Last spring we went to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, one of the last seaside amusement parks on the West Coast.

A look back at a vacation we took to Monterey last spring.

Sand Harbor is one of the most popular beaches in all of Lake Tahoe. Its remote location, miles away from the casinos on a winding two-lane road, does nothing to stop people from flocking here on warm summer days and filling up the beach. Every fall this is also the home to a Shakespeare festival, with a permanent stage built just a few dozen yards from the water’s edge.

We went to the beach on a chilly day in April, and had the place to ourselves. It was too cold to go in the water (even on the hottest summer day Lake Tahoe never gets very warm), but there was plenty of fun to be had scrambling over the rocks.

From our vacation in February.

Baxter doesn’t spend a lot of time around water, but when he does go he’s like an old pro.

Of course, he wasn’t quick enough to stop two tennis balls from getting swept away in the current. But oh well.

The other day we went down to Riverview Park in east Carson City, a series of trails that meander by the Carson River. While we were there we saw this herd of wild horses on the other side of the river. They didn’t wait around to pose for pictures, but I snapped a few while they were running off.

Sometimes when I’m at work I’ll come out of the door and run face-to-face into a herd of deer. The deer like to hang out in Carson City because there are a lot of green backyards with plenty of flowers and berries. The hills right outside of town are still recovering from a major fire six years ago, and foraging up there can be hard. So the herds come down to town and hang out. You see them in a lot of yards around town, but our yard seems to be a favorite. They come visit at least two or three times a month.

This time when I saw them I slowly backed up and grabbed my camera with a 75-300 lens. Usually they tolerate people pretty well. They spook and run if you get too close but if you keep your distance they’ll only be slightly annoyed. Most of the time it’s a dance where they slowly retreat from me, hopping fences and crossing streets as I chase them around the neighborhood. This time they didn’t go anywhere and I was able to get some good close shots.

Jack decided he was ready to pose for the camera.