After Southern California and Disneyland, the three of us drove up the coast, spending a few nights relaxing in a little rental house in the forested hills above Santa Cruz:
We visited the big redwoods:
The weather was abnormally warm then, so we went to the Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk both afternoons. Wet sand and surf is Loki's favorite activity in the world:
From there, we went on to San Francisco where we stayed at Margaret's house:
At Ghirardelli Square, we had to argue with Loki to get him to eat a banana split:
We visited the Alta Bates NICU, where Loki spent his first three months as a preemie. All the nurses, doctors, and staff were very excited to see him:
Loki played with many friends, although unfortunately in each case we had to say goodbye sooner than we wanted. He played at the beach with Anna, who gave him a swimsuit:
In the East Bay, we stayed with a friend of Mom's, who has twins just a year older than Loki. Although they played a lot, we did not get a good photo:
We visited my long, long-term friend Luna and her two daughters. They got dirty:
Loki has always had a special connection with Foxen, who was in the Alta Bates NICU with Loki. When Foxen first saw Loki, he ran up and gave a surprised Loki a hug and said, "Loki, I've missed you so much!" (Great photos from Foxen's dad):
