What a view

I was raised a California girl!  From the time I was three I lived in CA where we enjoyed the water, the mountains, the snow (when we wanted to), camping, hiking, drives in the wine country, shopping trips to San Francisco and all the fresh fruit you could imagine.  BUT for the last almost 20 years, my husband and our kids have lived in the mid-west (where my family is actually from).  We go back to CA three or four times a year to visit family there and we usually drive.  I have to say the trips are much easier since our kids are grown and it's just the two of us traveling.  The sites in our country are amazing but I have to say my favorite trips are the short trips we take throughout the center of our country.  There has never been a trip where the scenery has disappointed me.  The rolling hills, the trees, the manicured landscapes, the lakes (and ponds), and the architecture of the buildings in the small towns and the big cities is amazing.  Green has never looked as green as it does here.  As I sit looking out the back windows, I see pine trees and maple trees (and other trees I have no idea what they are) form a canopy over our backyard and I  feel like I'm in Lake Tahoe.  Man I love our country!!!