Driving home through California’s Central Valley is always a little depressing, especially after the Christmas holidays. For one thing, I hate leaving the Bay Area, because I still think of it as home. Also, the valley is boring… and long… and you have to drive through L.A. after it.

My wife flew home early for some work stuff, but my younger daughter, Mollie, and I managed to make it out of the Bay Area and into the valley in time to watch the sun rise. Oh, and, thanks to a gift certificate to a hard-to-find-music music store given to me by one of my brothers, Mollie and I had fun picking out some CDs to listen to on the long, 8-hour drive… that’s with no traffic… which never happens in L.A.

So all though the valley, and up the Grapevine, the highway that climbs the mountains just North of L.A., we were groovin’ to the best of Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and Little Feat. Oh, and also Greenday, which she picked out, and which I sort of like… considering that I am a musical dinosaur… but I do introduce my kids to the classics.

We always get excited when there is snow on the Grapevine. As civilized people living in San Diego, we keep our snow close enough to visit, but not right where we live… the same reason they keep lions and tigers in a zoo… you know, so you can drive a little ways and see it, but it doesn’t try to kill you right outside your door.

See… free-range snow… in its native environment…

Okay, this isn’t really the end of our trip to the Bay Area. I have been saving the best for last. I haven’t showed you what I got for Christmas yet… and, just so you know, I am going to put on a fashion show for you… so be prepared.