Forever Summer: Part One Of A Three-Part Series

I know I've kept everyone waiting, but I'm finally back. Since summing up seems to be in order, we're going to just hit a few major stories, in perhaps more than one entry. The first thing is that we went to California around my 9-month birthday, and I got to see a bunch of grandparents again that I'm not sure I remembered.

We went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, which was pretty awesome. And exhausting. Even though I TOLD them, mom and dad didn't have the foresight to bring my stroller on the trip, and the one that they rented at the park was a bit... uncomfortable. As in, I cried whenever I was sitting still in it, but then I fell asleep.

But lemme tell ya, lots of cool animals. I'm pretty sure I liked those colorful birds that go completely bat-snot-crazy when you feed them. Although, they didn't like me much. I might find some pictures of it some time soon, so stay tuned.

We didn't get to stay long, but we did hit my great grandma and grandpa's house in Murietta on the way back to Arizona. Here's me in the living room, telling a funny joke, I guess:


And shuffling around on the floor:



I was also highly interested in the grandfather clock that's been there since before my dad can remember:


And a very small chair that my great-grandma got in T.J. (Tijuana, Mexico, for those of you not from a southwest border state) when she was five:

That's me inspecting a container of my favorite cereal, thinking, "Man, five years old. That's WAY old."


Now, this next part is kah-razy. My more faithful readers will recall the contest that took place a few months ago, to decide which of my close relatives resembled me the most as a baby. Initially, we thought it was my uncle Owen, who actually ended up losing the contest by virtue of being in Cana-duh. However, we may have to have a recount:


No, that's not a picture of me and some girl, that's my dad and his cousin, some time in the autumn of 1984. I know what you're thinking: he had more hair than me. This is true. The baldness shows no mercy.

They also had a very old, awesome car living at their house that would probably be a death trap on the highway, but was no less cool because of this. I'm used to something with about 14 more wheels, though:


That's all for now, but here's one teaser picture for the next entry:


The answer to the book's query? (In case you can't see it, the book is called Who Pooped In The Sonoran Desert?) It was me. Quite a number of times, if memory serves.