Ouch, July and August are harsh times to visit Phoenix and San Diego. Bet you were miserable. I dearly love both cities but after living in Oregon for so long I must visit in cooler months. If the fish is missing with no disturbance of plants and no scales or bones laying around it was likely a bird. Heron or kingfisher. Raccoons make a mess like a tornado and cats aren't very likely to actually catch a fish and if they do they often just play with it rather than eat it so you find evidence. Birds scoop them up and swallow them whole. Hope the Scarecrow does the trick for you. Easier to transplant tadpoles in spring than adult frogs to have them stick around anyway. Adults tend to leave.

This is maybe a form of Aloe jucunda... though twice the size of all the others.. but too small to be Aloe hemmingii... any thoughts? Aloe lineata Aloe meyeri... these hang off cliff faces in the wild, but I have no cliffs in my yard... so grows like a normal aloe for me Aloe monotropa is 'falling' out of pot... perhaps this is a cliff face hanger in the wild, too? One of my favorite tree aloes- Aloe munchii Aloe ngongensis... flowered already 3x this year.. .not a member of the winter-flowering-group Aloe pillansii.. .recovered after bout of 'too much water in summer' this last summer... all leaves sagged and was very unhappy looking... but recovering now, and now it does want to be rained on Until this plant, I have not been able to keep Aloe polyphylla alive... but got this one high off the ground in a shady spot and it has done well for three years now... very afraid to move it! Aloe powysiorum... split in two last year... outgrowin location, too Aloe rubroviolacea flower coming along this week... another great, reliable species Aloe shadensis... slow Aloe speciosa just moved to spot along street (no more room anywhere else) Aloe succotrina... another plant my mysterious neighbor has decided to hack leaves off of, presumably for the purpose of using the juices for medicinal reasons.. .this particular species produces a brilliant lime green juice that quickly turns a dark purple... wonder if it's safe... Aloe tenuoir... always seems to be flowering (at least whenever it's cool) Aloe troroana about to have a mature flower Aloe vryheidensis just showing a flower bud, and, unfortunately, sticking out into the sidewalk (will have to remove that sucker soon) Aloe barberae and vaombe... the latter which should start showing flower spikes, too, soon

Wow...where to start...it would help to know your style. Is it up-scale or a little funkier? Judging by your profile, a little funky would be Ok. I'll try to cover just the basics now, but pick up some books on California and read about some of the areas I mention. Flying into San Francisco or Oakland is easy. Staying in the City is wonderful and there is plenty to see and do. Driving up Highway 1 is, well... "very special." Depending upon where you start and expect to finish, it can provide some spectacular scenery, but consume a good deal of time in doing it! Flying back from your last destination could prove to be a challenge as there are no major airports North of SF until you get to Portland Oregon! There are a number of small airports that can provide a hop to one of the major ones, but that can take some time and cost a bit too. Wine country is a special place as well, but it is not just Napa. Most of California has become "Wine Country" as some very good wines come from way south in Santa Barbara County and East in the Gold Country in the Sierra Nevada foothills! Do keep in mine that late September can be a very exciting time in Napa-Sonoma depending upon the harvest, but, with all the activity, it can be a very busy time as well. I believe late September & October are the best time to visit though. It may be somewhat late for booking accommodations, or maybe not. IÂm sure you will find out! For the time you have, I might suggest going north from SF to Napa & Sonoma Counties as you have planned. Napa can be considered the "up-scale" area, for some pretty good reasons, while Sonoma is a little more down-to-earth and the Russian River area of Sonoma could even be called somewhat "funky." Some amazing wines come from all of these areas though! All this is centered around, or near, highway 101 Continue North to until Cloverdale, then take Hwy 128 (some great wineries along this narrow two-lane highway too!) to Hwy 1 and Mendocino. If you can get accommodations in Mendocino, stay there at least two nights. Continue north on Hwy 1 to get your fill of ocean/cliff scenery to where Hwy 1 & 101 comes together at Leggett. Just North of here is the Costal Redwoods and many parks dedicated to these giants. Well worth spending some time in! Run back down 101, through Ukiah and consider ending your trip with a few days in San Francisco, instead of starting it there. The Monterey Peninsula, seeing Monterey/Pacific Grove/Carmel and its "Wine Country" is another area that would be good to do, but it is South of SF. If you can map out the time, consider it though. Well, this is way long enough, maybe too long, for tonight. Just remember, California is a very large state and be sure to check mileage/driving times as to not wear yourselves out and enjoy the vacation less. All the best...

Wow Karen, your pictures are amazing! I am so sorry that we didn't get a chance to meet up, but I feel like I was there with this post. It is so neat to see my "home" from the eyes of a visitor. Right now it is 9am and it is still really foggy. I am heading down to San Juan this afternoon for my brothers wedding rehearsal and tomorrow for the wedding. They are getting married at El Adobe which is a restaurant within walking distance of the mission. Hoping to get there a little early so I can hit the antique mall before going in to the rehearsal. Glad you had a nice trip and made it home safely!