love Florida. And I was born in California and never wanted to leave.

So I love these posts from you both. Thank you.

 

 

No. Thank YOU!! :grouphug: It's so nice to hear my state called something other than a "hell hole" hehehehehe. I forgot to mention the pine trees. I love them too and the sounds of the tree frogs living in them. Man! That takes me back to my childhood! The neighborhood I lived in in Ft. Lauderdale had a big clump of pine trees that bordered our house. They were laden with tree frogs. I too love the storms. I know they are scary for some, but I love water of all kinds and after the lightning and thunder quiet down and the storm starts to die out, to me that is perfect napping weather, with the cool breeze, the sound of the rain... ah beautiful. I also love that the rain is warm. My mom lives in North GA and when it rains there the temperature changes drastically. I have to go and get a sweater when it rains at her house. hehe

 

I love the Atlantic too. So many reefs, good fishing, boogie boarding, boating, etc.

 

I live not 2 miles from "my" beach and it is a great comfort to know that it is so near. If I ever have to move away, that is what I will miss the most. The ocean and the sunsets. sigh.

[helena]

Thank you for all the beautiful responses. I was so moved by our recent trip to the east coast. I can't wait to go back! You have such a rich history. Driving through places like Virginia and seeing random historical battlefield sites, or the homes of historically significant americans, I couldn't stop thinking about all the kids who grew up down the street from such places.

It must have fueled some kind of adventure!

[Nicole not in CA]

I'm with you, I love California and really miss living there. I'm really hoping that we'll end up back there someday. Even though I grew up in the midwest, it is very much "home" to our family after living there for several years. It is the place that we enjoy the most and feel like we fit the most.