California

A few years ago my family and I vacationed on the west coast in California. My cousin was getting married in Pasadena, California, which is right next to the Pacific Ocean, and my whole family was going to be there. My little sister and I were in the wedding and we were both very excited, since we had never been to California.

After taking a five hour flight to California, I stepped off of the plane and was greeted by the warm sun at the outside California airport. As we hopped into the rental car and sped down the highway with the windows down, a warm salty breeze blew in my face. We arrived at our hotel and were greeted by multiple family members that were also staying at the hotel. Between the wedding and all of the activities in California, my family and I were never bored.

The first part of our week long vacation in California consisted of lunches with my family, doing last minute wedding details, parties, and the wedding. We spent a lot of time with family and close friends during this part of the vacation. It was fun to spend time with a lot of my cousins and we were able to catch up with everyone. The wedding took place in the late afternoon of a warm and sunny August day. It was outside in a little garden, which was right down the road to the beach. There were different colored flowers everywhere, green vines along a stone backdrop, and a little stone pond with various colored fish. After the wedding we went inside this little two-story white building that was right behind the garden. It was the perfect place to get married. After the wedding most of my family members went home, but my parents, sister, and I spent a few extra days.

Our first day trip was to the California beaches after everyone went home. I had never been in the Pacific Ocean and the water was a little cold, but it felt refreshing in the hot sun. The waves were rough and the beach was crowded, but it was an enjoyable day. It was hot and sunny that day, as it had been all week, and it was nice to sit on the warm sand and stare out at the ocean. That day we also went shopping in all of the shops that were right down the street from the ocean. There were all different kinds of stores that lined the streets including clothing stores, restaurants, shoe stores, and many other kinds of stores.


One of the beaches we got to visit while we were in California was the famous Manhattan Beach, which is seen in many movies and TV shows. We did not go swimming in the ocean, but we did get to walk down the pier that goes out over the ocean. The wind was blowing and it got a little cold, but the view from the pier was amazing. There were a lot of people on the pier, some were walking while others were fishing. At the end of the board walk there was a little aquarium that I vaguely remember. It was small, but it had a lot of different kinds of fish and other sea life that lives in the Pacific Ocean.

Another day we took a day trip to Disneyland, which is one of the many theme parks in California. It was just like going to Disney World in Florida when my sister and I were really little, but this time we could go on a lot more rides. We got there early in the morning and left late into the night so that we had plenty of time to go on rides. One of the other places that I have heard is great, but I did not get to go there, is the San Diego Zoo. It is one of the largest zoos and is home to a huge variety of animals. This zoo is also the home of the giant panda, which is not at many zoos. Other theme parks that are popular for families to visit when they go to California include Lego Land, Sea Word, and various water parks. California has a lot of places to go and keep all types of families entertained.

When it was time to go home, I was sad to leave after an amazing vacation. Between the remarkable wedding and all of the incredible day trips my family took, it turned out to be a wonderful vacation. Spending time with my whole family at the beginning of the vacation made the vacation more memorable and fun. I never get to spend time with my whole family at once and it was nice to spend part of my vacation with them. While in California, I also got to visit a lot of new places that I had never been before and with so much variety, there are still places that I wish to someday visit. Every time I vacation with my whole family, I find myself having a much more memorable and exciting time. When taking vacations, make sure that you pick somewhere that is new and exciting. Then make sure that you spend it with family and friends, it makes the vacation unforgettable and you get to spend time with them.

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Summer in New Hampshire

During the summer, my favorite place to go on vacation is my family's summerhouse in New Hampshire. My family has a small and simple summer house on the edge of a little lake known as Silver Lake. The lake sparkles in the hot, summer sun and there is a view of the green mountains that circle the area. There are trees that surround all of the houses, both big and small. It is always quiet and peaceful on this lake, with the exception of the motor boats driving around the lake. Silver Lake is a perfect vacation spot, where I can relax and have fun.

When I go on vacation in New Hampshire, I am constantly doing many different activities. Since my grandmother will not allow a television at our summer house, I am always outside during the day and partway into the night. Whether I am sitting around reading a good book on the hammock, swimming in the lake, or playing games with my family on the deck, I am always outside enjoying the beautiful summer weather. If there happens to be rain, my family and I sit inside talking, playing a game, or reading books. I am always relaxed and content when I am at my summer house. The vacation always seems to go by very quickly.

One of my favorite activities at my family summer house is spending time on the motor boat that my uncle owns. I often get to go tubing and waterskiing when we go out on the boat. It is a thrill to soar over the waves when tubing, the spray from the cool water hitting up against the person. My dad and uncles always try to flip the person that is tubing by taking them over gigantic waves and taking sharp turns. Most of the time, I find myself in the water by the end of the ride instead of safely on the inner tube. Waterskiing is also another fun activity that I am able to do when I go to New Hampshire. It is a lot of fun to glide across the water, feeling as if you are flying across the lake. My family also owns a rowboat and canoe, both in which we use to travel to the tiny island across the lake.

On all of the hot summer days in New Hampshire, my sister and I spend most of our time in the water. The summer house is so simple that there is not air conditioning, only a few measly fans. With the combination of the cool breeze from all of the trees surrounding the lake and the refreshing lake, my family is able to stay cool even on the hottest days when the temperature nears one hundred. I would lie on an inner tube all day under the hot sun if I could. My sister and I also enjoy swimming out to a wooden float and jumping into the water.

Even though it is nice to simply relax by the lake, we also take trips to other places. For the last few years our trips have consisted up going up mountains and going shopping in North Conway, a town in New Hampshire that is only about forty-five minutes away from our summer house. When my sister and I were younger, my parents would take us to Storyland. Storyland is an amusement park for younger children, which is based on kid's stories and nurseries rhymes such as Cinderella, The Three Bears, and The Little Old Lady Who Lived in the Shoe. All of my older cousins who are in there 20's and 30's went to Storyland when they were younger, and some of them took my sister and I there as well. We would visit the little old lady in her big yellow shoe, get our pictures taken with Cinderella, ride the Pirate ship, and go on all of the rides. As we have both gotten older, we stopped going to Storyland and started to go on other trips, which suited our age. We mostly go shopping to all of the stores in the surrounding towns, but occasionally we will go to other parks such as Atatash. Atatash is a small park that has a few water slides, a rock wall, and the Alpine Slide, which is a ride in which people sit on individual carts and ride down the mountain on the tracks.

Whether I am at my summer house in New Hampshire or out on a day trip I am constantly relaxed and having a good time. From not having a television in New Hampshire or a computer to amuse me, I have been able to see that a person can enjoy themselves with out materialistic things. Just sitting down and relaxing amuses me for a few weeks during the summer. Our summer house also lets me spend time with most of my family. New Hampshire can be an amazing place to go on vacation. Even if there is not a lake available, there are many places that people can go and they have a large variety of activities. Book a hotel or cabin and experience all that New Hampshire has to offer. People can swim in a hotel pool or in a lake; they can rent canoes or kayaks and go to a lake to use them; or they can go to any of the amusement parks that are all over New Hampshire. All different kinds of vacations should be experienced, and this is one a person definitely does not want to miss.

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