Cabin fever: the road from Manteca to Sonora.

I've always been attracted to the tawny golden hills in California. I'm sure I'm not the first person to compare them to the color of a lion's fur, but that's what I think of every time.

The route to the cabin leads from the Bay Area, through the northern end of the Central Valley, and into the Sierra foothills, just about an hour north of Yosemite. We drove through at sunset, and it couldn't have been more picturesque. The light was absolutely golden.

All these pictures were taken out of the car window at 70 mph. Just think of what you could do with a tripod and a more sophisticated camera.

This last one is my favorite. It makes a great desktop background.

Cabin fever: the lake.

Last weekend's trip to the cabin was pretty fun. No ghosts, no humidity--two notable ingredients in a good vacation. The weather was gorgeous for the lake and some jet skiing (with mixed results).

Our friends Tekla and Jennifer came with us, and we all enjoyed the dry air, eating outside, and two, yes, two trips to In-N-Out.

Me, Chris, Emily, Tekla, and Jennifer preparing for a day on the lake

Chris and Tekla on the boat

Kristin and Emily ride the jet ski

Dad, suiting up for his turn on the jet ski after helming the boat all afternoon

Emily, Jennifer, Kristin's boyfriend Bryan, Tekla, and Kristin

Me and Chis on the little island "campsite"

Chris on the jet ski

Turns out, riding a jet ski is very much like riding a motorcycle: lots of balance needed, constant fear of tipping over, an overwhelming sense that you're about to be hit by something bigger at any moment. I kinda felt the same about driving the jet ski as I did the mini-bikes that my dad made us ride at my grandparents' house growing up. I didn't want to, but I also didn't want to be the only one not doing it. And I was uncomfortable the whole time, both times. The picture above of Chris was taken after the jet ski--later found to be faulty, and which broke down the next day--threw Chris and his glasses into the lake. Only one of them emerged.