Laguna Beach has some of my favorites beaches in all of California, if not the world. From the great scuba diving at Shaw's Cove to the sea caves at Thousand Steps beach to the castle tower at Victoria beach, there is so much to explore. Whether you are looking to capture a beautiful sunset or hang out with friends on the beach, make sure to do it in Laguna Beach.

Shaw's Cove in Laguna Beach is a small, beautiful cove that is popular with scuba dive classes for doing the PADI open water checkout dive. I always joke that the cove was named after me but it has been around longer than I have. However, it is where I did my checkout dives in May 2014, when I got scuba certified. It is also where Amanda had her first experience scuba diving in the open ocean.

The iconic Santa Monica Pier is a beauty no matter the time of day but sunset provides a great opportunity for some long exposure photography. The pier is home to Pacific Park, a small amusement park that includes, among other things, a roller coaster and ferris wheel. The ferris wheel is lit up with various light patterns that create beautiful designs during a long exposure photo.

Marin County is a beautiful stretch of land that is situated just north of San Francisco in northern California. From the north side of the Golden Gate to Bodega Bay, including Point Reyes National Seashore, Mt. Tamalpais and so many other must-see places, Marin County should be on everyone's list of must-visit places.

Point Reyes National Seashore is one of the most beautiful places that you will find on the west coast, if not the world. On the all-star list of spots in Point Reyes, Alamere Falls tops the list and is one of my personal all-time favorites. Though it is quite a hike to get to, it is well worth the walk. The reward is a waterfall that ends on a beautiful deserted beach - Alamere Falls.

Our first trip to Napa Valley was over Thanksgiving weekend and the autumn colors made the trip that much more spectacular! Even though we had done our research in advance, all of the hills and wineries were filled with yellows and oranges and reds which made it hard to decide where to stop. Amanda loves wines and generated an agenda based upon the different wineries that she wanted to visit. My agenda was based upon taking photos throughout the colorful region.

We spent a cold and rainy Black Friday in San Francisco this year. Having been to San Francisco many times now, this was the first time that I had the chance to see it while raining. Despite the weather, we found plenty of ways to see the sights that we wanted to see while staying warm and dry, relatively. It was actually nice not having crowds of people everywhere we went.

Amtrak's Coast Starlight is a train adventure that runs the west coast of the United States, from Los Angeles to Seattle.  While train travel has lost a lot of its popularity due to the reduction in cost and increased convenience of air travel, it can still be a lot of fun to experience.  The Coast Starlight is one of the most scenic routes that Amtrak offers.  We decided to make the trip from Los Angeles to Oakland (San Francisco) over the Thanksgiving weekend aboard the Coast Starlight.