I know that some people think that fall in California is a bit of a misnomer, but that's probably because they haven't been up by Bishop and Mammoth Lakes in October.  Aspen trees wash the mountainside in gorgeous colors of gold and orange and there's this cool crispness in the air that tells me it's time for blankets and hot chocolate.  Of course then I come back to LA's sweltering heat and peel off those layers once more... but oh, for a brief moment, a girl can dream.

We caught the tail end of the cherry blossom bloom around Lake Balboa.

These past few months have been quite a blur of events, including celebrating Christmas with my parents for the first time in eight years (yay!).  But in early December we were "Nawlins" bound, which is a fun little city even if you never left the French Quarter (though thankfully we did).

We visited all the standard places like Café Du Monde for their beignets and café au lait, and Bourbon street for its nightlife (as well as its less frenetic, more musically enjoyable counterpart Frenchmen street).  It was also oyster season so we ate chargrilled oysters to our hearts' content.

I also rode a fanboat for the first time, which was actually quite a fun way to explore the swamps.  The ear muffs were dorky but absolutely necessary against the deafening sound (I'm amazed that we didn't scare off every single bit of wildlife for miles around).  We even got to hold a little hatchling, as apparently life is quite challenging for baby alligators so they are sometimes raised to a certain size before being released into the wild.

There are also some truly beautiful plantations in Louisiana.  We got to visit the Laura Plantation (a Creole plantation) and caught a glimpse of the stately Oak Alley Plantation.

And then three days later it was back to Los Angeles, though not without a little hitchhiker in tow.

Several weeks ago I spent a few days in Half Moon Bay, which was a relief from the rash of hot weather  we'd been experiencing in Los Angeles.  We were at the Ritz Carlton for a very worthwhile benefit, but it was also a good time to just get away a little.  I love that Half Moon Bay seems perpetually shrouded in fog.  I hopped on a bike for the first time in seven years, and after a slightly wobbly start we managed to bike all the way down several beaches and back.  But I think I spent most of my time just curled up in an Adirondack chair watching the waves during the day and the glow of the fire pits at night.